The ad on a job listings website by Morson, seen on 8 November, stated: ‘Lead Systems Engineer £45-51 p hour | Templecombe | Contact/Interim… A client of ours is seeking a Lead Systems Engineer to provide additional IVVQ support at subsystem level… Ref no: 100424-134070AMK_547840015.’

The complainant, who did not believe the vacancy was genuine, challenged whether the ad was misleading.

In response, Morson provided evidence to the ASA, which included:

• Evidence via screen grabs from their internal applicant tracking software
• The job specification from their intermediary client, on whose behalf they were recruiting, which detailed the job title, maximum hourly pay rate, location, start date and length of contract for the position
• Details of the interview date of the successful and unsuccessful candidates, and communication logs with the client and successful candidate throughout the recruitment process, in which they liaised about the interview, job offer and new starter information.

The ASA considered consumers would expect the ad was genuine, adding documentary evidence relating to the role had been provided by Morson, demonstrating two candidates had been interviewed and the role had been filled by a successful applicant.

For these reasons, the ASA ruled the ad was not misleading and no further action was necessary.

Recruiter contacted Morson for comment. This story will be updated upon receipt of their reply.

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