Dec 10
12
Do job applicants always tell the truth
A typical concern when looking for a candidate is whether the applicant has told the truth about various facets of their experience and education. It’s not unlikely for candidates to feel that they are more likely to get employment opportunities in Singapore if they distort their age, cover-up gaps in their work experience and declare to have academic training they don’t truly possess. This happens more than you think for Singapore jobs and also other places in the world, when people try to search for jobs
Whereas there is comparatively little academic research on the accuracy of applicant data, there is some proof which may make clear the facts. A study by a verification service in Minneapolis (U.S.), discovered that almost 33% of candidates’ educational and employment data had been inaccurate. An examination into 111 job application forms submitted by people applying for jobs as nurse aids, found that forms had been regularly incorrect for earlier salary earned (72%) and duration of previous employment (57%). 15% of companies cited by the candidates as being earlier employers, had no file of employing them.
In another survey (by Powerchex – a pre-employment screening agency) of 4,000 job applications by graduates in the UK, it was discovered that graduates with less than a 2.1 GPA face an particularly excessive temptation to cover the mediocrity of their educational achievement since many important firms reject them before even the primary-interview stage. Arts and humanities graduates are the most susceptible to over-stating achievements. 22% of those that apply for jobs in financial services are guilty of resume ‘discrepancies’. These vary from excessively playing up job responsibilities, to more serious lies including employment background and college degrees. Maths graduates were probably the most honest about their achievements, with just six percent responsible of CV transgressions.
Implications for companies: Do not take for granted that information provided by job applicants is all the time right and accurate.
Implications for job applicants: An increasing number of firms are realising the need to confirm the data you provide them. Do not hamper your chances of getting a job you would possibly get by mis-representing yourself.
Amit Puri has over 10 years of career advisory & management experience. He heads Sandbox Advisors a career, job search, recruitment & HR consulting firm in Singapore.Visit their (Career & Job Search Insights) for research &ideas on resume writing, job interview preparation, job openings, psychometric assessments & more.
