Most applicants in this sector offer false information about their technical skills and work experience
Four in 10 (43%) Singaporean chief information officers have rejected IT job candidates upon discovery of false information on their CV, according to research by staffing specialist Robert Half.
It was found that most of the disqualified applicants exaggerated information such as their technical skills (63%), work experience (56%), responsibilities at their previous job (38%), and qualifications (31%).
Despite the worrying findings, Singaporean IT applicants have emerged as the most honest globally when compared to their overseas counterparts based on higher figures of disqualification due to dishonesty. Brazil had one of the highest figures at 69%, followed by Australia (67%), Germany (66%), Hongkong (63%) and Belgium (47%).
Background checks have become much easier with online transparency and social media, said Matthieu Imbert-Bouchard, managing director of Robert Half Singapore.
“Even though a jobseeker might be the best person for the job, once untruthfulness has been discovered, the candidate’s professional credibility has been irreversibly damaged, and highly reduces their chance of successfully landing the job,” he said.
In 2017, HireRight found through background checks that 1 in 5 of job applicants in the Asia-Pacific region submitted inaccurate information on their CVs.