It is evidently a widespread practice for IT job seekers globally to lie about their technical skills during job applications. Despite this, however, a Robert Half study revealed that Singaporean IT job seekers are the most honest in the world.
According to the research, 43 percent of Singaporean Chief Information Officers (CIOs) have disqualified a job candidate from consideration after discovering dishonest and exaggerated information included on their CV.
This was far more than the 69 percent of Brazilian and 67 percent Australian CIOs who expressed the same sentiment.
Also Read: Singapore: Data leaks brought by snooping IT security professionals feared
More cases of dishonesty were also recorded in countries like Germany (66 percent), Hong Kong (63 percent), Belgium (60 percent), the United Kingdom (47 percent), and France (45 percent).
Robert Half Singapore Managing Director Matthieu Imbert-Bouchard said this indicates that Singapore's IT job seekers are the most genuine globally during the application process.
The most common areas where job applicants were dishonest on their CV as identified by Singapore's IT leaders are: technical skills (63 percent), work experience (56 percent), previous job duties (38 percent), education/qualifications (31 percent), leadership skills (28 percent) and project management skills (28 percent).
Imbert-Bouchard said it is important for job seekers to uphold honesty, especially during the job application process. He explained that even minor exaggeration of information in a job applicants' CVs may spell bigger consequences which may affect their future in the business.
"Even though a jobseeker might be the best person for the job, once untruthfulness has been discovered - with online transparency and social media making background checks much easier - the candidate's professional credibility has been irreversibly damaged, and highly reduces their chance of successfully landing the job," he said.
He furthered, "If they're successful in securing the job and are found to have lied on their CV, it will most likely result in termination, damage the candidate's reputation, and eliminate the option of obtaining a positive reference for future employment."
