New Study Unveils 62% of Respondents Declare They’d Be More Likely to Lie to Get a Remote Job

Trust is crucial in the business world, but employers might want to be careful when finding a great CV candidate. According to a new StaffCircle study, 32% out of 1,500 employees admitted ‌they had twisted the truth on their CV when applying for a job, and 45% felt that they would have gotten the job they were applying for without lying.

The top three reasons why applicants lied on their CV were because of experience (51%), skills (38%), and salary (26%). Progressing higher on the career ladder is especially important for those people who are already in the middle of progressing ahead in their chosen career, as well as for those who are seeking to just start out.

The age demographics that were most prone to lying were the 25-34-year-olds, followed by 35-44-year-olds and 18-24-year-olds.

Will you get caught bending the truth?

Out of the 1,500 respondents, 63% admitted they’d be willing to conceal or embellish information in the future. Employees were especially keen to keep lying if it would mean they get their hands on a remote role.

At the time of the survey, 51% of those who falsified facts still held the same position. Overall, over 90% of those who didn’t tell the truth never faced any consequences. However, employees shouldn’t think cheating is the way forward.

Embellishing the truth can land employees in big trouble. 14 respondents faced legal consequences. Inevitably, employers are unlikely to keep people on board if they have lied blatantly during the recruitment process.

Employees who embellish their achievements or skills might find themselves unfit to perform in the role. The job could give them challenges that they’re ill-equipped to solve, leading to dissatisfaction.

Other studies have shown how important job satisfaction and employee well-being are for things such as productivity. Oxford University’s study revealed that happy employees are 13% more productive at work.

Telling the truth is clearly the better option. It guarantees the position is filled with a candidate that has the right skills and experience to perform well.

Strengthening the recruitment process

The survey highlights the need to strengthen the recruitment process. The opportunities to catch those using misinformation are there. Out of the respondents, 51% said they lied about their work experience and 38% embellished their skillset on CVs.

Companies need to evaluate their recruitment process and identify ways how they can catch out liars more quickly. Competency-based interview techniques can be vital in ensuring candidates can perform at the highest level.

It’s not difficult to say you have the skills, but showing them in action is a whole different thing. Employers shouldn’t take the candidate’s word but put those abilities to use first.

One of the most interesting findings of the StaffCircle survey revolved around current trust in the recruitment process. 68% of the respondents who cheated labelled the interview process as “very thorough”.

Even when candidates knew they withheld information, they still considered the process to work as intended. It is the employers’ job to ensure this would be the case. Not all candidates fabricate things, and you want to make sure they are justly assessed.

Ultimately, creating a thorough recruitment process is better for everyone. It can help build trust both ways – employers and employees know that their roles have been filled fairly.