4 in 10 CIOs have disqualified an IT candidate for misleading applicant information

Most of the false information pertains to the applicant’s technical skills and work experience.

Four in 10 (43%) Singaporean CIOs have resorted to disqualifying a job candidate from consideration for a position upon the discovery of dishonest or exaggerated information on their CV, according to a survey commissioned by Robert Half.

According to the interviewed CIOs, most of the disqualified IT applicants exaggerated information about their technical skills (63%) followed closely by their work experience (56%). 

Other areas where most applicants were similarly dishonest include their responsibilities at their previous job (38%), education/qualifications (31%), leadership skills (28%) and project management skills (28%).

Despite the alarming figure, Singaporean IT applicants have emerged as the most honest globally when it is compared to higher figures of disqualification due to dishonesty posted in other parts of the world including Brazil (69%), Australia (67%), Germany (66%), Hong Kong (63%), Belgium (60%), the UK (47%) and France (45%). 

“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,” said Robert Half Singapore Managing Director Matthieu Imbert-Bouchard.