Honesty is the best policy – but one which the Swiss eschew when job-hunting. Fibbing is a high-risk strategy, a study shows.
Job-seekers always present themselves in the most favorable light – either with their resumes, or when called for face-to-face interviews. All too often however, candidates stretch the truth about their best attributes, ginning up their CVs or even lying about their experience.
The Swiss in particular excel at career fibbing, as well as misrepresentations of their past salary in pay negotiations, according to a study released by consulting firm Robert Half (in German). Roughly one-quarter of hiring managers said they had rejected job applicants for lying about their pay at previous jobs, the study concluded.
Swiss Pinocchios
This puts Switzerland at the forefront of Europe: only 7 percent of Belgian executives said they had had to remove job applicants due to pay fibs. In the U.K. and Germany, 13 percent and 14 percent of hiring managers said they had done so before, while in Germany the measure stood at 19 percent.
Job applicants don't just fib about pay: they also exaggerate their job skills or experience, foreign language skills, leadership experience, or even their professional qualifications and internships.
For job-seekers, the fibs don't seem to pay off: experienced headhunters can see through the sleight of hand, often in an initial interview. There is another, even greater risk, according to the consultancy: «Job applicants who exaggerate their CVs risk finding themselves in over their heads in jobs they are unqualified for. If they can't meet expectations, the situation very quickly is quite an unhappy one,» the study authors wrote.
Damages Incurred
Worse, errant job applicants risk being sacked without notice during their trial period, or in extreme cases, must pay restitution for damages incurred. So honesty is the best policy, even if a job applicant has big unexplained gaps in his or her CV. In this case, job-seekers should take advice from professional headhunters in order to find a job which is professionally as well as personally a good fit.
To be sure, some questions remain taboo for hiring managers: for example, the still often-asked question of private or love life, plans to marry or have children, whether a job applicant is pregnant, religious or political affiliations, or general health issues.
Even though these questions are commonplace in job interviews, candidates still shouldn't lie to evade them, according to Robert Half. The better answer? To demur on such questions as too personal.
