In the labor market, this practice has become very common and also responds to the economic situation that people are experiencing and, sometimes, to the desperation to find a job. However, it is a dishonest act that does not always help applicants.
According to evaluations carried out by Midot, during 2022 a job offer was withdrawn from more than 100,000 candidates because their evaluations yielded information about dishonest behavior. Even when carrying out a labor integrity test, it was detected that 13,842 people tried to manipulate the exam or cheat, with the help of outsiders, which corresponds to 1.5% of the evaluations analyzed by the analysis firm.
These figures come from an evaluation carried out on one million integrity tests for candidates in different industries in Mexico, of which around 440,000 were monitored through some remote technology and 36% were carried out on mobile phones.
Can recruiters spot false information on a CV?
Today, there are different red flags that may indicate that a candidate is submitting false information on their CV. He CV screening is an increasingly widespread practice to verify lies. And there are digital tools that detect when the candidate is exchanged for another person to answer the most difficult part of psychometrics.
Jose Vázquez, director of PageGroup for the finance sector, points out that, as recruiters, you always have to pay attention to the details in the candidate’s CV. For example, if the employer claims to have specific skills or experience, it is important to ask for specific details of his experience and how he has applied those skills in previous jobs.
Another indicator, he says, is if the candidate exaggerates their experience or skills on the CV. If it seems too good to be true, it may not be. Additionally, employers may conduct background checks, such as asking for job and educational references, to confirm candidate information.
“Presenting false information on a CV is an act of dishonesty that can have serious consequences for all parties involved, and it is important that we all know how to spot a potential lie,” he says.
Dishonest acts in the organization
But lying on the CV is only the beginning of the chain. A dishonest applicant can become a dishonest employee. The unethical actions most committed by employees and that are observed in all organizations, regardless of the size of the business, are identity theft, not complying with established schedules, taking excessive breaks, low productivity, rumors, favoritism, harassment, theft ant, bribery and embezzlement of company resources.
In the last year, these acts increased 20% and where they occurred the most was in operations, accounting and finance because they are areas that manage cash flow and material resources in organizations.
This is followed by senior management and commercial areas, ”there is a paradigm that the lower the income, the more susceptibility there is to committing dishonest acts; however this is not real. The senior executives they committed 23% of inappropriate behaviors during the year”, says Calderón.
On the other hand, 85% of the dishonest acts were presented in SMEs, and by sector, those with the highest incidence of labor dishonesty are banking, finance, services, logistics and retailaccording to the study.
The cost of dishonesty
According to the manager of the analysis firm, dishonest or illegal behavior can represent 10% of a company’s annual revenue. And this is not a small thing considering that many companies want to grow at double digits. This means that they are taking two steps forward and one step back.
For an SME, this percentage has a greater negative impact, since due to its structure and size it is more difficult to bear this loss. In fact, inappropriate behavior can lead to the bankruptcy of the company.
Likewise, the impact is not only on the results, but on business productivity, which can be reduced by up to 40%. This leads to a bad working environment, high turnover and an additional cost for the company, which must invest again in talent attraction processes and onboarding.
What can companies do?
The spokespersons consulted agree on the importance of companies having codes of conduct, ethics, clear processes, policies that shape and fund all areas of the company.
No less important is to continue evaluating the staff to see how they are throughout the years in the company, and it is suggested to have an anonymous mailbox and direct communication with the leaders “because we know that when a dishonest act is committed there are more than two people involved and there are those who know about it, but do not report it,” says Calderón.
For Ivonne Mijares Aguilar, business coach and teacher at the Banking and Commercial School (EBC), dishonest behavior is a reflection of a toxic organizational culture. However, it is not the only reason for the person to behave inappropriately or passive-aggressively.
They can occur mostly in places where the employee cannot express what they feel, if there are reprisals for saying what they think or if they feel that they are not growing within the company, nor that they are part of it. Also when there is a lack of leadership and few opportunities for development and active listening.
“If people have the possibility to move, they will do it. And those who can’t do it immediately look for alternatives to express their anger. Many times the reaction they take is related to the education that is generated by their contact with life and sometimes it does not occur in an illegal act, but with born out or a disease”, he explains.
Hence the importance of selecting talent well. But that the employing company has its values well defined and that these match those of the applicant and those of the collaborator.
The company should always care about the employee experience. and this starts from your selection process to how it develops in the organization, how is the incorporation of the person to his area, how he learns, how he relates, and what he receives from the company.
“Today, people are not necessarily looking to take over the leadership of an area. What they value most in order to feel part of the organization is caring, being in collaborative teams, learning every day, having challenges and knowing that the company cares and takes care of its people”, he concludes.
