Managers don’t trust job applicants’ CVs

Media release 22 May 2007

Managers don’t trust job applicants’ CVs

New Zealand job applicants exaggerate their skills and experience when applying for jobs and managers don’t trust their CVs, according to an international survey by recruitment company Robert Half International.

In its 2007 Workplace Survey, Robert Half asked 5098 managers across 17 countries whether CVs were trustworthy - 64% of New Zealand managers said no, placing us fourth behind Spain (72%), Australia (70%) and the UK (69%).

On average, 56% of managers worldwide thought CVs couldn’t be trusted - but in Luxembourg job applicants were viewed much more favourably, with just 26% of managers suspicious of what applicants put in their CVs.

Job candidates were most likely to exaggerate the real content of their former jobs, according to 74% of New Zealand managers. However 56% also thought candidates were very likely to exaggerate both their technical skills and managerial skills.

Managers in Australia and the UK shared their New Zealand counterparts suspicions, while Spanish managers also had doubts about the language skills applicants claimed in their CVs.

In Auckland, Robert Half Finance & Accounting division director Kim Smith said the results showed how important it was for managers to study CVs carefully and look for the warning signs that all was not as it seemed.

“Of course, all candidates are going to present themselves in the best light possible,” Ms Smith said, “so sometimes it’s just as important to look for what candidates don’t say as it is to look at what they do say.”

Unexpected chronological gaps could indicate the candidate was trying to hide something, she said, while vaguely worded job descriptions could indicate the responsibilities didn’t match the job title.

“Weasel words” such as “participated in”, “familiar with” and “in association with” could also indicate candidates didn’t actually have the experience they were claiming. “In general, the more detailed the information candidates give about their jobs, the more reliable that evidence is, “Ms Smith said.

It is always a good idea for interviewers to ask applicants where their responsibilities began and ended. This can determine precisely what they achieved and what they were simply “associated with”, she said.

And for candidates, Ms Smith had the following advice: “It’s important to present yourself as well as possible when preparing your CV, but it’s also important to be truthful. If you claim to have skills or experience you don’t actually have, you will be found out sooner or later, and will then have to live down a reputation that you can’t be trusted.”

ENDS

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