University graduates are lying on their resumes when applying for graduate jobs, with a survey of 2,500 Australian university graduates showing that 38 percent openly admit to lying on their resumes.
In Onetest’s 2010 Graduate Opinion Survey, a ‘large portion’ of recent graduates submitted embellished resumes containing inflated work experience, employment tenure and skills development information, as part of a job application.
The survey also found that 72 percent of graduates only used referees who they knew would give them a good reference.
Onetest’s Head of Psychology Ms Cherie Curtis believes the actions of university graduates may not always paint an accurate picture for potential employers.
“Graduates are doing everything they can to portray a positive, but not always accurate, image of themselves in an attempt to stand out from other graduates and make it into the workforce successfully.”
“Graduate recruitment is well and truly back on the agenda after a quiet time throughout the GFC where programs were put on hold or even cancelled. As more programs become available, employers are looking to snap up the best talent first which means graduates will be trying harder than ever to make a good impression” Ms Curtis explains.
Given the propensity of graduates to stretch the truth, employers must re-consider the traditional selection methods used in their graduate recruitment, consider doing your own testing and evaluation over and above screening candidates resumes for skills and experience.
Ms Curtis finishes, “A majority of organisations still rely on inefficient selection tools as their primary means of evaluating jobseekers’ potential suitability for the job. Consideration should certainly be given to other, more effective tools, such as pre-employment assessments, that help you find out what you need to know, not just what graduates want you to know!”
