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Graduates Openly Admit to Lying on Resumes to Increase Employment Prospects
Graduates Openly Admit to Lying on Resumes to Increase Employment Prospects
11 January 2011
Press Release: For Immediate Release
The results of a survey of over 2500 university graduates from across Australia show that almost two in five (38 per cent) admit to lying on their resumes when applying for graduate jobs.
According to 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 per cent of graduates only used referees who they knew would give them a good reference.
Onetest's Head of Psychology Ms Cherie Curtis comments, “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.”
Furthermore, a surge in demand for graduates over the coming twelve months means that lying and embellishments by jobseekers is only set to rise. In addition to a solid increase in available graduate positions for the 2010/2011 intake year, this survey also found that the proportion of graduate job seekers who had not received any offers was in line with 2009, but the number of people receiving multiple offers has increased from 34 per cent to 38 per cent over the same period.
According to Ms Curtis this indicates that, as graduate programs ramp up again, competition for the cream of the crop will also increase.
“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 campaigns if they are serious about hiring the best graduates.
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!”
-ENDS-
For the full survey results or to arrange interviews with Onetest, please contact:
Matthew Clarkson, Head of Marketing, Onetest
1300 137 937 or 0408 005 175
mclarkson@onetest.com.au
About the Onetest 2010 Graduate Opinion Survey
The Onetest 2010 Graduate Opinion Survey was conducted in August and September 2010. Over 2,500 recent graduates from across the country were invited to participate. A full breakdown of survey participant age, location and discipline of undergraduate qualification type is available on request.
About Onetest
Onetest is Australia’s leading provider of online employment assessments and has built a reputation for its industry-leading combination of technology and psychology that not only reduces the risk of a bad hiring decision, but also the time and cost involved in hiring and keeping the right people. For further information, please visit www.onetest.com.au
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