Â鶹ֱ²¥ researchers have found that some job seekers are more likely than others to exaggerate their knowledge when applying for a competitive job – and those employees are less likely to follow instructions once they get the job.<\/p>\n
The research, published in the Journal of Applied Psychology<\/em>, conducted three different studies to determine how potential job applicants might \u2018fake\u2019 information about themselves throughout their job application so they can appear more impressive to an employer.<\/p>\n Lead author Associate Professor Patrick Dunlop, from the Future of the Work Institute based at Â鶹ֱ²¥, said it was important for employers to identify lying applicants in order to avoid poor hiring decisions.<\/p>\n \u201cA major challenge for recruiters is that it is difficult to determine whether a job candidate is being truthful about their skills, experience, personality and knowledge. Our research aimed to test a new method of identifying the people who are not being truthful,\u201d Associate Professor Dunlop said.<\/p>\n \u201cIn one of our three studies, we advertised a high-paying job on a gig-work platform and invited people to apply for it. In the advertisement, we explained that the job would require knowledge about politics. The applicants were asked to complete an \u2018over-claiming test\u2019, which included both real and bogus information about politics.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter the application process, we offered the job to all of the applicants and asked them to perform a task for the job. We found that people who had \u2018over-claimed\u2019 or \u2018lied\u2019 about their knowledge of politics during the application were more likely to ignore instructions we had given them once in the job.\u201d<\/p>\n Associate Professor Dunlop said the research findings would help employers and managers identify \u2018problem applicants\u2019 who were prone to this behaviour.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is important for employers to be able to differentiate between a job candidate who is confident and someone who is claiming to be more experienced and skilled for the role than they actually are,\u201d Associate Professor Dunlop said.<\/p>\n \u201cEmployers who conducted tests or questionnaires during interviews that included a range of \u2018fake\u2019 and real questions may be able to make better hiring choices. This would help employers avoid hiring someone who is not the best candidate for the role.\u201d<\/p>\n The research was co-authored by researchers from Curtin\u2019s Future of Work Institute, University of Calgary, University of Twente and Vrje Universiteit Amsterdam, University of Melbourne, and University of Western Australia.<\/p>\n