In a shocking revelation earlier this month, Yahoo!'s CEO was found to have lied on his resume about having a computer science degree, when actually he graduated in accounting. But, Scott Thompson isn't alone in having embellished academic credentials. In a recent online poll conducted by Gulf News, one in every three gulfnews.com readers admitted to having lied on his/her CV. Why is this practice so common? Is it because it is considered an innocent white lie by people? Or has today's corporate environment simply made it impossible to succeed without creating false credentials? People who have impressive degrees or are smooth talkers seem to invariably get preference over the simple, no-nonsense hard workers. Why do you think that happens? Post your thoughts on our Facebook page ‘Gulf News Al Nisr Publishing UAE' or tell us at readers@gulfnews.com
15:31 Gulf News: Today's corporate environment is pushing people towards unethical behaviour.
15:32 Ishfaq Mir: I don't think anything can ‘force' people to lie unless they themselves give in. They say honesty is the best policy, then why lie?
15:34 Akshaya Parthasarathy: Today's world has become competitive, and there's no doubt that it will increase. The corporate environment takes nothing less than perfect. Lying on one's CV is thus expected. ‘Force' wouldn't be the proper term, it's the wish of the person, on what sort of position they want.
15:34 Salim Mohammad: I disagree. It is not the corporate world, it is the people who tend to make others go on the wrong way. Stating the example of the Yahoo CEO or anyone — there are companies who reply upon the right qualifications and certification, rather than looking on a person's talent. In a day, an HR department might get as many as a thousand resumes, in which most of them will sound the same — hardwork, determination etc. So, they look for those who are different.
15:35 Ishfaq Mir: Competition is ever increasing, and in a way that is a good sign of progress in the economy. One can't blame it for the declining values in human beings. A person should only follow the path of truth. Only college degrees aren't everything in a business, there's something called hard work and effort, too.
15:36 Lodhi Azmat Allah: Today's world is challenging — everybody wants to reach the height of success, either in the proper way or by using unfair methods. Those who work hard and follow a straight path are left behind. It depends upon the situation and kind of people who adopt this method for their success.
15:42 Lakshmi Ajay: Most of the time it isn't honesty that is appreciated. It is the position you gain by whatever means that matters in the eyes of your co-workers.
15:44 Gulf News: Most managers are too insecure to promote transparency in a team.
15:34 Salim Mohammad: In any process of productivity, one will not be able to maintain utmost transparency. Say, if a manager hires somone, and in his CV he is an MBA graduate and is highly qualified, but he actually lacks talent, he will fail. On other hand, if a person has no managment background but has [skill], he will definitely make a difference. So, at times, transparency doesn't help us.
15:46 Ishfaq Mir: Managers too are accountable and answerable to their senior management. They have to follow some rules which at times may inhibit 100 per cent transparency. They won't risk their job for complete openness with the employees.
15:51 Shivshankar K.T.: Boosting your CV will only help create an [initial] impression and will not help in the long run. I have seen people mentioning false experience in the CV just to qualify for a particular job. But how are they going to face the interview?
15:55 Lakshmi Ajay: The economy around the world has gone down like lightning and this in turn makes companies accept only the best, which in turn leads to people struggling for a position that they know will never come to them through rightful ways.
15:57 Sandhya Shetty: Unfortunately, it is a ‘dog eat dog' world, where ethics and honesty have gone out the window. There are still a lot of us who beleive that our honesty can definitely take us up the corporate ladder, albeit a little late. But fake degrees and lies can take you a little higher up, but eventually you are going to be exposed and then it is too late.
15:59 Akshaya Parthasarathy: But looking on the other side of it, maybe some of them do have the skills, but their education degree is less. They might not be even chosen for the position in the first place!
16:00 Gulf News: Employees who have the gift of gab are more likely to get promoted than no-nonsense workers.
16:01 Akshaya Parthasarathy: Even if they are loud, what sort of noise do they make? Will it be productive for the company? The people hiring them should analyse the skills of the person thoroughly, just noise and no work is not exactly an option for the long run.
16:03 Salim Mohammad: In a company there are employees who are outspoken, and may not work but pretend to be hardworking and in most cases they have been promoted. On the other side there are people who work hard for their living, sincerly and punctually, but expect nothing from the copmany, and they remain in the same place.
16:03 Lodhi Azmat Allah: Yes I agree. The lion who roars in the jungle is the king. The same is with the job market — the more your roar, the more you are promoted and climb up the ladder.
16:03 Ishfaq Mir: Over a period of time, when you have settled and adjusted in the company, your colleagues get to know you and the word of mouth even passes to the manager. The way you express your opinions about certain things and how you react to certain arguments is what is looked into. Some tolerance is essential. Being ‘loud' can even have the reverse impact because others ... may tag you as a ‘bossy' person.
16:04 Shivshankar K.T.: But the fact is it will not work with every manager. That is why when the manager changes gif of the gab will look like fish out of water.
16:04 Akshaya Parthasarathy: Yes, lying has become necessary for success, but the people who do lie with the motive that it is for a good cause, should work accordingly to that. If they have written to exhibit skills which no other employee could, then they should exhibit those skills and juggle the challenges that come with lying.
