One of the main concerns for many people in tough economic times is the job search process. Researchers have found that a poor economy can have a significant psychological effect on individuals looking for jobs. Individuals affected by downsizing will likely have low confidence and self-esteem and will think that it is necessary to appear super-qualified to get a job. Many studies have found that around 40% of people already provide false information on their resumes, and with the tendency mentioned above, lies on resumes are likely even more prevalent in tough times. Organizations should realize that in traditional face-to-face interviews, recruiters are able to catch a little under half of the lies with which they are confronted, and so they should be careful in these settings. However, they should be even more aware of interviewers’ abilities in the computer-based settings that many companies are starting the recruiting process with now. Many job-search websites now provide features so that the interview process can be started online, using e-mail or instant-messaging (IM) chat communication. While these features are useful because they allow organizations to easily interview many candidates in different places, the also present new challenges, such as detecting interviewee lies. Unfortunately, interviewers are only able to catch about 8% of the lies with which they are confronted when using computer-based communication, such as email or IM. However, in a recent study conducted by faculty at IESE and by researchers in the US, it was found that when other individuals (that were not involved in the interview process) review transcripts (or recordings) of computer-based interviews, it is possible to more than double the lie detection rate in these new interview settings. This is good news, because with this added step in the interview process, distance-based interviews that take place over the computer may be effective enough for initial interview stages.
To find out more about these studies and some of the new findings about lies and new interview settings, take a look at “Hiring. How to Separate the Wheat from the Chaff” and “Truth, Lies and Audiotape: Finding Fibbers Before Hiring Them” at the IESE Insight website
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