Case Summary
Generally, misstatements are not only in personal life but also in the workplace. Dishonest employees may lead organizations to hire incompetent or unsuitable employees. This is because some jobseekers can make fabrications on resumes, ranging from padding dates to mask employment gaps, exaggerating job titles, to inventing achievements that actually never took place. Some job seekers even falsify their social and economic backgrounds to catch the employer’s eye.
The competition among job applicants has always been significant, particularly when the economy is tight. This may lead to other unprecedented behaviors among applicants, aimed at securing the jobs. For instance, this could lead to an increase in the number of applications misrepresenting their backgrounds, as well as credentials. Such misrepresentations could be fabrication of a degree, shifting of a college major, or even a change in the date of birth. Additionally, there could be lies regarding criminal records. It is important to realize that such misrepresentations happen against the backdrop of an increasing pressure on organizations to be socially responsible by offering equal opportunities for employment and managing diversity.
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Critical Thinking Questions
Question 5-17
Fraud on resumes and job applications is a critical issue for organizations. Job seekers who lack integrity may end up lowering ethical standards of an organization. The fact that they can fabricate their resumes means that they can engage in fraudulent activities when they are employed. Additionally, fraudulent job applicants may lead the organization to hire the wrong individuals who will not contribute effectively to the achievement of organizational objectives.
Question 5-18
Qualifications and credentials are very important to have. Every professional should actually possess the requisite knowledge and expertise to offer services. For instance, a professor should have the required qualifications in order to ensure the quality of his services to the students in universities. Professors who have no academic qualifications may significantly lower the quality of education offered in universities. Similarly, doctors should have the required qualifications and credentials to treat people. Doctors who lack the required qualifications may endanger the lives of patients because they lack skills and knowledge to deliver health care services.
Question 5-19
Even if a fraudulent imposter can perform the job as expected, an organization that employs such an individual runs the risk having to deal with legal tussles. Organizations should not focus on a person’s ability to perform a duty and forget about the individual’s character. In every field, there are professional standards that should be maintained. However, fraudulent individuals may engage in unlawful practices that may land an organization in problems that could have been avoided in the hiring process. Therefore, people with integrity and self-discipline should always be considered for jobs. As much as organizations need to ensure equal employment opportunity for all and effectively manage diversity, they should put their interests first by hiring the right people who will deliver results.
Important Lessons Learned
From the case study, I have identified two important lessons. The first lesson is that organizations can over-emphasize the need for equal employment opportunity for all, and end up hiring the wrong people. As such, thorough screening of employees in the hiring process could significantly help in preventing wrong hiring (Alonso-Almeida et al., 2015). Apart from qualifications and credentials, focus should also be on the character of the individuals.
The second important lesson that I have learnt is that job seekers can take advantage of the fact that many organizations endeavor to embrace diversity in the workplace. Therefore, organizations need to carry out a lot of background checks for applicants to determine whether they are suitable for employment or not (Riach, 2009). This can be done through call interviews aimed at establishing the demographics of the applicants. The credentials could even be verified to ensure that the wrong people are not hired.
References
Alonso ‐ Almeida, M. D. M., Fernández de Navarrete, F. C., & Rodriguez ‐ Pomeda, J. (2015). Corporate social responsibility perception in business students as future managers: a multifactorial analysis. Business Ethics: A European Review , 24 (1), 1-17.
Riach, K. (2009). Managing ‘difference’: Understanding age diversity in practice. Human Resource Management Journal , 19 (3), 319-335.
