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Sneaky job seekers turn to spying

Tuesday 25th May 2010

A staggering eight out of ten IT workers (79%) would try to gain inside secrets about an organisation and its recruitment process to help them get a job.

That is the astonishing finding of a survey by The IT Job Board.

The research also discovered that 62% of IT workers would keep details about a job they were applying for secret from their colleagues to avoid competition for a role.

Meanwhile, 58% of candidates would flatter or compliment their boss to get a pay rise or promotion over their colleagues and just over a fifth (23%) would claim colleagues’ ideas as their own.

A third (32%) of people would even create a problem so they could fix it and "save the day", giving them extra kudos with their boss and direct colleagues.

The respondents had mixed views on participating in underhand activities.

While 38% of respondents took a dim view of using "out of the ordinary" tactics to boost their chances of getting a job, stating such tactics were morally wrong, some 23% of people said these tactics were fine as long as they didn’t hurt anyone.

Other surprising statistics the survey showed were as follows:
* 15% of respondents said that using out of the ordinary tactics to secure a role was necessary as it was a tough market out there;
* 35% of respondents said they would telephone a recruiter continuously to try and secure an interview, and;
* 13% of respondents said they would visit a recruiter’s premises and refuse to leave until they were seen.

The IT Job Board managing director Alex Farrell said: "Getting the inside scoop on a company prior to applying for a role does show initiative, however fellow candidates feel this is breaking an unwritten 'rule'.

"These results show that there is increased competition in the market."

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Mike Jones

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