Today, a candidate came to interview at our company. The experience, and the answers to questions looks very promising, but there is one problem: he intentionally changed the date of his employment history by few years. We immediately terminated the interview when we found out.
Integrity is the key to any person, and company. It is by trust that this society works together. No matter how good a person is, if there is integrity problem, that is a big problem. In Microsoft, for example, integrity issue is the biggest mistake someone can make, and will result in immediate termination of employment. The first value of the seven key values of Microsoft is Integrity and Honesty. At least in the few years I was in Microsoft, it was really enforced. I know it is a big deal.
So, don’t play trick with your resume, and don’t play tricks in most of the things.
It is on the contrary in state-owned enterprises.
Jianshuo, I’m really glad you addressed the importance of integrity and honesty issues. I hope more corporations CEOs in Shanghai (or other cities)will adopt your standard. Unfortunately, these are two qualities many corporations as well as private industries grossly overlook. When I lived in Shanghai, many times I was cheapted by dishonest vendors or company employees. The problem, as I see it, is that so many people there cheat to get business. When they are caught, there’s little consequences. Even if one complains to the cheaters’ boss or superiors, in most cases, there’s no use because the superior (or leaders) want to protect the company’s interest. They will either deny their wrong doings or on the surface, they say they would reprimend their employees, but in reality, nothing is done.
You are absolutely right about if an employee would cheap on his or her resume, he may also cheat the company later on by stealing trade secrets or stealing company’s customers. Of this type of dishonesty exists in many countries, but in certain countries this type of behavior or value system are not tolerated as some others.
TW
great post. I work in helping run some college interviews and there is a huge amount of fraud and corruption in the college application process for mainland students going overseas. i really hope to help fix and correct this situation.
A,
By thoroughly checking out your applicants’ resumes and verifying their transcripts, you will do those truly qualified students and your college a great service as those who honestly meet your school’s criterion will more likely make it and get their degrees in the future. You will also rule out the dishonest students. It would also be fair to those who are honest and outstanding students. Trust me, words travel very fast. If you let scums get in easily, that would only lead more of them to follow suit. Those who got in with fraudulent educational/professional records will likely to cheat their ways through your school. After all, a credible university/college wants to be pround of its students as much as the students want to be proud of their school.
TW
The latest news on HP’s CEO Mark Hurd further indicates how different the standards on the integrity are between US and Chinese business communities:
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-08-06/hp-s-mark-hurd-resigns-after-sexual-harassment-probe.html
I work with international students here in the US, and just yesterday was discussing this issue with a young woman who said she is being pressured by her peers to cheat and enhance her resume “in order to get ahead”. She feels very conflicted about this because within her immediate circle of friends apparently the common belief is that unless one does that, there is no hope for them to survive in the competitive world of business. I was able to tell her of my own experience to the contrary, and of my husband’s success with an ethical business model in a field where that was not necessarily the norm, but the examples you are offering here, Baixing and Microsoft will carry great weight when she continues this discussion with her friends. Thank you for providing such compelling “ammunition” for a young person who is just making up her mind about whether it is possible to follow the high road and be successful!
I think you touched the sore spot. I had some experiences with kids who are trying to come to collages in US in these past couple of years. It seems quite comment “practice” that the parents and the schools beef up the school records… the excuse is: well, the high schools in China are tougher therefore it is reasonable to change the marks on the record. I found it very difficult to say “that is dishonest”… especially when the other side is family member and friends. And often if I made some kind of comment, very carefully, the reply was always… well, China is different, everybody does it… if “we” don’t do it we were fools. I found myself quit speaking whenever it happens… I didn’t still don’t know what to say… and always felt quite disgusted by it.
Honestly, looking back my life before I left China, I can’t say that I was honest. Above all, I had to make up my activities after that summer 20 years ago… after the school reopened at those meetings that everyone had to write about their where about during that month. Whatever the reason we had/have… we seem quite comfortable with making up things for good or bad… it was a norma not to say what is true/real… and we always had reasons. And we were indeed told that was a 美德 to a degree.
I joked about my collage years in China with friends… that one thing I absolutely learned during those years was how to lie without showing a sign on your face, 臉不變色心不跳。My own comforting was that most of those lies were related to politic stuff… that was my reason for myself.
I am not saying that people don’t lie in US. But “our way” of promoting/understanding/accepting it as smart, slink, and necessary is very troubling. I am so glad to see your post and to know where you stand on this.
Tang Jun? An integrity joke about Microsoft.
Carroll, I am very touched that you shared your viewpoints with the female Chinese students so that she could hear a different set of values, which may contradict with what she had known of before. True, every country has honest and dishonest people, but still there’s huge difference how much its citizens accept the dishonest behaviors of its counterparts. In China and parts of other Asian countries, “cheating” is not viewed as seriously as it would be in the U.S. Their excuse is like what the female student had said, other people are all doing it . The ones who cheated before got away and are doing well, so why not me? Their attitude is “never venture, never win”. Dishonesty is not viewed as sin.
This is why I said in my previous post that I was very glad that Jianshuo would impose his high ethical standards in his company. An CEO can folster a positive or negative culture within his corporation. Only by strictly enforcing these standards within its company will the employees adopt the same ethical standards. I think a company ought to take action to reprimend the dishonest staff, including firing them and making them to pay hefty fines.
I lived in Shanghai before for 6 years and I speak Manderin, so I heard more than the foreigners would about the kind of scams people would do. A friend of mine’s sister came to LA to rent an apartment. When she was signing the lease, she requested to see the landlord’s grand deed to make sure he was indeed the owner of the property. She said in Shanghai, people have faked as landlords and rent others’ properties and pocket the rents. In a way, I don’t blame her. Within her knowledge, this sort of things happen in Shanghai or perhaps in other parts of China as well. There are many many vacant units in Shanghai, so I suppose this is very possilbe. We have a parking space in the basement of our condo building. We never parked the company’s car there before and never went down there to check. But one day, went down to the parking lot to meet someone our of her car. I found a car parking in our space. I found out later our management company had rented our space. My husband’s secretary stole money from his expense account…..I can go on and on, but I would spare it.
TW
I got a new job on July, one of my friend had suggested me to make a forged education certificate in order to get a high salary, but I did not do it, the new company hired me after the interview, but the salary discount by 33% as least. my heart is unbalance, because I have rich work experience and fast work efficiency than some other workmates, but my salary is lower. how come, what should I do, get a new job?
I was with my previous company for 6 years, my postion changed from an engineer assistance to Department manager, I know, it’s because of my responsiable work attitude and curiousness. but in China education certificate is important, that’s why many people has a forged one.