{"id":40993,"date":"2024-09-23T07:59:41","date_gmt":"2024-09-23T14:59:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coderpad.io\/?p=40993"},"modified":"2024-09-24T06:44:16","modified_gmt":"2024-09-24T13:44:16","slug":"why-do-candidates-cheat-uncovering-the-root-causes-and-how-to-address-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coderpad.io\/blog\/hiring-developers\/why-do-candidates-cheat-uncovering-the-root-causes-and-how-to-address-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Do Candidates Cheat? Uncovering the Root Causes and How to Address Them"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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\u201cI had a hackerrank yesterday for a job. Every single problem was easy to google and I could find a solution. I didn\u2019t want anything to be obvious though so I tried making my own solutions without looking. Did really badly, only answered 2\/3 questions and one failed most tests.<\/em>

So I\u2019m curious now, is just googling for answers commonplace?\u201d<\/em><\/p>Anonymous Reddit User<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve ever worked with software developers, you\u2019ll know they appreciate efficiency. As a former software developer, I would search every library and corner of Google and Stackoverflow before spending time trying to solve a problem I knew was already an answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately for recruiters, for some developers, efficiency also means using unauthorized resources when the don\u2019t know the answers to the questions on their technical assessments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like the Reddit user above, this could be as simple as Googling the answer or trying to find it using ChatGPT or Stackoverflow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or it could be as complex as paying for someone to take the test for them, or having a more knowledgeable friend in the room while they take the test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to at least one source<\/a>, candidate deception is on the rise. And with the tight job market even for tech employees, this makes sense. While tech layoffs seem to have slowed over the past few months, many people really<\/em> want a new job, whether working fully remotely, not being unemployed anymore, or getting the ever-elusive salary boost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s easy to sit here reading this and blame malicious candidates for the troubles that cheating causes your organization. It\u2019s more challenging to dive into why candidates cheat \u2013 and you should want to do that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understanding why candidates cheat will not only help you prevent cheating but will help you create a better candidate experience for ALL your candidates. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Straight from the source: Candidates tell us why they cheat<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

No, we weren\u2019t holding interrogations on candidates, nor were they readily confessing to misleading recruiters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, we rely on two sources that protect the anonymity of its survey participants: a Reddit post<\/a> and a study published in the academic journal Ethics and Behavior<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u261d\ufe0f A quick caveat on the academic study: In the study, it was students who were asked about cheating behavior, not job candidates. However, given similar high-pressure stakes to pass in both instances, we can extend the findings on students to what we see in job candidates.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

First, I think the conclusion of the Ethics and Behavior<\/em> article is worth starting with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most students did not initially recognize their acts as cheating. While students generally thought cheating was wrong, they often judged the exceptional cases in which they cheated to be acceptable, citing concerns such as assignment goals and task feasibility. <\/em><\/strong>The findings suggest that perceptions, evaluations, and competing motivations play a key role in students\u2019 decisions to cheat.<\/em><\/p>Ethics and Behavior: “Why do students cheat? Perceptions, evaluations, and motivations”<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Yes, there will always be cheaters who know what they are doing is wrong, don\u2019t feel guilty about it, don\u2019t offer any justifications, and are out there to screw honest people out of a job. They\u2019re called psychopaths, and fortunately, they represent only a tiny portion of the human population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For better or worse, most candidates who cheat don\u2019t think they\u2019re cheating. And that shows also in the Reddit poll:<\/p>\n\n\n

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Notice that most candidates \u2013 61% \u2013 never felt the need to cheat. Only 5% cheated because they were simply unprepared. The remaining 34% of candidates felt justified in cheating because of frustration with the interview process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outside of the standard competitive job market and the pressure to land a job in tech, it looks like we can break down cheating reasons into two root causes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n