Mark Twain once said, "Honesty is the best policy - when there is money in it." Though spoken more than 100 years ago, this statement bears great relevance today in the age of corporate scandals, including at Enron Corp. and WorldCom.

So it comes as no surprise during the debate on corporate integrity that honesty is becoming a staple in the search for new employees.

A study developed by Robert Half International Inc. of Grand Rapids found 58 percent of 1,400 chief financial officers polled around the nation find honesty and integrity as key qualities of prospective employees, aside from their ability and willingness to do the job.

There must be a good reason why those statistics show a major leap from the 32 percent of CFOs that reported such traits as key for new job candidates in 1997.

Were employees more "honest" five years ago and corporate scandals and individual corruption less common? Or has such dishonesty and greediness simply been kept in the dark?

It's no small deal that top executives around the nation have been involved in such major offenses as security, mail and wire fraud and money laundering for years before being held accountable for their shady actions.

If a dishonest employee can make it to the top of the corporate game, what does that say about the state of integrity in any tier of American business?

Despite the ideology that society breeds competition and with competition comes success, honesty and strength of character should be a given for all individuals employed in the work force.

When honesty and integrity have to be singled out by employers in their search for new job applicants, it reflects poorly on America as a whole.

Personal integrity should always be a main goal for individuals looking to be successful in business. If only Twain had said, "Honesty is the best policy," without mentioning money.