For free career coaching click here: http://www.commonsenseatwork.com. You'll receive The Career Accelerator, Ramon Greenwood's semi-monthly newsletter. You can also visit his Your Blog For Career Advice via this route. Greenwood's coaching comes from a world of experience, including serving as Senior Vice President of American Express, an entrepreneur, professional director, career coach and author.
No doubt about it. These are tough times. Jobs are hard to come by and to hold. It is not surprising, then, that job seekers may be tempted to pad their resumes. That is, be less than truthful about their skills, experience, even their references.
Don't, don't do it; stick to the facts. There may appear to be benefits to lying on your resume in the short term, but in the longer view it threatens ultimate career rewards.
While only 8 percent of applicants admit to fibbing about their career path in their resumes according to a survey conducted by CareerBuilder.com, nearly half of hiring managers surveyed say they have caught candidates lying on their resumes.
Those who make hiring decisions are more apt than ever before to check references. The smart applicants get the approval of references and make sure they will be positive before including them in their resumes and covering letters.
Human resources people are better equipped and more alert than ever to spot transgressions such as grossly inflating accomplishments, positions and salary to the extent they don't jibe with age and education/training; being inaccurate about dates to cover gaps in a career path; overstating compensation.
At the same time, they are flooded with a growing number of applications for a shrinking number of openings, so they have less time to review resumes...sometimes only minutes for each. Therefore, even the hint of lies and exaggerations is enough to consign an application to the trashcan. Nearly six out of ten in the survey conducted by CareerBuilder.com said they automatically dismissed the application.
Even if a dishonest resume leads to a job, the fact that it exists will be a source of stress and distraction. Worse case, it can still come back to haunt you if the truth comes out, as is likely currently or in the future. Overstating experience can also lead to failure by putting an applicant in a job he can't handle.
Hiring managers expect applicants to put the best face on their resumes and covering letters. At the same time, they demand facts to support claims. This leaves plenty of opportunity to make the case for getting hired with a concise resume that reflects an understanding of the employer's needs and showing a convincing story of how one's qualifications serve those needs.
"The vast majority of people facing career changes are immensely better qualified than their self-written resumes", says Bryan Newman, Certified Professional Resume Writer.
"...a successful resume (tells) the reader what you have accomplished that makes you a better candidate for the job than others in the field. Recruiters look for candidates whose resumes are crafted around a solid list of career achievements."
By the way, the fact is that some employers may lie also, promising opportunities and rewards they can't deliver. (But that doesn't excuse your falsifying your career path.) Check them out before spending time and effort in making applications.
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