Have you been lying on your résumé?

When you read classified ad in newspaper about a job post, there could be three possible courses of action which you can take.
Action #1: You know you don’t qualify for the job and choose not to apply to it. So, you move on to the next job posting.
Action #2: Although you don’t qualify for the job yet you think you can do it but you don’t want to tell the employer about it. Hence you go on lying on your résumé to make it look like that you are aptly qualified for the job.
Action #3: You know you don’t qualify for the job yet you would like to give it a try as you are sure that you can learn the required skills and pick up the job very well. Hence you send them your résumé along with a cover letter mentioning that though you don’t qualify for the job yet you are willing to learn and acquire the required skills.
Needless to say, third action is the wisest of all — apply without endangering your reputation. Worst can happen that you may get rejected and the best can be the employer notices your potentials and hires you.
With the first action you may be missing a great opportunity. Second action will make you a liar and lying on your résumé is never a good idea. Moreover lying is like eating potato chips — you can’t stop with just one, e.g. if you get the job based on your lies, you have to keep on lying to your employer, coworkers and clients on daily basis to cover up your initial lies.
According to a survey conducted by Monster, 50% people lie on their résumé. According to surveys conducted by other sites, most of the time jobseekers lie on their education. They put degrees which they did not finish, add fake degrees and mention college names which they did not attend. Apart from education, other common topics which the jobseekers lie about are:

• Dates – Stretching employment dates to cover up employment gaps
• Job titles – Enhancing job titles
• Responsibilities and achievements – Embellishing job duties and achievements
• Employer names – Inventing employers
• Compensation – Increasing remuneration
• Reason for leaving – Lying on this to cover up termination or layoff

Sometimes jobseekers lie about their team size and mention that they had been heading that team, where as in reality they may have been a member of the team which was not as big as they claim.

Background Check

People assume that they can easily get away with their lies as the companies will not check it. However, with the increase in fraudulent activities, more and more companies are running background checks. During these checks and screenings, lies are discovered. Incongruities in employment dates, salary manipulation, job titles and duties and omission of negative records may get revealed during these checks.
If you think there is nothing wrong in lying about an employer who is not in business anymore then think again. Through various network and other sources people can easily find out about others.

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

Can you imagine the embarrassment when your beans are spilled in front of your boss? You have been lying all along to keep this job but they find out the truth and you are fired. Thus getting caught can cost you your job — even after being hired.
Picture this. Now after losing job you start job hunting once again. You decide this time you will be truthful through and through. But how will you put your last job in the résumé? Should you list it? Should you lie again? After a good thought you decide to list it. In the interview you are asked to state the reason for leaving the previous job…uh ho…there you go again. You are again in dilemma. If you say the truth you may lose the job opportunity. If you lie and get the job your employer may again find out and send you packing. End of job. End of story.
Hence lying once will make you lie again and eventually may ruin your career. It could be worse too. Employers can press charges against you for lying and deceiving them.

Résumé Fraud is a Crime

Is lying on résumé a crime? Certainly, it is. It’s a felony.
Lying on your résumé is not only immoral, it could get you fired or even sued. Employers can terminate employment and reduce or deny all benefits as a punishment for lying. Lying about your credentials and intentionally misleading an employer is illegal and can put you behind the bars, even if the lie was told a decade ago. Hence lying can cost you your job as well as your freedom. Your résumé is about selling your skills and not lying about them. There’s a thin line between selling and lying, make sure you don’t cross it.

Honesty is the Best Policy

The best strategy to create an honorable résumé is to never lie. Be truthful about your educational and professional background. Figure out a way to tell the truth and make yourself look good. Make your previous experiences sound pro-active to indicate your skills and achievements. Talk what you are most proud of. Being truthful on résumé will have two benefits:

• Your résumé will sound like your accomplishments in your career without any inconsistencies
• Your interview will be great because you will be at ease as you have nothing to hide thus your energy will be good.

An honest and well-written résumé will help you secure jobs even if you have less than perfect background. Just write a cover letter to address your worries.
At times you may feel like inflating your achievements or embellish your résumé to make it look more attractive. You can lie but do it at your own peril, because if you get caught then you are responsible for those consequences.
Moreover, no one is perfect in this imperfect world. There are very few people whose past are blemish-free or have the perfect career history. Instead of covering your blemishes, face them. Once you land in a job, you will have enough challenges and worries. So don’t increase your worries by lying, instead be honest. Don’t take short cuts to success; take the higher road.