Lying about where you live on resume. What happens if they find out? (employees, applying)
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We all know the games HR plays. "Local candidates only", "must be presently employed", etc etc. Well after one instance where an employer was going to interview me through a head hunter, but decided not to because they wanted someone to start in 2 weeks (WHICH I COULD HAVE STARTED ANYWAYS. They just assumed I couldn't because I lived 3 hours away but didn't bother even asking!), I decided that I am going to just start putting down a local address.
Well I might at least have a phone interview soon with a company 3 hours away, and I put down a local address again. The problem is that I still have a job in my current city and just put down November as my last month, and told them I moved back this month already. My question is what happens if they call my employer and find out I still work in this city 3 hours away. I was thinking of just saying I go back on weekends because my girlfriend lives there. Will they even find out? If they do, would that be grounds to not hire me?
BTW employers, if you don't want to pay relocation costs or want someone to start in 2 weeks, JUST SAY IT ON THE APPLICATION!! Don't just not consider someone at all! HR makes me so mad sometimes! It makes me sick when I hear about how they can't find qualified candidates.
lying, even a white lie, can be grounds for termination, its a breach in the contract...you weren't the person you said you were. thats why it states after you apply, in the signature section, i hereby blah blah blah....and if not true you will no longer be considered for this position. its pretty standard, you should never lie. even if you worked somewhere for a solid 5 years and they found out you never had a degree or something they will still fire you.
What you are asking is a bit irrational. I have never heard of a company paying relocation costs unless you are already employed or they recruit you. As for the two weeks, that is fairly common, and flexible.
I think you were not a good fit and they just used that as an excuse. Did you say that time and distance wasn't an issue?
In the public sector they sometimes have something of a residency requirement. It can be quite controversal and here are the pros and cons.
Pro
1) Certain positions require a more immediate response like police and fire. Having them closer means they can respond faster.
2) Employees are more apt to spend money in their local communities
3) It could potentially lower the amount of traffic on the roads
Con
1) Employees can potential end up voting for their own paychecks
2) Higher qualifications can end up creating potential gentrification of areas driving up the prices of homes for everyone else
In the private sector I just don't see the point of local candidates only. I saw a recent job posting for one that said that but it didn't define what is "local". It turns out it's only three miles away from a prior place I worked at although it is about 50 miles from me. Plenty of people drive. A good source was able to get me more information.
The idea of location being a factor shouldn't be that hard these days. We live in a world of public transit, telecommutting, smart phones, broadband and GPS. As long as someone is not late then what exactly is the issue? I doubt that many would pay for relocation costs if it's three hours away though. Relocation costs I could understand if it is a high tiered job and is say going from a major city to another. SF, LA, NYC, Chicago, Houston etc
The only issue I can realistically see that could be a factor in complicaiton would be if you lived in one state and worked in another. I live in Ma and NH doesn't have a income or sales tax. If I were to live in Ma and work in NH I don't think the employer would deduct Ma income taxes, however I am pretty sure that Ma will go after it. So as long as the tax rates stay the same, they come in on time and there's accurate communication then I don't really see why location would be that much of a significant factor. As what was talked about in other threads there are people that will drive dozens if not a hundread miles each way for work these days. There are also others that might have to move time to time. I grew up in a military community so there was movement all the time. You'd know someone for a few years and then they'd be gone for a few more and maybe back again. If the job actually does require people to be face to face at specific fixed times with little variance then I would be concerned.
Last edited by mdovell; 11-17-2013 at 08:40 AM..
Reason: adding more
Instead of lying, how about writing a cover letter indicating that you are willing to relocate? No lies required.
It's best to assume that if a position is open, they want someone to start immediately thus they will never put in a posting that they want someone in 2 weeks. They always want someone ASAP - how long they are willing to wait will depend on the candidate. I applied for a job (several states away) and they basically said I was their top candidate but if someone else was just as good and could start sooner, they would take that person. And they did. No hard feelings. The job I eventually took was willing to wait 6 weeks for me to start - 4 weeks notice and 2 weeks to move....would they have preferred someone start right away? Of course, but they were willing to wait.
Also, most companies don't pay relocation unless you're an executive. Or they are desperate in which case the only good thing about the posting is the relocation assistance noted. It's best to assume there will be no relocation money. If you can't afford to move without it, don't be applying. It's fine to ask after hire if they offer assistance, but don't expect it.
Make sure your head hunter knows you are willing to move and like I said, get a solid cover letter written up indicating that you are willing to relocate for the right position and can be wherever in X amount of time.
Instead of lying, how about writing a cover letter indicating that you are willing to relocate? No lies required.
What if your application is immediately filtered out because of your address? I really suspect that's what has been happening with my applications that are more than a couple hours from where I live. How is someone supposed to read your cover letter if they don't get your application at all because it was trashed by their computer systems?
lying, even a white lie, can be grounds for termination, its a breach in the contract...you weren't the person you said you were. thats why it states after you apply, in the signature section, i hereby blah blah blah....and if not true you will no longer be considered for this position. its pretty standard, you should never lie. even if you worked somewhere for a solid 5 years and they found out you never had a degree or something they will still fire you.
Where did I saw anything about termination? I was talking about even being eligible for an interview and getting an offer. If I started working there, I would obviously move there.
And I disagree with you saying "I'm not the person I said I was." How does where I live determine who I am. It's irrelevant. It doesn't affect my job or employer and is none of their business. They can't prove that you did or didn't live anywhere either and don't care after you start.
What you are asking is a bit irrational. I have never heard of a company paying relocation costs unless you are already employed or they recruit you. As for the two weeks, that is fairly common, and flexible.
I think you were not a good fit and they just used that as an excuse. Did you say that time and distance wasn't an issue?
The headhunter said they wanted to interview me. He then called me later in the week and said they found out I lived out of state and want someone who could start in 2 weeks so they didn't want to interview me. So that's how I knew. Pretty straight forward.
And a lot of companies pay relocation costs. It's actually pretty standard for a lot of companies. Now obviously if your trying to be a cashier at Walmart, they aren't going to pay.
Where did I saw anything about termination? I was talking about even being eligible for an interview and getting an offer. If I started working there, I would obviously move there.
Lying on the application can be grounds for termination if it was ever discovered, even years later.
This is generally reserved for substantial lies, claiming experience or education that you don't really possess.
Lying about your address is a risk, but only a slight one.
What if your application is immediately filtered out because of your address? I really suspect that's what has been happening with my applications that are more than a couple hours from where I live. How is someone supposed to read your cover letter if they don't get your application at all because it was trashed by their computer systems?
Exactly. I think my resumes are getting filtered out also. Anything submitted over online is automatically filtered.
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