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My friend tells me I should lie on my resume to get a better job. He says the key is to lie but make sure you educate yourself in what you are lying about by doing your research well so that you sound like an expert in the interview. He says everyone lies on the resume. I may have exaggerated things but I've never outright lied about my experience. Have you? And is that common practice of job applicants?
There's nothing wrong with embellishing on a resume, especially when jobs are scarce. Some of my most successful colleagues have no reservations about playing up their strengths and downplaying their weaknesses and many of them have strong self-belief. Don't waste your time lying about qualifications or saying that you have worked somewhere that you haven't but certainly talk up your skill set and experience.
Absolutely not. Your friend is potentially setting you up for massive failure. He may have lucked out in the past by lying or was given misguided advice himself. Present your job experience and skills in the best light possible. If you don't have access to a job counselor, there are plenty of online resources to help you choose the right words for your resume. Good luck!
I would never suggest people claim a degree they don't have or that they have been employed at a company they have never worked for. If you lie about a past criminal history, you will definitely get caught.
I have slightly altered my resume, with no regrets. Example: I had a a one year contract at IBM but it was through a staffing agency. On my resume, it just shows that I worked at IBM, as I omitted it was through an agency. The reason is, because when a hiring manager looks at my resume, I want them to see 'she worked at IBM' and not 'oh, she worked for a temp agency'. I don't consider that lying because I did indeed work at IBM.
Last edited by Lauren888; 08-01-2014 at 02:58 AM..
Reason: word correction
My friend tells me I should lie on my resume to get a better job. He says the key is to lie but make sure you educate yourself in what you are lying about by doing your research well so that you sound like an expert in the interview. He says everyone lies on the resume. I may have exaggerated things but I've never outright lied about my experience. Have you? And is that common practice of job applicants?
Be forthright about degrees or places/dates worked. These facts will be verified by any employer.
My friend tells me I should lie on my resume to get a better job. He says the key is to lie but make sure you educate yourself in what you are lying about by doing your research well so that you sound like an expert in the interview. He says everyone lies on the resume. I may have exaggerated things but I've never outright lied about my experience. Have you? And is that common practice of job applicants?
Do not lie; it's not worth it. I have been tempted to lie, as I knew for a fact that people lied on their resumes and were hired instead of me. Sometimes, I wonder if it pays to be honest, but lying on a resume isn't worth it. If you're caught, you would almost certainly lose your job. I find it hard to trust someone who lies on their resume, because if someone is lying on their resume, what else would they lie about? Your reputation is on the line if you lie. For example, Manhatten coach Steve Masiello was caught lying on his resume, claiming to have received a degree from the University of Kentucky. He signed a contract at South Florida University to be the head basketball coach; he lost his contract when he was caught lying. Furthermore, Manhatten University suspended Masiello until he obtained his degree. His reputation has been damaged, even though he wasn't fired. George O'Leary, a football coach was caught lying about his participation in college sports (claimed to have lettered in multiple sports), and told other lies, and was fired from Notre Dame (forced to resign). That damaged his reputation. Do not lie; your reputation is too important. If you're caught, it could be bad news.
When I interview people, one or more questions are pertinent to their resume; I usually can weed out the liars, because they do not expect a question regarding their resumes. For example, I might ask "So, you say that you led a team project at work; can you give me an example of how you led your team, what were the results, and what conflicts arose, and how those issues were solved?". If they claim that they did something in particular, I may ask a few questions about that particular accomplishment; if they fail to answer questions accurately, I will know that they are lying. For example, I may ask "so you did payroll? What system did you use? Were you required to cut the checks (the answer should be NO if you entered the amount of hours into the system, unless you owned your own business)? How did you address discrepancies in hours logged?". I may also ask questions in regards to internal control, segregation of duties (the one writing the check, depositing the check to the bank, and the one recording cannot be the same person). Likewise, in the purchasing cycle (the one authorizing the purchase and the one recording it cannot be the same person, just like the one recording the accounts payable, or writing the ledger cannot be the one writing the check to the vendor) and revenue cycles (the one recording in accounts receivables cannot be the one who writes the invoice, or even receives or has custody of the asset. Obviously, the person who audits such recordings shall be a different person), certain duties must be separated. If someone claimed to do two tasks which are to be segregated, I will assume that they are lying.
I was once asked a question regarding my resume; I had worked cash office, and I had to explain my duties. I did NOT record the amount of cash and its equivalents; I merely was to reconcile (had I said that I recorded the amount of cash received, I would have been lying, and that would have been a hole in the internal control). If any discrepancies occurred, I was to research and report ALL discrepancies, which were AUTHORIZED by a superior (the recording is generated by a computer; the same manager CANNOT record AND AUTHORIZE). Yes, I had custody of the assets, but I did not record. The verification reports were then made, and I prepared the deposits (this was VERIFIED by a superior). The audit function was also performed by a different superior. The superiors were to verify all cash and its equivalents. We had an armored car pick up the deposits. I explained this in an interview, and made it to the top three, before someone else was hired due to more experience.
Last edited by littleavery1948; 08-01-2014 at 10:16 AM..
Reason: resume examples
I lied/fudged a bit my previous salary. Things I would potentially lie about job duties and accomplishments, fake jobs at companies no longer in business, fake references, reason for leaving wanting to leave [everyone lies about that espeially if it was under bad circumstances] etc. Those you have a good chance of getting away with. Fake jobs at existing companies, and degrees and certs you don't half as well as dates at existing companies you are very likely to be caught.
Interesting topic. A friend of mine suggested that I add "Acting Senior" to my current title applying for the company where he works. That's not entirely a lie because I actually used to be earlier this year, and I've been nominated for promotion since then (but held up for other considerations..) Honestly, I haven't made my mind yet...
My friend tells me I should lie on my resume to get a better job. He says the key is to lie but make sure you educate yourself in what you are lying about by doing your research well so that you sound like an expert in the interview. He says everyone lies on the resume. I may have exaggerated things but I've never outright lied about my experience. Have you? And is that common practice of job applicants?
I have never lied on a resume. Not only can you be fired if you are found out, it makes no sense to say you know how to do something, when you don't. Why would you put that kind of stress on yourself?
No. You can embellish, you call it exaggerate, but you can't lie.
This. There have been plenty of posts on here about people who have told ridiculous lies and then been surprised when they were caught and fired. It is one thing to downplay weaknesses (as you would in an interview), but to tell an outright lie about experience will get you fired and likely blacklisted. Then you might be back on the City Data Work and Employment forum wondering why you can't get a job.
I have never lied on a resume. Not only can you be fired if you are found out, it makes no sense to say you know how to do something, when you don't. Why would you put that kind of stress on yourself?
This is my response as well. Not only is lying wrong from an ethical standpoint and dangerous from a career standpoint if you get caught, it also sets you up to fail. If you get hired based on experience you don't actually have, what happens when you are expected to drop right in and start doing those things for your new company? It won't take them long to figure out that you are incompetent, a liar, or both.
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