Declining job offer because I lied on my resume (interviewing, application, degree)
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Like I said, they might not compare your background check form to your resume. A third party will be doing the background check, not the hiring manager or HR. They likely won't look at your resume. I would put your education on there and just say not graduated yet.
As far as the job, did you have a job during that time? Did you lie about the company, the dates, the job title, or all of the above? Job titles also don't always throw up red flags because they OFTEN differ. As long as the dates and company match up. But even the companies don't always have to match up. I was contracted by a staffing company to work for Amazon, but I put Amazon down on my resume. On my background check I put down my staffing company and they only verified that. I could have said I worked for Microsoft on my resume and they wouldn't have known. Turned out they also had my job title wrong. No one ever question d anything. The important part for that is that the company and employment dates are correct on the form.
I did not have the job that I put on my resume- basically made up my experience at the company.
I'm worried that if I do go through with the background check, and I get denied, my reputation and integrity is ruined.
I suppose people have been lying to get jobs since forever.
Wrigley has the best advice posted. Perhaps you will slide by.
If you do happen to get this job, my advice would be to work your tail off for 2 years. Then apply elsewhere with your real credentials and the current job's experience with good reference. That way you will eliminate the risk of being discovered as fraud at this company at some future date. Lies do tend to surface.
The other thing you could do is look into completing that degree online. If you need that degree to get the job you want, you need complete it.
"Perhaps" slide by. Problem is it's a financial company that offered me the position. The main HR person that Im reporting to is in DC, not sure if that will make the process more difficult.
The degree that I didn't finish gas nothing to do with positions that I'm applying for now. I'm 35 credits short of my natural science degree, but I'm looking for careers in Executive Assistant .
I would assume the background checker will sift you out. This will not cause you to be black balled unless you were recruited by a headhunting service.
In the future just do not lie.
One way to improve a short resume is to volunteer at a nonprofit in a similar position.
I did not have the job that I put on my resume- basically made up my experience at the company.
I'm worried that if I do go through with the background check, and I get denied, my reputation and integrity is ruined.
I'm still not clear. So you Just made up the job title, but still worked for the company? You have a decent chance of getting away with that. As far as your reputation, I don't see anyone besides hr and the hiring manager knowing. They will forget who you even were by the end of the month. You might be put on a no hire list or something for that company. I'm not sure if that would even happen.
If I were you, I'd just stick with it and see what happens. I've lied on my resume a lot (made up a job, have hidden education that used to put me in no-win situations in interviews/kept me from getting called for interviews), and the only time I got caught was when the employer went to my LinkedIn profile, saw some discrepancies and started asking questions (this was during the job interview). My impression has always been that most background checks are about your criminal history, as well as your employment history only based on the references you provide. The amount of times it's about anything additional is worth taking the risk. Most of the time, the employers who hire me don't check anything at all or only check criminal records, even though they take info on the application that suggests they will call references and may want to check education. This has especially been the case in the last three years or so; it has been a long time since any of my references have been called (in my area, a lot of IT jobs are contract positions that either don't last or suck so bad you don't want them to last, so I generally apply/interview for jobs a lot...but hopefully that's over now that I'm working directly for a business).
I went to HireRight's site, and the only thing is they do say it's up to the employer what they check. I still would think they're mainly interested in the criminal history.
I'm still not clear. So you Just made up the job title, but still worked for the company? You have a decent chance of getting away with that. As far as your reputation, I don't see anyone besides hr and the hiring manager knowing. They will forget who you even were by the end of the month. You might be put on a no hire list or something for that company. I'm not sure if that would even happen.
I made up the position and title.
I went through a recruiting agency, so many more ppl will know about my fake resume if caught.
I don't know, I need to make a decision tomorrow. My recruiter has been emailing me all weekend to see if I am signing the offer letter.
If I were you, I'd just stick with it and see what happens. I've lied on my resume a lot (made up a job, have hidden education that used to put me in no-win situations in interviews/kept me from getting called for interviews), and the only time I got caught was when the employer went to my LinkedIn profile, saw some discrepancies and started asking questions (this was during the job interview). My impression has always been that most background checks are about your criminal history, as well as your employment history only based on the references you provide. The amount of times it's about anything additional is worth taking the risk. Most of the time, the employers who hire me don't check anything at all or only check criminal records, even though they take info on the application that suggests they will call references and may want to check education. This has especially been the case in the last three years or so; it has been a long time since any of my references have been called (in my area, a lot of IT jobs are contract positions that either don't last or suck so bad you don't want them to last, so I generally apply/interview for jobs a lot...but hopefully that's over now that I'm working directly for a business).
I went to HireRight's site, and the only thing is they do say it's up to the employer what they check. I still would think they're mainly interested in the criminal history.
When you lied about your application, did you go through a background check? And what happened when your employer found out through your LinkedIn that you lied?
If I do go through with the background check, I am thinking about omitting my education and the job I made up. I don't know if Hire Right will find my education anyways.
I am afraid of having a bad reputation with my Recruiting Agency, and possibly the Company might file some sort of report on my background (so potential companies will know I lied).
Additionally, since this is in the financial industry, depending on the position, you may be subject to regulatory background checks. You do not want to be on any industry specific black-list because of lying. There have been many stories of people hired in specific industries who were canned, and practically thrown out like a drunk from a western saloon when weeks, months and maybe even years later, the lie was discovered. At that stage of the game, hiding your employment will be difficult and hiding being canned for lying would be just as hard.
Right now you have the luxury of walking away from your deceit with no one the wiser. Get hired and discovered, the consequences are no longer under your control!
Everywhere I have ever worked, falsification of a job application is grounds for rejection, if found out later (even years later) grounds for immediate dismissal. My suggestion at this time is to decline the offer hopefully before they waste time and money on the background check. If the ask why, try to up with something vague without lying again. If you have to admit to exaggeration. Confessing may make you feel better but managers do talk to managers at other companies and love to gossip about people that tried to trick them, and may share your name.
This is good adviceJust politely decline the offer, you don't have to give details. That's the problem with lying, you find yourself covering one lie with another, contradict yourself, and forget half of what you lied about!
All you have to say is you have decided to consider other opportunities.
But this little experience has taught you something. Look where you could be if you complete school, etc. It shows a light at the end of the tunnel, you're not just going to school for nothing! Hang in there, the future's bright, you just don't know it yet
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Just politely decline the offer, you don't have to give details. That's the problem with lying, you find yourself covering one lie with another, contradict yourself, and forget half of what you lied about!
