Why People Falsify Their Cvs
Contrary to popular belief, most people dont lie to get a job they do it to win an interview. They may think it seems harmless, inoffensive and a risk worth taking to make them look good.
But, the problems start when you secure an interview. You now have to prove and provide evidence to back up your claims during or after the interview and this is where youll get caught out.
Reason #: You Could Facefines
There is nosuch thing as a white lie in the eyes of an employer. Many employers consider lyingin your job application to be fraud. During the hiring process, if an applicantis required to make a signed statement that the information they are providingto the employer is true, lying from that point onward becomes illegal.
In severalstates, if an employer determines an employee lied about their credentials , there could be legally enforceable consequences beyond termination ofemployment. For example, in many states, using a fraudulent degree is subjectto a civil penalty, such as a fine.
Lying On Your Resume Heres How Youll Get Caught
Honesty isnt the best policy, at least according to some job seekers. People often stretch the truth on their resumes and cover letters in an attempt to land work, new research by OfficeTeam has revealed.
Nearly half of workers surveyed by the staffing company say they know someone who lied on their resume. Thats a 25% increase from 2011. Fifty-three percent of managers have a sneaking suspicion that candidates are often dishonest, and 38% have said no to an applicant after discovering their lies.
Employers are clearly clued into the fact that some applicants are either exaggerating their experience or handing over resumes that are more fiction than fact. But that doesnt appear to stop some people from telling a few whoppers as they attempt to weasel their way into a job. Giving in to the temptation to lie when applying for a job is risky though. You could miss out on a job offer, damage your reputation, or even get fired once your fibs are revealed.
Plus, its easier than ever for a hiring manager to discover youre not telling the truth about your past. Here are 10 ways employers discover the truth behind your resume lies.
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Employers Dont Like To Hire Liars
Put yourself in an employers shoes. You are trying to fill an open position and you want to hire someone who will stick.
Would you be more likely to take a chance on someone whose work history is thin but who seems smart, passionate, and friendly? Or would you be more likely to hire someone who willfully misrepresented his or her accomplishments and lied to your face? 100% of the time, employers will opt for the former, so dont take the risk of being labeled a liar.
So if you do anything that raises even a bit of suspicion, it could kill your chance at getting hired. Even if youre the most qualified candidate on paper.
Should You Lie On Your Rsum
You may think that the odd lie on your résumé, or misrepresentation of information wont hurt. Afterall, the majority of us tend to embellish slightly when it comes to our past roles, duties and experience.
However, depending on the severity of the lie you are willing to tell, there are plenty of risks involved with being untruthful and numerous ways to get found out.
Beyond the practical elements of lying in your résumé, you must also consider the ethical implications of doing so. Employers are looking for candidates who are honest, have integrity and who can face their weak points and turn them into strengths, or, at the very least, targets to work towards. Instead of lying, make sure you have a standout résumé that demonstrates everything you have to offer.
Moreover, if you need to lie on your résumé in order to qualify for a job, perhaps this is not the right role for you. Afterall, even if you do manage to land the job, you could still lack the knowledge, training and skills to complete your duties adequately.
If you lack in any area, then focus on coming up with a plan that will allow you to sharpen your skills, develop as an individual and, overall, make yourself more employable as a candidate. Lying always catches up with you and could not only cost you your job but also result in legal action against you.
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What Constitutes Lying On Your Resume
Lying on your resume comes in three forms: lies of commission, lies of omission, and embellishment.
A lie of commission is a false statement. Saying you went to Harvard when you didnt, claiming you have a masters degree when you dont, or saying you can write code when you cant are all lies of commission.
Lies of omission arent lies as much as they are not telling the whole truth. . For example, saying that you went to State U is fine as long as you did. Not graduating from State U is also OK, unless hiring managers assume you received your degree from State U and you never clarify that you did not receive a degree.
Finally, an embellishment is when you overstate your qualifications or accomplishments on your resume. Talking about your leadership abilities is expected. But, saying that you have management experience when that experience is limited to being a camp counselor is crossing a line.
You Dont Have To Lie On Your Resume
The thing about lying on your resume, though, is that its really not necessary! There are plenty of ways to smooth over elements of your work history youd rather not focus on.
The Career Coaches at FlexJobs have a few tips on how to not lie on your resume . We spoke with Cidnye Work and Denise Ingledue-Lopez to get their expert insights on how to be truthful on your resume, no matter the circumstances.
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Your Job Titles Are Too Good To Be True
Two years out of college and already sitting in the C-suite? Expect an interviewer to ask some pointed questions about your responsibilities to make sure youre actually telling the truth about your title. Inflated job titles will also come to light if the prospective employer calls your ex-boss to confirm your past employment. Thats when the promotion you gave yourself from marketing intern to senior marketing manager is going to be revealed.
Reason #: You Could Besued
Aside fromfiring or fining an employee, a company can also sue an employee who misledthem if they can demonstrate that it hurt their business.
Forexample, if an employee isnt legally permitted to perform certain duties and acustomer is physically or emotionally harmed as a result, the customer can suethe company for negligence and the company can hold the employee accountable,which may lead to the company suing the employee.
Someprofessionals, like doctors and lawyers, require a license from a statelicensing board to practice their work. If a company determines a doctor orlawyer has lied about having the appropriate license and has practiced medicineor law without it, then this is a serious offense the professional can be sued for.In some cases, they may even face jail time.
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Can You Lie About Certificates On Resume
Claiming a false certification might qualify as fraud But that doesnt mean that they are harmless or acceptable in the eyes of the law. Resume fraud is a very real problem, and while laws on the subject vary from state to state, the bottom line is that you could end up in big trouble if you lie on your CV.
Get A Legal Assessment
Questions about employment and misrepresentations can deeply impact your rights. If you are unsure about your rights you’ll want to consult with a professional. Contact a local attorney for a legal assessment to learn how to minimize the fallout from job application misrepresentations and other employment issues.
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What Is Considered A Lie On A Resume
There are various types of lies, but lying on a resume can be put into two categories: lies of omission or commission. Lies of commission are false statements, such as lying about what degrees you earned or which college you attended.
On the other hand, lies of omission are when you leave out important facts on your resume and allow people to form a misconception.
Common lies on resumes almost always include previous salaries or dates of employment. Other lies include fluency in languages or level of technical abilities. But the biggest lies on resumes include:
- Masteries in skills they have basic knowledge on
- False reasons for leaving a job
- Using directors titles
- Degrees from prestigious universities
Any fabrication of the truth on your resume is considered lying. Additionally, lying about experience to get a job or even saying that you know how to play a musical instrument as a special skill are examples of lies on resumes.
Lying On A Resume May Get You Fired
If you have landed a job after lying on your resume, background check, or in your interview, you can end up getting fired. This is especially true when your lie had something to do with a relevant portion of your job. For example, if you falsely list on your resume that you received a college degree in a field related to the job, you may be fired if your employer ever discovers the falsehood.
In addition to losing your current job, you may find it more difficult to find future employment because you have a termination for cause on your employment record.
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Build An Online Profile
Overcome gaps in your experience by using the Internet and social networks to demonstrate that youre an expert in your field. Consider hosting a blog related to your industry, or create a social resumea professional website highlighting your expertise.
Also connect with current and former colleagues on appropriate networking platforms. The more people who know about you and what you offer, the less likely youll feel the need to lie to get noticed. If you can create a community and demonstrate expertise, its very possible that jobs will start coming to you.
Need some help getting started? Join Monster for free today. As a member, you can upload up to five versions of your resumeeach tailored to the types of jobs that interest you. Recruiters search Monster every day looking to fill top jobs with qualified candidates, just like you. Additionally, you can get job alerts sent directly to your inbox to cut down on time spent looking through ads. That way you can stop googling, “Is it illegal to lie on a resume?” and avoid taking unnecessary risks in your job search.
You Dont Have The Right Experience
Sometimes you dont have the exact experience that an employer is looking for. But, remember, the job description is merely a wish list. That said, dont lie about the experience you do have in order to get the job.
Work explains. Saying that you assisted, helped, or had a part in X is fine . Discuss your specific role, but do not say that you did everything on your own. Talk about how you worked collaboratively with the team to develop and implement the project timelines. This keeps your description honest and still demonstrates you have the desired skill set.
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Problems With Suing Your Employer
In addition to losing your job, if you obtained your job by lying on a resume, you may not be able to sue your employer, even if your employer has violated your legal rights. For example, if you were dismissed from your job in an illegal manner, you may not be able to recover against your employer if your employer can show that they would have not hired you in the first place if you had been honest on your resume or application.
In general, courts have found that employees that lied in order to get a position cannot later sue their employer claiming that they were wronged. Some courts and legal professionals have dubbed this legal strategy the “after-acquired evidence” theory. Evidence that supports this theory has included:
- Having been terminated for cause from a former position and failing to disclose or admit to it
- Not putting a former employer on a resume
- Making false statements about education, experience, or holding professional licenses
- Concealing or failing to reveal a former felony conviction, and
- Making up a college degree during an interview.
Keep in mind that, like almost everything in the legal world, lying on a resume or job application may not be the end of the world. If you attempt to sue your employer, your employer can only use the after-acquired evidence if they can show that you would have been fired, or not hired to begin with, if your employer had known the truth.
Even If You Get Away With It You Can Still Get Caught In The Future
Say all those lies you sowed on your resume pay off and an employer likes you and decides to hire you. You fibbed on your resume and didnt get caught. Even when you get away with resume dishonesty, though, you can always be caught in the future.
Maybe your employer will figure it out on the first day when you cant use a piece of software that you claimed to have used in the past. Maybe the discovery will come in 20 years after youve risen up the ranks of the company. In either case, you are never fully safe.
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State Statutes On Storytelling
All states have criminal statutes against fraud, and some states, like Washington, have statutes that make using a fake degree a felony. And if you’re faking documents as part of your resume lies, you could also be charged with forgery.
Aside from incarceration, lying on a resume or job application could forfeit your legal rights down the road. Under a legal theory known as “after-acquired evidence,” you could be barred from suing your employer if you obtained your job by lying on your resume. So even if your employer does something illegal, you would have no legal recourse if you lied to get the job.
In this job market, you may want any advantage you can get. But lying on your resume may have you needing an experienced employment attorney instead.
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One Lie Kills All The Trust:
Take for example the story laid above that lie in his resume was what actually drove him out of the job.
The prospective boss immediately lost all faith in him and assumed for a fact that if he could lie once, he would do it another hundred times?
And may be when there is actually a crisis in the department, the fellow may just disappear prematurely.
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The Most Common Resume Lies
The job market is savage. We get it. Having a degree has lost its value and expectations and requirements seem to endlessly increase for jobs. Graduated with a 3.7 GPA? How about 3.8 or higher. Nothing seems good enough for employers, right? Well maybe just a bit of finessing here and there and your resume will look more appealing. Lets stretch the truth a little to make that recruiter happy. Unfortunately, the nature of our job market has made this a reality. Its been said that half of employees know someone who has lied on their resume. 53% of managers have suspicions that applicants have lied, and 38% have denied a job after finding out. Maybe that statistics doesnt deter you, but lets look at the legality of lying on a resume or job application.
You Have A Gap On Your Resume
Whether you left a job because you wanted to or because you had to, plenty of people have employment gaps on their resume. You may be inclined to stretch the dates a little to fill in that gap, but this would qualify as lying on your resume.
Ingledue-Lopez advises job seekers to be honest and upfront about the gap. Use a career break for those dates, and talk about any classes you took, volunteering you did, or freelance and contract work you may have performed.
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Most Common Resume Lies
If you have lied, you have a lot of company. A CareerBuilder survey reports that 75% of employers have caught a lie on a resume. Some of their respondents reported resume lies that were pretty outlandishfor example, the applicant who claimed that they studied under Nietzsche or the candidate who said they worked for the CIA .
Most resume lies are more mundane. An earlier CareerBuilder survey reported on what job seekers tried to get away with most often:
- Embellished skill sets: 57%
Whether creative or commonplace, resume lies can have the same negative effect on your career.
Cv Lies: Is It Illegal To Lie On Your Cv
Lying on your CV can be tempting manipulating a figure here, extending an employment date there, whos going to pick up on tiny CV lies?
However, contrary to your belief that little white lies are unnoticeable and therefore fine to put on your CV, they can land you in serious hot water.
Did you know that some lies on your CV counts as CV fraud, a crime punishable with large fines and even prison sentences?
In this blog well run through the legality, morality, and the potential consequences of lying on a job application.
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