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May 21, 2007

48% Stretch the Truth, 10% Outright Lie on Their Resumes

We are running a poll on our Resume Tips message board, asking Monster members if they have ever lied on their resumes. Here are the results as of today:

  • 10% chose “Yes, I told a whopper.”
  • 48% chose “Not really, though I may have prettied-up the details a bit.”
  • 42% chose “No, my resume is the stone-cold truth.”

Now let’s look for a moment at the purpose of your resume. Your resume’s job is to get you an interview. It is not a complete recount of your job history; it is a marketing piece that should sell your relevant accomplishments, skills and experience to prospective employers -- at least enough so that they want to talk to you to learn more. But remember, there are ethics in marketing, and you need to have ethics in your job search, too.

Do you know how annoying it is to see former coworkers’ resumes that set their work and experience in a completely different light than the truth? It’s a small world, and the industry you work and look for jobs in makes it even smaller. On more than one occasion, I’ve been casually asked to verify the information on resumes once someone sees I’ve worked with the candidate before. It’s always disconcerting to see someone taking credit for another’s work or inflating a title to encompass responsibilities well out of the person’s domain.

If you feel forced to lie on your resume, it is likely that the document is not doing its job. Before taking drastic measures, you should probably have some people take a look at your resume to provide feedback.

Check out these resources for more information and to get your resume in the best condition without making false claims:

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Posted by Norma on May 21, 2007 at 11:24 AM in Resume | Permalink | Comments (24) | TrackBack (0)

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It's better to just tell the truth because your manager will eventually figure it out if you are hired.

This is certainly a question of ethics

Posted by: Dan Schawbel | May 21, 2007 11:44:32 AM

I have the opposite problem. I have a lot of experience of which I am very proud, but have been advised to remove some of it from my resume, so that I look younger on paper. I also leave dates off my resume. I don't know if anyone would consider this a lie.

There is a lot of "ageism" in the workplace. When I see the words "hip," "energetic," and "familiar with the popular culture," in a job posting, I know that is code for "older workers need not apply."

How hard is it to watch TV, go to the mall, or on the internet, and see what is in fashion? If one is skilled and flexible it is easy to adjust to the trends.

So, while I would never lie, I think it is acceptable to leave off information that would trigger an HR person's predjudices.

Posted by: Merry Clingen | May 24, 2007 9:10:50 AM

Lying on a resume is one of the dumbest things people do. It is always discovered and the stakes are too high for this kind of a game anyway. Either way, before being hired or afterwards, the resume writer will be out of a job. Why even consider doing it?

Posted by: m | May 27, 2007 5:08:38 AM

Playing games with the resume is one of the dumbest things anyone can do. No one would keep anyone after finding out that a resume is false, so even if the applicant got the job it would not last too long.

Even if lying to prospective employers does not faze applicants, the inevitable discovery of the truth should make them think twice about doing it. Why bother doing something this stupid?

Posted by: mc | May 28, 2007 11:17:08 PM

Lying on your resume is a slippery slope, and it's hard to stop. I once interviewed an internal candidate who not only took credit for three projects that belonged to other people - one of them was a project on which I was the lead! Here I was leading her interview panel, and she was telling me about the project that I ran, in which she had no significant role! Once you start with stretching the truth, it's too hard to stop.

Posted by: Lia | May 29, 2007 12:14:06 PM

Need to post my resume for jobs.

Posted by: angela gibbs | May 30, 2007 8:30:12 PM

Sir:

In respect to the material and opinions concerning a lie in one's resume, I think, quite sincerely, the writer is a little naive and perhaps dishonest himself.

First of all, it is almost "standard procedure" for the human resource managers to lie to the applicant; to misrepresent the qualifications he needs for a given position; to routinely discriminate against both men and women for their age, disabilities, etc., and to play games of pretending to know more than they do about human nature.

There is also an ignorant assumption that, if an applicant has a college degree -- any kind of degree -- he automatically has the technical competence to do the job and, if he lacks a college degree, he is therefore incompetent to do the job. This attitude is very, very stupid and represents a form of discrimination and, perhaps, sincerely, a form of mental retardation.

It has been my experience human resource managers and company executives lie extensively and think nothing of it; however, when they catch some one else in a lie, they play a game of pretending to be indignant. Apparently, it is alright for them to lie but not for anyone else.

To be completely honest with monster.com, I am growing increasingly angry with them for their phony, thoroughly incompetent and one-sided advice. They are always pretentiously giving the potential employee advice about the way to write a resume, or to handle an interview, but no advice to the company executives, hiring managers or human resource managers about the way to treat the applicant or to more competently interpret his behavior, personality, pattern of speech or, particularly, his qualifications. To put it more bluntly, most of them have absolutely no idea to what the hell they are doing .... They lack the qualifications to judge qualifications and the people who give advice on this subject lack the qualifications to give advice.

I think everyone ought to be a little humble or honest with himself concerning this subject and to stop pretending to know more than he does. It does nothing but cause a lot of frustration and unhappiness. It is important for each of us to recognize one's limitations and to stop giving out phony advice.

Posted by: Alvah Buckmore | May 31, 2007 11:30:01 AM

This just proves what I have posted on other threads. Of course people embellish. This is not lying. Salesmen do it and it is called puffing. You are trying to sell yourself so of course you have to do this on the resume and the interview. Not saying you should outright lie or like someone here posted take credit for a project especially if you are interviewing for another position in the same company. But embellishing what you have done at another company, is, and has been accepted practice for at least the 24 years I have been in IT and the 33 years I have been working. If you have the skill set to do what you have embellished then where is the harm. If you state something you cannot do then that is an outright lie and not the correct thing to do.

Posted by: Steve Schafir | May 31, 2007 1:58:54 PM

Lying on a resume to get a decent job that you are able to perform well vs. telling the truth on a resume, being unable to land a decent job, working at a low paying garbage job until you end up homeless on the streets for lack of money then die.

No thanks, I'll choose to continue lying to get interviews, lie during those interviews to get jobs I'm not qualified for (on paper), do a damn fine job once I do get hired and continue making far more money than "the system" (H.R. drones, Monster and other job sites, the higher education system et al) says I should make.

I view my resume as a document that will either ensure my survival or be passed over and allow me to die in the streets. That's America my friends, ruthless kill or be killed competition.

It's all fine and well if you don't need to lie on your resume to survive but some of us do and will.

Telling me not to lie on my resume is telling me to lose my livelihood, become homeless, rot and die in the streets like an animal.

Sound advice monster, sound advice.

Posted by: Bob.J | May 31, 2007 2:24:39 PM

I have worked all my life to take care of my name. I was raised that my word is my bond and I still act in that manner.

People may lie or "bend the truth" to get ahead, but are they really? Over time they may come to realize that money is not everything.

A honor in business won't make you rich, but at least you can hold your head up and know that you didn't prostitute yourself for dollars or riches.

I can be proud of my work history.

"Any work done honorably is honorable work."

Posted by: John Benson | May 31, 2007 5:00:25 PM

Whoa, Lying on resumes is a really passionate topic! "rot and die in the streets like an animal" that is passion! I would think that you put the same passion into your interviews and your job, which is more likely why you get the job and do it well, preventing this untimely demise. But I cannot know this.
I do know that I have not lied on any of my resumes, and I have yet to find myself rotting in the streets, or without a job. I know everyone has to have a different groove, to make it work. For example if I were to lie on a resume I most likely wouldn't get the job. I have always put my energy into designing a resume. With the proper use of white space (that's right space, I said proper) the right layout, and a paper stock that will stand out just enough, you'll get in the door, even if your fresh from school. You do, of course have to have the skill, and the personality to back it. Motivation and passion help. Most of my interviews have taken the time to mention the design of my resume during the interview. Yes I have a lot of accomplishments that are also of mention, but looking different in a sea of resumes, can make the difference without a compromise in ethics.
The point of the resume is to get noticed. If you are qualified but not exceptionally so, or missing some inane requirement, then switch gears. You are a package. Sell it. Just think about it when you go to the store, which packages are more likely to attract you and why. This may seem unrelated but we make choices for a reason. These ideas resonate throughout our lives and affect many of the things we do and choices we make. That is a human condition. It is also part of why employers have prejudices. It is true that someone who is 50 is just as able to keep up with pop culture as some one who is 25, but some one who is 28 may not see that. Like wise some one who is 48 may not be able to see that some one who is 22 is able to manage a team effectively. Doors swing both ways. Not saying it is right, but it happens. So design your package, do what you have to, but there are better ways than an outright lie. I have seen good employees fired on the spot because of a lie on the resume, one that wasn't even relevant.
I have employed the technique of emphasizing only one aspect in each section, and intentionally minimizing the others. That gives me the opportunity to wow them, only one shot, but they are aware there is more to it if they will just interview me. This of course doesn't work so well on a chronological resume. But those are so stuffy, and reminiscent of the vast multitude of others in the pile.
As far as HR/lies go, stop for minute. Human Resources. That is so quaint, makes you feel like a valued person, a resource. Oh, wait no that takes away humanity. Human Resources is for the employer, not employee. They have no loyalty to you, only the employer. You are another number in the pile, if you seem like you make more money for the company then you're hired! Asking for degrees and qualifications is just another screen in the door. It makes the job of finding the best RESOURCE a little easier, yes, it is another prejudice. will it ever end?
Despite some of the vehement disagreement, I think the monster advice in this instance is sound. Lying degrades the quality of the goods. It may be a wonderful product, but if it isn't what you expected, those even better qualities might be hard to see. This site isn't set up to help employers be better at caring for employees, it is made to help employees get the job and keep it. Monsters advice is general, take what you can from and don't waste you passion hating them for it.

Posted by: Bri | May 31, 2007 6:00:20 PM

Know the job description of the job title you are applying for. Highlight in your application your experience required by the job. No need to exagerate .

Posted by: Felino Garlitos | Jun 1, 2007 12:48:45 AM

After having been told over and over that my skills are essential to the company in a downturn or reorg or merger, only to have my job yanked and replaced with crap or be passed over or even laid off while my work gets shipped overseas so that the CEO can farm it out to his own consulting group, I have to say I agree that Monster is putting on a goody-two-shoes shine. The drones should all be perfect boy scouts and perfect girl scouts? The day I meet an honest CEO I will mount him on a pin in my butterfly collection so that I can remember what an honest one looks like.

Between the psychopathic CEO's who savagely slice up morale with RIF's once their grandiose takeover plans fall flat and the provincial technical staff who never document their work so that they can remain indispensable, and the HR staff expecting every candidate to be a shoe-in, the only way to make any headway at all is to either be very aggressive or assassinate (for those so inclined).

I have to agree with the opposition on this one. Nice try, Monster. Now for a dose of reality. The real reason that companies hate to hire highly experienced (i.e. old) workers is that we are wise to all the games they play and cannot be as easily manipulated or taken advantage of. Our political experience makes us a liability to the mindset that is in a race to the bottom. If the rank-and-file staff know the ropes better than the management we start to pull on the organization just by the inertia of our presence. We stand around going 'umm' when we are given the order to charge headlong into a technical or financial brick wall. That makes it harder for the higher-ups to munch off the flowers of the competition's product line and churn the industry with merger after merger, decapitalizing the target in 'repackaging' private investment groups that suck the savings out with a vacuum and rocking the boat for all the families who depend on what used to be a steady job.

I have always been at least as honest as my CEO, in other words I do not pay very much attention to 'ethics' that are based on the corporate reference frame, rather I go by the chemistry. Ethics only matter when the people you work with are ethical also. I save my ethics for people that matter to me. The plain truth is, if the resume gets you the right job, it was the right resume. No one gets extra points for playing it safe in a capitalistic economy. Every stable worker I ever met has been a moderate to moderately intense job-hopper with an above-average salary and a wide variety of experience. The ones who get sheared off every spring are the ones who play by all the rules. They stay where they are told until they become rooted in one place, and then as soon as the economy shifts they get cut off at the knees. These are the least stable people of all and I am sure their resumes are scrupulously honest too.

What matters more than having an impeccably honest resume is having a dynamic career and staying on top of your game with training and continuing education. My career always turned up when I had good learning. If you are job hunting and you cannot remember when the last time was that you learned something new, there is nothing that a resume can do to fix that no matter how you present it. Stay fresh intellectually and you will be OK.

Posted by: Cheryl | Jun 1, 2007 3:01:35 AM

I must agree with the latter comments on this blog - from Alvah, Steve, and Bob. There is most definitely a double standard at work in the current marketplace.
Ivy league education (whatever that really means) does not at all equal automatic qualification for leadership responsibilities. Great leaders are taught, trained, developed, nurtured. They are not magically born elite beings.

I have been trained by the school of truly hard knocks. I am qualified to be a leader because I have the polish and dignity needed to fill the role, and I also have the painful experiences of many crushing failures that are the real picture of life.

I recently had an interview with someone who had had the incredible good fortune to have been employed in a leadership role by Merrill Lynch for 11 years, even through 9/11. My lack of that similar background immediately made me suspect in his eyes, and disqualified me for a position for which I was supremely qualified to excel.

Yes, I do my best to be sure to have a resume that most truthfully represents me as a professional - because I of course do not wish to take on responsibilities that I could not handle.

BUT, I must say, to echo Bob's comment, I have only made career progress because I upgraded/enhanced/use whatever word suits - my past accomplishments to fit the career upgrade I was seeking. It is the crutch of the hiring manager to not consider someone's potential and character for a promotion or a career upgrade, but rather to only look at what someone has done as written on paper, and proven by paystubs and what the previous manager might or might not say.

My career progress has mainly been due to my own initiative to learn and apply myself in a manner focused on what my next career step might be, not because I had copious amounts of extra money and time to go back to school, and get an ivy league master's degree to prove that I am a fit candidate.

I have had a hard path, and very little help and support of traditional systems. I am also a woman, which unfortunately, still means that I get paid less than a man for the same job, and still don't get considered with the same frequency as my male peers for training and/or leadership roles. We ladies still face the glass ceiling - it is just cleaned more often so we won't notice it.

I am now in a transitionary time, looking for a new position, hoping that I will connect with an organization that will welcome me as the valuable addition I am, and allow me to flourish with them, instead of trying to find all of the reasons why I am not the ivy league "perfect" star they believe they will find.

I do hope that this blog reflects a larger group of professionals who hope to have some positive impact on putting some balance and perspective into this process of judging others.

Integrity,
enthusiasm,
energy,
character,
good taste,
dignity,
true respect for others,
good common sense,
real life wisdom,
love of learning,
open and bright mind

These are all critically important qualities which do affect the bottom line, and should be celebrated, not put into the bin of useless "soft skills". These are some of the qualities that have been the basis for any progress I have made.

Good luck to all of us...

Posted by: ECC | Jun 1, 2007 8:27:49 AM

I have never lied on my resume but once I figured out I was being discriminated against because of religion I did abbreviate my college and degree to at least get to an interview. I had one guy apologizing for only starting me at a salary that was $5,000 above what I told my wife I would take if offered only to back out of the deal when he saw I went to a Bible College. At another company, I got to the third interview with the third partner who asked me, "How do you deal with controversial issues?" I never got to answer because the phone rang and when he got off he said he would get back to me and that was it. Could I have filed an EEO complaint on both of those lads? Sure, but who wants a job where they were forced to hire you and then they make your life miserable hoping you will leave or nail you on the first layoff? And there were other interviews where they had some Freudian slips indicating they wanted someone who wore a slip or a minority. In the same year I was unemployed my wife, who has a GED, had three jobs and each one was a promotion. I considered sending out my resume with Veronica Eugenia as my name just to see if I would get more interviews or at least get it on a list versus having my resume returned. I even ran an ad once. College Grad, Veteran, will take 40 hours a week, minimum wage, no benefits and did not get a call. Being overqualified as some said didn't pay my bills or feed my kids. Of course, that could have been the smarter way of saying I had the wrong religion, gender or ethnicity without being liable for a suit.

Even my military background hurt me. One lad hired me only because he knew me but said had he not known me he would not have hired me because military people are too rigid. So much, for you best bet is to hire a Vet! Translating my skills into civilian speak was a challenge. Even now when I look at some of the questions for online applications I think I have done similar duties as they want but the terminology is not quite the same and their desired level of expertise may be higher or less than mine. I sometimes do not apply because I don't want to appear to be lying and maybe on some that I did apply for it appeared that way because I interpreted their terms differently.

I am now nearing retirement on my secular job and putting out feelers for a full time ministry and it is like Goldilocks and the three bears. I was too young when I got out of college and now I am getting too old. I wasn't educated enough then and now I am told that my resume scares some people. I found out that because I did a lot of volunteer work and didn't have a certain title some folks felt I must not be very good. So much for not being guilty of loving filthy lucre. So, for the last seven years I have had both title and salary but the age factor negates that. I'm too Conservative for some and not Conservative enough for others. If it weren't so sad I'd laugh at the insanity.

So, lying isn't necessary but trying to play the mind game of what is enough, not enough or too much to put on your resume is the real issue. When you get that game worked out the sky is the limit.

Good luck!!!

Posted by: Dr. Ronald Shultz | Jun 1, 2007 8:46:38 AM

Have I lied on a resume'? Well...yes I have. Why? Because three of the temp agencies I worked for told me to. Yes, they did. Don't argue with me. I was told by 3 - THREE - agencies (all of the national companies and in 2 of them by the Branch Manager) not to put that I was their employee working somewhere else, but to word my employment history as if I actually worked at the company I was contracted to work at, even if it was only for a very short time. If the interviewer asks you questions, then you tell them you were a temp. We re-word your resume' that way when we send it out because it looks better. So, I re-did my resume' exactly the way they told me to. Why? These people are in the business to find work and they know how to do it. So, I followed their example. Was I comfortable with it? No, not for a second. Did it work? Probably not. But, who cares? I was recalled by someone I contracted with who owns another business and now am gainfully employed with someone who I am very blessed to be with and am very happy. He doesn't care about my history. We work well together and that's all that matters.

Posted by: Laura | Jun 1, 2007 10:49:26 AM

Embellishing on a resume is one thing, but outright lying will come back at you down the road and may prevent you from getting the next job. My last job was with an international law firm. I had been a legal secretary in the past, but the position called for a word processor. I knew MS Word and that was about it. I was working with an employment agency and an interview was arranged. I'm not sure if the employment agency reworded my resume, but the one I provided was accurate and not embellished. During the interview, I was honest about my qualifications and the HR person didn't care that I had no knowledge of MS Excel or MS PowerPoint, etc.; she liked me and said they would teach me. As it turned out, they did teach me and I learned very fast and became their sole word processor for the entire company. When I had to leave because I was moving to another state, they told me if I ever returned, they would re-hire me. I think resumes can obviously get your foot in the door, but the interview is the clincher.

Posted by: Sharon | Jun 1, 2007 2:55:40 PM

I agree with Felino and with all of the comments in general about college degrees, and HR managers. I had a great job a few years back that is crucial for me to have on my resume. It was for a mom and pop 2 person company that happened to be a couple. I wasn't single at the time and had a serious relationship. However, the woman did not like me- another woman-- working with her man. She found a stupid reason to get rid of me. I'm not going to let someone else's jealousy ruin my career. No way! I didn't do anything wrong. So, I changed the firm name on my resume so that I will not be associated with this firm. It's perfectly fine because I have plenty of other legit references.

I see everyone's comments above about how you will get caught if you lie on your resume. I think most people won't even look. No one really cares. If you do the work and get it done, then most likely you will never get found out. Lots of people lie about having degrees and never get caught. Even if they do call references, how will they know if it is someone real or not anyway?

Posted by: Mel | Jun 2, 2007 12:35:09 AM

I have always told the truth on my resume! I even tell the truth if asked in my interviews about why I was terminated. I feel that if they wish the truth regarding such things, they will get it.

Posted by: Warren | Jun 2, 2007 2:33:18 AM

As for resumes, I feel when they see my experience, the managers that do the hiring do not hire me due to being over qualified and being old. I went to a H.M.O. for an interview. I looked at him(the Security Manager)and I saw that look of a person that wanted a younger guy and with no experience or little experience.

I am sick of going to interviews and being overlooked due to my age and experience!

Posted by: Warren | Jun 2, 2007 2:39:38 AM

Seems to me that all of those in favor of lying on a resume are just so much sour grapes, while those who don't lie aren't 'dying in the streets' or 'getting screwed over'. If you see yourself as a victim and companies and HR people as the enemy, you are likely to get results that match your worldview. If you're being told that you are under or over-qualified, its not ageism or sexism, its that you are under or overqualified for the postion. A company wants to hire someone that will stick around and not someone they suspect will be bored and chomping at the bit to do more than the job requires (over-qualified) AND someone who can hit the ground running and not require a lot of training to get up to speed (under-qualified). It may take time and a lot of work on your part, but eventually you will find something that fits your level of skill and experience. Lying on a resume says nothing about the company and a lot about your character.

Posted by: Amy | Jun 5, 2007 12:23:40 PM

I don't think it is sour grapes or people that think they are being discriminated against. It is reality. Again, I am not stating about out and out lying but embellishing a bit is and always has been an accepted practice. Ask any manager and they will tell you they have done the same thing. You have to present yourself through your resume and in the interview as the best candidate. This is a sales pitch. Show me anywhere that any company that is trying to sell a product or service doesn't do the same thing. Why is this different? Of course if you state you have a degree you don't have or state you have or can do something you have never done or don't have the ability to do then you should be fired. As for overqualification, well if the person really likes the company and the position they will be willing to start a little lower and work their way back up. This is part of a career. Most people have had to do this (I have). As for hitting the ground running. This is not possible in any job. This indicates the person can come in and be productive immediately. This is rarely the case. It takes any person at least 6 months to get settled in and be productive in any position. As for underqualified, I would agree but if they are ambitious this might be a better fit than someone that is qualified because they might not put as much energy in the job because they are doing the same thing they always have. And isn't this about getting people more experience and promoting them. Maybe not anymore and I could be an idealist here but that is what corporate America has lost sight of. Lying does say a lot about your character but embellishment does too. And it says that you are interested in promoting yourself and doing a good job for the company. Not the other way around.

Posted by: Steve Schafir | Jun 15, 2007 7:19:53 PM

There are a lot of good points here. Personally, I find it hard to hold myself to such a high moral standard as some here do. This is because we live in a cut-throat society. This goes double for the current employment scene. In any competitive workplace you will find people who stab their coworkers in the back by telling lies about them to make themselves look better. How is this different from embellishing on a resume. It's worse in my opinion. However, I have seen it tolerated and sometimes encouraged by managers many, MANY times. I have personally had managers blatantly exaggerate the facts, miscommunicate innocent actions to favor their position, and outright lie to justify "progressive discipline". Why? Because not everyone gets a good review. Someone has to get the shaft. It's easier for a manager to do these things than to convince their boss that everyone deserves a raise when the budget says layoffs are looming. Unfortunately, its very hard to defend against morally absent tactics. Thus the rat race goes on. My advice, if you want to work for a company that will treat its people like expendable assets, you have to play the game by their rules. Oh btw, they can change the rules anytime it suits them and don't expect a memo about it. CUT-THROAT. Do what you have to do to get in the door, play the game by their rules as much as your conscience will let you, and hopefully you won't need to be reading any blogs on monster.com about honest resumes.

Posted by: Matt | Jun 20, 2007 12:35:32 PM

In doing a resume search for a unique bus dev role which our company employs I found a former employee of ours. Here's his example:

Dates of Employment with my company: 2.5 years
Actual dates of Employment: 6 months and 10 days

Title: Manager - Co-branded and Private Label Sales
Actual Title: Jr. Bus Dev Associate

Details of the accomplishments here were as grossly exaggerated as the above examples. # 1 of 16 sales reps, we had 3 that were doing same job this person had. He has confidential yet incorrect information about my company's margins etc.

So, in an age where reference and background checks are crucial, and controlled by hiring company, I would advise that "embellishment" by any stretch can cost your job, and expose you to litigation as well.

Treat your resume as an extension of you. Acknowledge your mistakes and how you learned from them. If you feel your experience makes up for lack of degree, either note exactly that in a cover leter, or have formal education available upon request.

Don't lie, its not worth the repurcussions.

Posted by: Skip Middleton | Aug 20, 2007 1:38:53 PM

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