Thursday, October 19, 2006

Don't Lie on Your Resume

If you’re thinking of lying about a degree, job title, or anything like that on your resume, think again! Employers run verification checks, and one lie could totally disqualify you from the race.

And did you know that once you’re hired, a lie on your resume can be grounds for termination? ...uh huh. That’s right.

Let’s say your boss is looking at your resume during your promotion review. You could lose your job if he finds a lie on your resume.

Or, let’s say your employer’s looking for an excuse to fire you — she could dig your resume out of your personnel files, find a lie on it, and fire you that day.

Probably the biggest reason not to lie is that a lie on your resume can undermine your self-confidence during an interview. I know if I had a lie on my resume, I’d be nervous the whole time, just knowing that someone might ask me a question about it. And that anxiety alone would probably kill the interview.

In his blog post When resume inflation becomes bald-faced lying, Steven Silvers points out that some resume liars get caught when potential employers send applicants’ resumes to former employers for their opinions. Oops!

For a look into the mind of someone who jokingly says he's about to resort to lying on his resume, read Things that are getting old by JJRC.

2 comments:

Mr Benrick said...

Agree with you, always use existing job experiences to build your credentials and not to build your credentials by using fake experiences.

http://Free-Resume-Samples.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Also completely agree. However even if you're honest some people can still doubt you. My ex-employer, due to inadequate performance, started questioning if I achieved the degrees I said I did on my resume. (I did of course). But this undermining of my confidence instiled paranoia and reluctance to use resumes at all.