Thursday, July 17, 2008

Fired for Lying on Resume

Question
I got fired from a job. To get my next job, I lied on my resume. It worked and I got hired. Everything was great -- I even got a promotion. A week after starting my new role, I was terminated for lying on my resume.

Now that I am again looking for a new job, how do I explained this in the job interview? Also, when I update my resume, should I put the phone number for the companies that I used to work for?
-- Carlos

Answer
Carlos, you need to sit yourself down and look at the pattern of lying and getting fired in your work history. You need to stop this self-destructive behavior before your work history is so checkered that no one will hire you.

Legally your last employer had every right to terminate your employment based on a lie on your resume, which was an official document in your personnel file. That lesson learned (the hard way, I'm afraid), what are you going to do now?

I know it's embarrassing to get fired, and it's hard to write or talk about it, but the truth is a greater ally than a falsehood. So on your resume, make sure absolutely everything is honest. You can leave information off (like those telephone numbers of previous employers), but everything that you say on your resume must be truthful.

On your resume, you don't have to say why you left your previous jobs. However, on your job application you must answer the question if asked. So prepare for how you'll respond to that question, both on the job application and in the job interview. Here are some thoughts for talking about it in the interview:

"I made the mistake of not fully explaining such-and-such. That mistake cost me my last job and I'll never let that happen again. I assure you my work ethic is excellent and I'll do my utmost to fulfill your expectations here at ABC Company."


I wish you the best with your job hunt!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

follow her advice and you will never get a job. You just have to be smarter about lying. How many of those bailed out financial companies are honest? exactly, so why should you?

I lied to get my current job and have been here for 9 years, pretty soon I will find a new company and now I can state I have 9 legit years of work.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous above me is right.

I was honest about lying on my resume and it didnt get me fired but it put me in a bad way.

Bottom line - honesty put me in a bad situation. It has almost made me feel like I dont wanna be there.

Anonymous said...

I am also tempted to lie on my resume. The job I want requires will accept either experience or education as a qualifying factor and I know I can do the job well. I don't have the requisite qualifications, but it will be simple enough to fabricate the experience. The reason I don't feel bad about doing this is that I can do the job and do it well, so I am qualified, even if my history does not truly reflect this.

Anonymous said...

If Carlos would have told the truth from the beginning, my guess is he would still have his job. This is for Anonymous number one: Why do you think these financial companies had to be bailed out in the first place? Probably because they were dishonest. So it finally caught up with them just like it will eventually catch up with you. You can embellish your resume, but never lie on it. You will end up telling so many lies, you won't be able to keep them straight.

Anonymous said...

My guess is if he had told the truth he never would have gotten the job in the first place. I lied on my two college entrance applications about past criminal convictions and noone ever found out. I now have a BS in mech engineering and a MS in industrial engineering from the two schools that I lied to.