Lies On Your Resume Can Haunt You

Lies On Your Resume Can Haunt You Lie on your resume at your own riskYou just want to get a job, so its tempting to stretch the truth a little on your resume.But think again if youre considering embellishing orwe can just call it what it islyingon your resume.According toMonsters 2019 State of the Recruiter survey,85% of recruiters said that candidates exaggerate skills and competencies on their resumes.Whats the worst that can happen? Paradoxically, the worst-case scenario might be that your lies actually get you the job. Whos going to abflug fessing up once the paychecks start coming?If you dont want to be looking over your shoulder or hoping no one in HR gets suspicious and decides to audit their files, avoid these whoppers on your resumeLies about past employersPlan to lie about wherbeie you worked? Think again These fibs are cause for an employer to show you the door, even months or years after you are were hired.Tegan Acree, director of human resources and training for Nuance C ommunications, shared a story from a company where she previously worked. The organization hired a high-level executive who claimed on his resume he had worked on Wall Street as well as for a major celebrity. When the employee underperformed and his employer became suspicious, a few calls revealed he had forged all of his experience. In fact, he was working for three different companies on their time. Needless to say, he was soon working for one less company, Acree says.Lies of omissionLisa Rangel, managing director of Chameleon Resumes and a former recruiter, recalls a candidate for a position in the legal department of a media company who never completed the degree listed on her resume. When I confronted her, she said, Well, you never explicitly asked if I earned the degree. The media company rescinded the offer since it could not have an employee in its legal department who demonstrated such flexible morals, Rangel says.Lying about your degree can come back to bite youeven in the unlikely event that no one notices right away. A dean at MIT resigned her post after working there for 28 years when the university audited its files and learned she did not have degrees from the three schools listed on her initial resume.Half-truthsMike Ramer, president of Ramer Search Consultants, says you need to be careful about omitting short-term jobs from your resume. Theres a lot mora scrutiny now, he says. Companies are conducting background checks that will uncover inconsistencies on your resume.He recalls an outstanding candidate who failed to mention a short-term position he held, which raised red flags for the employer when it came up in a background check. The company worried that if he lied about that, what else was he not sharing? The company rescinded its offernot because of the short-term job, but because the candidate had not mentioned it.Little embellishmentsAll of this personal-branding business is encouraging candidates to upgrade their job titles, Acree expla ins. If you were an HR assistant, dont call yourself an HR manager. When you lie about your job titles, its a big red flag.Acree cautions job seekers to make aya their resumes match their profiles on professional networking sites. Any discrepancy is going to pop up on a background check, she says. The employer will wonder whats the truth and whats a lieand move on to the next candidate.How to get a job without lyingTell it like it isRamer told of a candidate who lied about having a degree and lost the job opportunity. If he had been truthful, his experience would have landed him the position, regardless. If your skills are in demand and you are well-qualified, you may be able to overcome certain obstaclesif you are up front and tell the truth.Enhance your credentialsfor realIf every job you want requires a college degree, instead of listing a school where you took a few credits and trying to pass it off as a degree, consider how you can actually earn that degree. Many colleges and u niversities cater to working professionals, and you may consider an accredited online program.Tap your networkSometimes you can overcome some missing skills or qualifications by impressing a decision maker who can persuade a company to take a chance on you. Referrals are very important in the modern job search, so spend as much time as possible networking with colleagues and contacts. Be sure you can explain what you offer via a well-rehearsed, succinct elevator pitch. Demonstrate clearly why you are the best at what you do and how you will solve the targeted employers problems.Build an online profileOvercome 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 offe r, 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.Miriam Salpeter is a job search and social networking coach, the author of 100 Conversations for Career Success and Social Networking for Career Success, and the owner of Keppie Careers.