How about lying on your resume, even to test the waters?

Not to start another thread about me and job hunting, but just to the point about lying on your resume to test the waters.

I thought I would add to my resume and report it to the career websites and see what the feedback was.

Its my experience so far with the lower level jobs Ihve had no one seems to follow up and being VA is a right to work state, you have the right to quit and the employer has the right to fire you for any or no reason at all. Sounds like a win win situation if you have a few degrees or non at all.

I vote no.
Lying is not a good thing anytime.
I understand joking and I understand given information is at times "just between us" if agreement is made in a "just between us" then you should keep the trust--no matter if the other party does.
Not the least bit sure that helped but it is how I look on this. Integrity is really all we have for ourselves by ourselves.
Topper

DON'T!


First, you have your own morals to support... Don't go down a slippery slope.

Second, everything is on the Internet these days. Your resume is being sold, traded, and entered into tons of databases. Discrepancies will probably be seen.

Third, if you are ever challenged/caught, HR folks will "unofficially" trade information/references and such (because current laws prevent asking many questions and terminations can cost a lot of money to fight even in a right to work state). It can be tough to outrun them (especially if you are in a small industry/area)

This is just my two cents... I am sure many have padded resumes and never have been caught. But companies are now checking school records, references, credit references, legal records, and work experience like they never have before.

Good Luck!
-Bill

Like the other two said above—No way no how on "lying" on your resume.

Honesty & integrity should NEVER be compromised! If you're willing to jeopardize your personal values & principles even slightly, then what else would you be willing to do? Not worth it at all!!! NEVER!

People who lie on resumes aren't usually very consistent and it is usually spotted by either HR screeners or by the hiring managers. I've reviewed thousands of resumes that have been sent to me, and it's amazing how much fodder is generated for the paper shredder from those embellished resumes. Generally inaccurate details are caught in as little as a 15 second scan of the resume, or in the worst case scenarios by the time it gets to the first telephone contact.

In the unlikely event that it gets as far as the individual becoming employed by a company, it is usually grounds for immediate termination, regardless of your performance.

And for the "lower-level" jobs that you reference, if no one bothers to check any of the information (at least to your knowledge), it's apparently insignificant as to what you have on the resume to begin with. Employers are not blind to the fact that there are many resumes, these days, have inaccurate information on them and for the ones that matter, they do take reasonable steps to verify the veracity of the information that you submit.

I agree with Sigman. Lying on a resume is an irreparable breach of honesty and integrity which would compromise your character whether or not you are caught.

Not only lying is a breach of integrity, a lot of companies DO actually check resumes.

I knew someone who got into a lot of trouble when the employer found out he lied and 'padded' his resume and references.

I agree with everyone else, Cobb. Keep it honest. There are too many ways that it can come back and bite you if you embellish it too much.

Don't lie.

The best way to get a job is through personal connections. It shouldn't be that way, but it is. Posting a resume online with millions of other hopefuls won't get you noticed. If you don't have much (or any) work experience, an internship might be the way to go. Ask around at school.

Good luck!

Don't Lie on your resume, it will come back and bite you in the @ss at some time...

There are better ways to make your resume more interesting without lying. First of all make sure that it will stand out in a pile of resumes. Don't overdo it, but a nice watermark like background picture works wonders. Make it something personal, be creative. It'll be the first resume to get noticed between all the other boring black font on white paper.

cobb said:

Not to start another thread about me and job hunting, but just to the point about lying on your resume to test the waters.

I thought I would add to my resume and report it to the career websites and see what the feedback was.

Its my experience so far with the lower level jobs Ihve had no one seems to follow up and being VA is a right to work state, you have the right to quit and the employer has the right to fire you for any or no reason at all. Sounds like a win win situation if you have a few degrees or non at all.

Click to expand...

In most circumtances, lying would be bad for your short term career. However, if you have some good references to buttress your claim in resume. It will distract the HR dept from checking the rest of your resume.

THanks, I wont do that. I think I will rewrite the objection statement bluntly stating I was disabled looking for a career in that field and see what happens. Ive tried a few others with limited luck.

While I agree with the others about lying on a resume how about reverse (i.e. when the employer lies to you about the position)? This is probably more rampant than lying on resumes. Back when I used to job hunt, which is before I decided that self-employment beats any job, I used to see so many ads for things like "management trainees" or something which sounded similarly promising (at least to an 18-year old looking for a summer job). All these ads promised the world. When you went and actually applied for the job it was basically a commission-based sales position. I can't say how much time I wasted going to these places only to walk right out the door once I discovered what the job really was. And then of course there are ads for other positions where they at least label the position somewhat correctly but greatly embellish what you'll actually doing. For example, they might say you'll be an electronics technician responsible for repairing, diagnosing, and modifying sensitive equipment (with plenty of opportunities for advancement). When you actually get the job all you'll be doing is adding 3 resistors to the same type of circuit board for years on end, and making a big $7 an hour with little hope of a raise until you're there at least a decade. A more accurate ad would have said something like entry level electronics assembly position.

While I'm not a fan of lying or making excuses for lying, I can understand people padding their resumes so long as employers insist on padding their ads for various positions. Honesty is the best policy. Describe a job accurately so I don't waste my time coming in for nothing and the employer doesn't waste time with a candidate with no interest in the type of position they're offering. I'll reciprocate by describing my credentials and the type of postion I'm seeking accurately and honestly.

BTW, I've heard most of the better jobs are never advertised in the newspapers but through word of mouth. If you don't have a network of sorts, you're basically screwed as far as employment goes.

cobb said:

THanks, I wont do that. I think I will rewrite the objection statement bluntly stating I was disabled looking for a career in that field and see what happens. Ive tried a few others with limited luck.

Click to expand...

I urge you to avoid to use the word DISABLED in a resume. It will virtually cancel your chances of getting any job period.

You can mentioned that you were injured in car accident which prevented you from finding work for xx period of months. The word "disable" has very strong negative image to employers. I had talked to professional legal counsellor regarding disclosure of disability. You don't disclose such info unless it is obvious handicap and employer will ask you on job interview.

No need to bring up a disability unless you're asked if accommodations need to be made for your employment (ADA.)

If you're asked about a long gap in employment, describe yourself as a "re-entry" applicant. That could mean that you were/are disabled, be mentally unfit, were incarcerated, left the work force to go back to school, or struck it rich and got out before the dot-bomb, among other reasons. But be prepared to give a specific reason (e.g. disabled due to an accident or illness) for the employment gap.

cobb said:

THanks, I was disabled looking for a career in that field and see what happens.

Click to expand...

Huh? mentioning I was a former blind guy and wheelchair user looking for career in the disability field isnt a good idea? Ive beat around the bush about mentioning it, I do not have my rehab stay or trainning mentioned in my resume and for the most part I was still active rather in college, computer work, delivering newspapers in one way or another.

Yeah, I am just laying low to pay down my bills, see where and when my car will die and go at the job search again. I got a pretty good night job, pays well and that hourly day job as a telemarkerter with no benefits other than coming and going as I please.

Funny thing is, the night job came about as a recruiter from another job I interviewed for saw my resume and remembered me. This person was shocked that I was no longer in the wheelchair or blind.

Yeah, Ive been to quite a few job interviews and received many calls for pure commission things. Vector Marketing comes to mind for one. I know you can make a good living at that, if you know a lot of folks, but I dont.

I too am looking at the self employment route. I may do that as my day job and use another job at night for health insurance. I may have a costly medical situation down the road or a series of events somewhat loosely related to my condition even if new health insurance wont cover my existing condition.