No matter how little or how much you're willing to stretch the truth, the fact remains that lying on your resume will come back to haunt you.
Falsifying academic records, professional qualifications and even employment histories are unfortunately a common occurrence in the recruitment process. More often than not, the truth is always uncovered, whether by job interview or reference checks.
Once you're caught in a lie on a job application, more than likely you will never be hired, and you will end up tarnishing your reputation in the long run.
The cost of exaggerating your skills
Your resume is your personal brochure, and it should show you in your best light. A little exaggeration is harmless, right?
Well, no.
Lying on your resume, or in a job interview, isn’t quite like putting on makeup or dressing to impress. It’s actually a criminal act of fraud designed to mislead people into trusting you with the wellbeing of their business – and it carries risks.
Getting caught is serious, and not getting caught is hard to do in today’s connected world.
Once you’ve been discovered, your job is almost certainly over. What employer would continue to trust and employ someone who has deceived them? Obtaining a job through deception is valid grounds for instant dismissal. If you’ve cost your employer money (and you probably have), it may even be grounds for legal action.
That’s only the tip of the iceberg. The blow to your reputation and termination can haunt you for years, or even force you out of the industry.
It can also have a negative contagion effect. If you were caught because the company checked a reference who didn’t back up your claims, you most likely lost that referee’s support too.
It’s easy to get caught lying on your resume
It’s hard to get away with lying in today's digital world. These days, just about every professional has a LinkedIn profile making it easier to check with stakeholders about the validity of your background or soft skills.
There are also many other digital footprints you leave across the internet. All it takes is for one person to stumble across the wrong piece of information to bring you unstuck.
Another thing to consider is the on-the-job consequences. You will be expected to deliver on the skills and abilities you claim to have. Not doing so is a sure giveaway that you haven’t been entirely honest.
Background checks are becoming more frequent
The truth is that falsification seems to be on the rise, possibly in response to recent economic fluctuations. To counter this, employers and recruitment agencies report having increased their diligence on doing background checks. The chances of getting caught have never been greater.
Sir Walter Scott once wrote, “Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!” It’s as true now as it was back then. Lies aren’t something you have to tell once – they need to be maintained over time. Sooner or later, most people slip up when it comes to lying on a resume. The short-term gain rarely outweighs the long-term losses.
When it comes to job hunting, honesty really is the best policy, especially when it comes to your resume.
