In order to get that awesome job that you’ve always dreamed of, you might be tempted to add a few little, and apparently innocent, lies in your resume. Well, you should definitely reconsider your decision because nowadays, these lies in your resume are very easy to spot. A lot of companies can verify your professional background and sometimes this might even cost you your job. So, here are the things you should never lie about in your resume:
Make sure that the information regarding your education is always 100% accurate because these kinds of lies are very easy to verify, since institutions internationally offer this information to a lot of recruiters as public records. I’m sure you all know the case of Scott Thompson, a former Yahoo executive who was forced to resign because apparently he never got a computer science degree from Stonehill College as he wrote in his resume. So, that’s why it’s best to avoid these lies in your resume so they won’t hurt your career.
Even though you think you don’t have too many chances to get your dream job by being honest, you shouldn’t lie in your resume about your work experience and especially about your former employer. Even if you haven’t worked at some prestigious company, this doesn’t mean that the experience you’ve gained working there won’t help you get a better job. Most people have to start from the bottom in order to succeed, so be one of them and not a fraud!
This is one of the lies companies can verify the most quickly because this information is actually public record, so a lot of companies will freely give details about your former position to whomever asks about it. Don’t try to impress your potential employer with false job titles because you might get that dream job and I’m sure you wouldn’t want to lose it (even though you might be good at it) because you haven’t been fully honest in your resume.
This is another thing most people are tempted to put in their resume in order to impress their employer. Most of them will even add some foreign exotic language because they think they will never have to use it, thus their lie will never be discovered. But if you’ve said in your resume that you fluently talk or write in Mandarin, make sure you do have Mandarin skills, because you never know when you’ll have to prove this to your employer by talking with some potential client.
Even though you may think that this position you’ve applied for will not require any advanced computer skills, don’t lie in your resume about having knowledge of some computer software you actually never used. Once again, you never know when you’ll have to prove to your employer that you do know how to work with that computer program you actually know nothing about. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to lose your job over that.
I know a lot of people might be tempted to embellish their professional achievements by adding a few numbers in their resume that aren’t exactly true. Try to avoid using qualitative terms regarding your work performance because this information can also be verifiable. Instead, you could just say that at your former work place, you achieved excellent sales results. You should know that you must be accountable for all the numbers you choose to use in your resume and they should always be correct.
I’m sure you all know that famous saying, “a half-truth is a whole lie.” Also, lying by omission in your resume or telling your potential employer only half-truths about your work experience or about your former position will also damage your career. Needless to say, it may even cost you your dream job someday. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to take that risk, so try to be completely honest and make sure that all the information in your resume is 100% accurate.
Even though you might be tempted to think sometimes that a prestigious former employer, a fancy job title or knowledge of some exotic foreign language might take you places, they will not help your career unless they are actually true. Have you ever lied when writing your resume? If so, did your employer find out about it? What other lies in your resume do you think might cost you your job? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments section!
Sources: jobdig.com