Career Advice Podcasts & Job Seeker Network

Should I lie on my résumé?

Today I learned about a new website which for a fee, will fabricate job history, degrees, and references for a résumé. Their justification? "A résumé is not a legal document." They even provide an answering service if a potential employer wants to follow up with a phone call. I was astonished that any company would be so brazen to attempt this outright illegal activity, and even more astonished that people are actually buying it!

Everyone has something in their past they wish had not happened. Very few people possess a spotless work history. Besides the obvious "What if I get caught?" concern, deep down you would know if you got a job under false pretenses. You would know the truth.

I have a friend in the insurance business. Early in his career, he made an error that resulted in a large premium increase for one of his customers. Instead of trying to hide his mistake, he made an appointment with the customer, admitted his error and humbly waited to accept the consequences. Instead, the customer admired his honesty, and told his employer he only wanted this man to work on his accounts, because he knew he could trust him.

Are trust, honesty, and integrity no longer valued in corporate America? I don't think so, and if you are tempted to lie you may get short-term rewards, but long-term disappointment.

So what to do if you are currently struggling to find a job, and worry that your less-than-stellar work history may be to blame? This is not an easy question to answer in one posting, but consider these suggestions:

1. Ensure your résumé is targeted to a specific job, and include relevant reasons why you should be selected.
2. Don't rely on one job search method. Instead employ a multi-faceted approach.
3. Make the most of your personal and professional network, and expand it as much and as often as possible.
4. If trying to change careers, consider volunteering or shadowing someone you admire in the field.
5. Update your professional education to increase your knowledge and employability.

But never, never lie on your résumé, no matter how tempting it may seem. It is never worth it!

Tags: career, job, resume, search

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Comment by Greg Lachs on July 25, 2009 at 2:14pm: I had one staffing firm "change dates" for one of my previous employment gigs because it was only 6 months. They made it 2+ years. When they sent me an email of the "draft" I was furious. A recruiter type said that the short term gig didn't "look good." True. But a fictional 2 year career? That was simply wrong. That was back in '05, so I guess nothing should shock me.

Comment by Bill Wellington on July 23, 2009 at 9:17pm: I guess nothing should shock me anymore, but a company fabricating resume information for a fee is shocking.
I just cannot fathom what someone is thinking when they lie on a resume, to get a job that they know they are not qualified to perform. Do they really think that no one will notice when they do not have the skills needed for the job they were hired to do?
I have been out of work for some time, but would never try to fabricate skills and knowledge that I do not possess. What would be the point of securing a good job only to lose it in a short time. I guess I will hold on to the belief that being honest, dependable, and hardworking are still desirable traits that companies are seeking.

Comment by Cam Evenson on July 21, 2009 at 11:46am: I find this an interesting topic, on my resume I have all the skills that I have done. But seeing as a resume format doesn't always lend it's self to time or how much I have done then i find myself often stuck in jobs with having to pull all nighters to learn as much as what the employer wants. I think it boils down to communication and a person's ability to understand that communications. I work as a computer programmer and The biggest skill one can have is the ability to keep integrating new program languages, but often the hiring person or even HR doesn't understand programming and thus job postings are written that do not describe adequately the job. So I go and apply only to find out that they neglected to fully appreciate certain roles that are not in keeping with my personality or style. This isn't so much lying on the job posting as not understanding, but there are job postings that dance around the issues and often the reason there is a job posting is that the prior guy/gal left because of these issues.

Something I have also found is that in industry you exchange a wage for a service performed, but when it boils down to negotiating wage based on worth. Many employers do not see the gravity of a diverse skill set, never really want to pay more to get someone that say also hold an engineering degree and is a programmer. I think of a find like this as a gold mind, because not only does this person demonstrate programming skills, but also can relate to production, has an understanding of cost controls, knows production planning. These skills you just can't get with just a programmer, and thus should be remunerated to have. This can change the competitive advantage for a company, making software and systems smarter.

Comment by Danny Iny on July 21, 2009 at 7:44am: This is shocking. I completely agree with you - it is never, ever okay to lie on your resume (or anywhere else, for that matter). I can add to the "you'll get caught" and "you'll know the truth" arguments that if you con your way into a job, then they're hiring you for skill-sets and experience that you don't have, and so you probably won't do well or last long in the job anyway.

Comment by Erin Kennedy, CPRW, CERW on July 21, 2009 at 7:43am: I'm still in shock from the first sentence of this post! Wow. Some pretty shady companies out there. Anything for a buck. There is never a good time to lie on your resume. As a dear friend of mine always says, 'Lies grow feet and come back to find you!'.

Interesting post!

Erin Kennedy
Professional Resume Services