Lying on your CV
Where do you draw the line between spicing up your CV and lying on it?
Many of us will happily own up to exaggerating on our CVs - an implied qualification here, a non-existent hobby there, perhaps the hint of an extra responsibility or two. But where do you draw the line between spicing up your CV and lying on it?
Many jobseekers inflate their CVs by exaggerating their experience or qualifications. Studies have estimated that jobseekers provide false or exaggerated information on their CVs, ranging from innocent omissions to blatant lies. The most common CV lie is about education. Other common lies include:
Stretching dates to cover employment gaps Beefing up salaries Enhancing job titles Embellishing job duties and achievementsStretching dates to cover employment gaps
According to Colman Collins, managing director of the CollinsMcNicholas Recruitment Group, stretching dates to cover employment gaps is a fairly widespread practice. And it’s on the increase because people now change jobs more frequently and therefore tend to omit employments which may have been a poor choice or which didn't work out especially if it was of 6 months duration or less.
“It is easier to get away with this now", Collins told WorkWise, "as reference checking is often not as comprehensive especially in areas where there are skill shortages. It is a tempting course of action for people who don't want to talk about a bad employment experience or who don't want to explain a period of unemployment.”
Beefing up salaries
Salary is another favourite embellishment for those who impression manage their CVs. Jobseekers exaggerate remuneration, bumping up their salary by a couple of thousand. “It’s a fairly widespread practice especially in the current climate and especially among younger applicants who want to increase their salaries rapidly”, says Mr. Collins.
“It’s not easily detected by prospective employers because they can't check references with present employers. It is even harder to detect if the applicant is applying for a position in a different location and the prospective employer has no knowledge of salaries for the applicant’s present employer”.
Enhancing job titles
Enhancing job titles is another common practice but one that’s easily picked up on by an experienced interviewer. According to Mr. Collins, an experienced interviewer can quickly establish what level a person is working at and pick up on inconsistencies between title, responsibilities and salaries.
Embellishing job duties and achievements
This is a widespread practice but again the experienced interviewer will tend to pick up on it at the interview. Mr. Collins is surprised at how many people do this and how often they get away with.
“Multinational companies with experienced interviewers tend to identify this type of behaviour but smaller indigenous companies with inexperienced interviewers can sometimes fail to detect these applicants. This is a particularly foolish way for a candidate to behave as it can result in the person getting a job for which he/she may not have the experience or aptitude to perform successfully.”
Oonagh Kelly, Manager of SKG Executive Search, says, however, that recruiters are well-trained to detect CV lies in interviews by asking probing questions. Sean Finnegan of Richmond Recruitment says that employers and recruiters have to thoroughly check out every aspect of a CV today, unlike ten years ago.
This is because of the number of overseas applicants coming into the market, and the need for official government documents, visa validation and work permits. The anonymity of Internet CVs has made it even more tempting to lie on a CV. Some employers conduct background and reference checks but some don't.
Mr. Collins always recommends honesty as the best policy in each of these areas. The information on a persons CV forms part of the contract of employment. If it subsequently transpires to be false then the person is in breach of contract and could technically be let go.
“In addition this is a small country and discerning employers can find out the inside track on any applicant. Younger employees who only have experience of the good times should bear in mind that times may get tough again and some of the present sharp practices may damage their longer-term career prospects.”
Of course a little CV spicing is all part of the process and employers expect you to spice up your CV and tailor it for specific jobs. Naturally, job applicants want to sell themselves to their best advantage. For example, typing becomes a working knowledge of computers and that waitress job you had for a week becomes a stint as a restaurant manager in charge of a team of five.
But what must be remembered is that there’s a big difference between spicing up your CV with say a pottery or photography hobby or saying you were Captain of the school rugby team and lying on it by throwing in maybe a HTML or Photoshop qualification you don’t actually have.
