Wondering if You Should Lie on Your Resume?

One of the most intimidating aspects of finding a new job is having to put together a new resume. Whether you’re starting from scratch or just updating, crafting the perfect resume is no easy task. Sometimes when we are looking over the completed resume, it’s tempting to lie on your resume in order to look better to the job market.

If you’re feeling tempted to accentuate your resume, we have some advice: Don’t! Lying on a resume can have disastrous consequences. It may get you want you want in the short term, but over time it will hurt more than help.

Common Job Seeker Lies & How to Avoid them

Dates of Employment

• The lie: Many job seekers fret over gaps in their employment history. They think that tinkering with the dates of the jobs proceeding and following those gaps will make themselves appear better to employers.
• The problem: Many employers reach out to other business owners to verify dates of employment. If an employer determines that you “fudged” the numbers, they more than likely won’t see you as an honest person.
• Alternative: Just because you weren’t working doesn’t mean that you were just loafing around doing nothing. List any personal achievements or responsibilities that you had during the period of unemployment. Having a child, taking care of an ailing parent, running a volunteer group or writing a novel are all good examples of worthwhile items to make up for gaps.

Education

• The lie: While scrolling through job opportunities, job seekers quickly learn one thing: it pays to have a degree. Some jobs require a degree while others will pay more for applicants who hold one. Many people think to themselves, “They’ll never find out.”
• The problem: Lies have a way of coming out into the open. You might get the job, but there’s a good chance that someone will catch on to the lie somewhere down the road.
• Alternative: An obvious alternative to lying about having a degree is to actually obtain one, but this isn’t in the cards for everyone. However, sometimes working towards a degree can be beneficial, even if you’re only taking a class. This shows the employer that you are ambitious and perhaps they will help fund your schooling.

Technical Skills

• The lie: We want to look like the best candidate to employers. Sometimes this comes in the form of adding skills to our resumes that we don’t actually have.
• The problem: It will become apparent very quickly that you don’t have the required skills. On top of that, you may begin to feel very overwhelmed in your new position if you don’t know what you’re doing. Therefore, the likelihood that you’ll last is low.
• Alternative: If you find that you’re lacking the skills needed for the positions you’re interested in getting you should look into taking online courses at a local college. Also, sites like linda.com can help you learn about a variety of different technical skills and can help you get an edge in the job marketplace.

If you’re currently looking for a new job – we can help! When you register with us we will give your resume a look-over and give you tips on how you can make it stand out to employers. Give us a call today (717-731-8777) or stop in to register!