by Trevor Gelder, Corporate Director
Talent Acquisition and Deployment
Everybody exaggerates on their resumes, don’t they? According to Steven D. Levitt, coauthor of Freakonomics and a renowned economics professor at the University of Chicago, research estimates that 50 percent of resumes include inflated job titles, fabricated dates or companies on employment histories, degrees not actually obtained, experience not gained, and more. Most companies conduct background checks and verify degrees and previous employment dates and titles.
If you are up for taking the risk, though, lying might help you get the job initially; and if you’re desperate for work, it is tempting to say you can do anything you are asked about. But when it’s discovered you really don’t have the experience you said you did, do you really want to be out of work again in a few months and back in this desperate situation again, only now with a damaged reputation and one more short tenure on your resume? In life, just as in baseball, you only get so many strikes and you just used most of yours before you even started your job.
Instead, be honest and show that, while you may not have specific experience, you have related and transferrable experience. Also, show how you have demonstrated the ability to learn new things quickly and cite specific instances when you have done so.
If you don’t get the job, keep in mind that you don’t really want a job you aren’t qualified for, as it will just bring you and your employer trouble.
More links on Lying: http://career-advice.monster.com/resumes-cover-letters/resume-writing-tips/lying-on-your-resume/article.aspx