Career Report March 2015 Issue # 181
Feature Story
DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT LYING ON RÉSUMÉ
You would think people seeking work would be more careful about making sure their résumés are as accurate and transparent as possible, especially since a growing number of companies now conduct extensive background checks on potential employees. But a recent study points out that lies abound in résumés, according to an article published by CBS MoneyWatch.
In fact, the national study found that close to 60 percent of company hiring managers have found lies in the résumés they’ve perused, while one-third of employers have noticed an increase in résumé “embellishments” in the post-recession job market, the article pointed out.
The survey, conducted online by Harris Poll for CareerBuilder, questioned nearly 2,200 hiring managers and human resource officials from a wide variety of companies and industries.
Here, according to the article, are some of the more common lies the survey respondents said job candidates tried to sneak past them:
- Embellished skill set — 57 percent
- Embellished responsibilities — 55 percent
- False dates of employment — 42 percent
- Untrue job title — 34 percent
- Fictitious academic degree — 33 percent
- Fake work experience — 26 percent
- Made-up accolades/awards — 18 percent
“Trust is very important in professional relationships, and by lying on your résumé, you breach that trust from the very outset,” Rosemary Haefner, CareerBuilder’s vice president of human resources, said in a statement cited in the article.
“If you want to enhance your résumé, it’s better to focus on playing up tangible examples from your actual experience,” she added. “Your résumé doesn’t necessarily have to be the perfect fit for an organization, but it needs to be relevant and accurate.”
The article pointed out that some industries and job sectors also seem to be more prone to having job seekers lie about their pasts and qualifications.
For example, the survey found 73 percent of employers in financial services said they found fabrications on résumés they’ve examined, followed by 71 percent in leisure and hospitality, 63 percent in information technology, 63 percent in health care (looking at companies with more than 50 employees), and 59 percent in retail.
Of particular importance, most would-be employers said they take any fabrications discovered on a job seeker’s résumé very seriously, the article noted.
According to the survey, 51 percent said they would immediately dismiss a candidate caught lying on his or her résumé. Forty percent said any dismissal would depend on what the candidate lied about, but only seven percent said they were willing to overlook falsehoods or embellishments on a résumé if they liked the job candidate.
So a word to the wise: When it comes to preparing or updating your résumé, always keep in mind that honesty is the best policy.
NEWS FROM BLK
During the short month of February we added several new contract employees. We are very pleased to employ these specialized contractors in a variety of fields. The flexibility of contract / project work has a high conversion rate to direct hire positions for those who seek this career path.
We are also witnessing an increase in direct hire opportunities as our clients business cycle continues to improve and addition to staffs are needed.
Talent shortages are becoming more acute in technical, sys/admin, and across the programmer spectrum.
This April we will celebrate our 35 year in business we thank all for your support.