“You would be perfect if you were the person described on your resume”

I can remember the day, not that long ago, when getting a new job began and ended with a great interview. References were sometimes buddies or friends. Candidates now face long, sometimes tedious, and complex hiring processes. Hiring managers are demanding, specifying intricate qualifications, and holding out for the perfect candidate. Having experienced the pain of replacing poor performers or bad hiring decisions, they want planned bottom line results from every new hire.

 Resumes are marketing tools with the purpose of getting an interview. In response, candidates have been advised to and target resumes specifically for each job opportunity. According to CareerBuilder, 57% of the hiring managers surveyed said they found a lie on the candidate’s application paperwork in 2006. About.com reports that 10% to 30% of job seekers either embellish or lie on their resume.  A December, 2008 Wall Street Journal article says:”More phony resumes could appear as more people become desperate for jobs.”

The most common resume deceptions include:             

Stretched dates of employment.

Playing with dates.

Inflated past accomplishment and technical skills.

Progress towards or earned degrees.

Unexplained gaps and periods of self unemployment.

Increased previous salary or total compensation.

Enhanced job titles and responsibility.

Faked certifications and credentials.

Claimed language fluency.

Fake addresses.

Omitted past employment.

Fabricated reasons for leaving a position.

Fraudulent references.

Misrepresented military records.

Grade point manipulation.

Technology, pre-screening companies, behavioral interview techniques, pre-employment testing, and internet tools like Google and social media have given recruiters, hiring managers, and HR, not to mention customers and co-workers, ready access to career and personal information. It’s tough to fudge details. It’s even tougher to remember how details were fudged during an interview or down the road. It’s not just senior management; candidates at all levels are being thoroughly scrutinized.

 Moral, ethical, and legal arguments aside, whether a seemingly harmless embellishment or blatant spun fiction, the risks of resume deception could result in: immediate candidate disqualification, offer withdrawal, or dismissal. If dismissed, an employer has the right to inform future reference checks that an employee was fired for deception. Penalties can be harsh and long lasting. Dave Edmondson, CEO of RadioShack resigned in 2006 when media reports surfaced that his degrees in theology and psychology from Pacific Coast Baptist University were non existent.

 When I occasionally hear the question… #!#…? The answer is “No”, “Absolutely Not”, “Don’t succumb to desperation or tricks”. Proven techniques exist to discover and present one’s career and accomplishments in the best light.