SURVEY SAYS: Has Your Resume Stretched the Truth?
This week I asked readers whether they had ever stretched the truth (so to speak) on a resume.
Considering our audience (not just profession, but their obvious integrity), one shouldn’t be too surprised to find that that vast majority claimed not to have done so – though you might be intrigued by just how many said that – as one reader noted – they might have “Embellished? Probably. Spin? Definitely. Stretching? Pushed the envelope, but haven’t busted out of it.”
“Come on, now! This is like asking someone if they always lie,” exclaimed one.
Another said, “Why would I want a job I am not qualified for? Believe it or not, there ARE more important things out there than money.”
In fact, 76.4% responded “no” to this week’s question, while just 2.8% said “yes.” That shouldn’t perhaps be surprising given the job responsibilities of many of our readers. After all, as one reader said, “Being in HR. I have been too scared to put anything false on it!” Another said, “It honestly never occurred to me – I’d be too scared of getting busted”, while another explained, “I think I had too much Catholic school – I’m too scared to write anything else but the truth!”
However, roughly one-in-five said that it “depends on what you mean by ‘stretching”” – or as one reader “explained, “More “positioning” of language than “stretching” of truth- all in how you market the goods.”
One reader explained their approach as “Not mentioning negatives” – but went on to comment that “…I look at resumes sent to me as sales documents. The claims should be true. On the other hand, to get the truth from the candidate, he/she has to fill out an application and sign a statement attesting to that truth. When the applicant does that, and backgrounds are checked, then is when the sales documentation ends.”
“At the risk of dating myself, I told a prospective employer that I could manage the development of a dBase III data base for tracking benefit plan elections. I had never used dBase. I got the job, and spent two weeks studying two dBase books prior to starting. Luckily for me, I managed to pick up enough dBase that it appeared that I knew more about it than anyone else that worked there. In the end, we developed the database. They used it for over 5 years, before finally getting a “true” HRIS system,” noted another.
Another said, “I have never stretched the truth in writing on my resume. However, who hasn’t stretched the truth on the verbal question about salary history?”
Sometimes it didn't seem to be the respondent's "fault":
"I worked for a Fortune 500 company a few years ago, who uses the Work Number to verify employment. In error, they show my last position with them as being the position I held during my entire time with the company. It makes my employment in this area look better--and since it's against company policy for anyone to verbally confirm my employment--I go along with what the Work Number has. Could this be called "assisted stretching?"
"After a year, the company increased my responsibilities by 150% but didn't change my title (I guess I was supposed to appreciate the 10% raise)."
Sometimes it was accidental: "I actually left off a Masters degree at one point," said one.
And sometimes it wasn't:
"When you have been in the business long enough, you have to start downplaying your role and deleting experience, because 1) employers will consider you too old for the job and/or 2) overqualified or paid too highly for positions. So, yes I have reduced my years of service and my previous compensation to fit the misconceptions and bias of possible employers."
"Naturally, my resume is 100% accurate and contains no lies (why should I be any different?). However, in this day and age, now that I am over 50, I do take great pains to minimize any hints at age and hope experience gains enough interest to get called for an interview."
But this week's Editor's Choice goes to the reader who noted, "Even though I've worked for the same company for almost 30 years I keep my resume updated because - well you just never know. I recently reviewed what I had written about jobs long ago and - maybe it's age creeping up on me - I would be hard pressed at an interview to expand on some of the outstanding things I've apparently done in my career!!!"
Thanks to everyone who participated in our survey!
| I think I had too much Catholic school - I'm too scared to write anything else but the truth! |
| It honestly never occurred to me - I'd be too scared of getting busted. |
| Even though I've worked for the same company for almost 30 years I keep my resume updated because - well you just never know. I recently reviewed what I had written about jobs long ago and - maybe it's age creeping up on me - I would be hard pressed at an interview to expand on some of the outstanding things I've apparently done in my career!!! |
| After a year, the company increased my responsibilities by 150% but didn't change my title (I guess I was supposed to appreciate the 10% raise). I usually call the first year "Marketing Analyst" and the second year "Client Services Associate." |
| Why would I want a job I am not qualified for? Believe it or not, there ARE more inportant things out there than money. |
| Embellished? Probably. Spin? Definitely. Stretching? Pushed the envelope, but haven't busted out of it. |
| I have never stretched the truth in writing on my resume. However, who hasn't stretched the truth on the verbal question about salary history? |
| More "positioning" of language than "stretching" of truth- all in how you market the goods. |
| Come on, now! This is like asking someone if they always lie. |
| It worked for a Fortune 500 company a few years ago, who uses the Work Number to verify employment. In error, they show my last position with them as being the position I held during my entire time with the company. It makes my employment in this area look better--and since it's against company policy for anyone to verbally confirm my employment--I go along with what the Work Number has. Could this be called "assisted stretching?" |
| Not mentioning negatives. However, I look at resumes sent to me as sales documents. The claims should be true. On the other hand, to get the truth from the candidate, he/she has to fill out an application and sign a statement attesting to that truth. When the applicant does that, and backgrounds are checked, then is when the sales documentation ends. |
| When you have been in the business long enough, you have to start downplaying your role and deleting experience, because 1) employers will consider you too old for the job and/or 2) overqualified or paid too highly for positions. So, yes I have reduced my years of service and my previous compensation to fit the misconceptions and bias of possible employers. |
| At the risk of dating myself, I told a prospective employer that I could manage the development of a dBase III data base for tracking benefit plan elections. I had never used dBase. I got the job, and spent two weeks studying two dBase books prior to starting. Luckily for me, I managed to pick up enough dBase that it appeared that I knew more about it than anyone else that worked there. In the end, we developed the database. They used it for over 5 years, before finally getting a "true" HRIS system. |
| I actually left off a Masters degree at one point. |
| Being in HR. I have been too scared to put anything false on it! |
| Naturally, my resume is 100% accurate and contains no lies (why should I be any different?). However, in this day and age, now that I am over 50, I do take great pains to minimize any hints at age and hope experience gains enough interest to get called for an interview. |
This week we also asked readers about their interest in - and plans for - the upcoming Olympics Games.
The question had three parts. First, I asked readers which event they were most excited about - and gymnastics, far and away, led the way. Nearly a quarter of this week's respondents ( 23.4% ) chose that category of events, and nearly as many (22.1%) opted for swimming. While nearly 8% said they "couldn't narrow it down to just one", more than 15% said "none of the above." And yes, a number of those were effectively "boycotting" these Olympics ( "The Olympics should be cancelled. The IOC made a mistake in awarding the Olympics to China," noted one), and some just, in the words of the immortal Rhett Butler….well, you know. Although, as one reader noted, "I barely have time to watch my regular favorite shows."
Other events that were specifically cited were: baseball, basketball, diving, equestrian (each of the foregoing, by about 4% each), and soccer (just over 5% ) - with distinct minorities noting an interest in synchronized swimming, table tennis, and track & field (various).
Second Question
The second part of this week's question asked which event (yes, only one), readers didn't care anything about - and the winner was… "I just can't narrow it down to just one" - which drew roughly 35% of the total vote, while another 5% said "none of the above". As for which SPECIFIC events were, er, of no interest, well - trampoline (yes, apparently now an Olympic sport - one reader said, "Please tell me that you made up the fictitious Olympic event of "trampoline"! What's next at the Olympics? A treadmill event? ), cited by nearly one-in-ten, and rhythmic gymnastics was just behind ( 9% ). Synchronized swimming (cited by 8% ) got the "bronze", followed by badminton ( 6.7% ), boxing ( 5.3% ), and taekwondo ( 4% ), while basketball, equestrian, handball, and table tennis each pulled about 3% . Other degrees of non-interest were expressed in baseball, beach volleyball, shooting, weightlifting, and wrestling.
The third part of this week's bonus question dealt with how readers were planning to keep up with the Olympics. Somewhat surprisingly (perhaps) in view of all the new media outlets and the time zone challenges, a full third (well, 32.9% ) of this week's respondents said they would keep up via TV, more than twice the 14.6% relying on the Internet, or the 13.4% looking to newspapers - of course 24.9% were planning to do so via some combination of the above.
More than one-in-five ( 22% ) said they weren't planning to keep up with the Summer Games, while nearly as many ( 19.5% ) agreed with the sentiment, "the question is - how will I AVOID keeping up with Olympics." Or, as one reader observed, "…in our wonderful(?) open office layout, I'll get a large dose of Olympic Event news just from being within earshot of all the self appointed Olympic experts in neighboring cubicles. Should be about as exciting as the Monday morning quarterbacking that takes place after every weekend during football season." Another suggested, "Can't we move the Olympics to some special sports channel line up and stop interrupting our "Regularly scheduled broadcast"????"
Editor's Choice
But this special Bonus Question's Editor's Choice goes to the reader who (doubtless after a careful review of the long list of events), "What? No event for skillful use of the TV Remote?"
Thanks to everyone who participated in our survey!
An applicant for receptionist position claimed she had been a professional roller derby player, a playboy bunny, could speak fluent Hebrew and been a professional tennis player. She got the job.... |
A recent liberal arts grad with half a year of work experience sent a cover letter demanding $60,000 for a $38,000 entry-level job. We hired her at the lower salary. She jumped ship a year later. |
My husband's a recruiter, so I polled him... One of his Fortune 500 client's hired a gentleman, supposedly with a degree from a particular ivy league school, and put him on the fast track. At the annual holiday party, the wife of the company's president was trying to reminisce about old times at their supposedly mutual university and exposed a fraud when he was clearly unfamiliar with the faculty and other key parts of university life. |
My husband had an employee who finally had to leave her job because of a family illness where she was the primary caregiver. When she applied for a job posting to be rehired several months later, it turned out that she had an additional place of employment added to her resume... which is where she really was when she claimed to be taking care of that sick relative. In this case, maybe keeping with the sick relative lie would have gotten her rehired. |
Several years ago an applicant stated on her resume that she had attended a University and graduated with a "certain" degree. Assuming that HR had verified the applicants information before referring her to us for an interview, she was hired. By the end of the 2nd week it was very evident that she could not even perform the basics so a collegue and I actually checked the University web site and then with the University, who to no one's surprise at this point, did not nor had they ever offered the "certain" degree program which she stated she had graduated from. She was promptly escorted out of the building. |
It's not a lie as much as it is what I would call an unethical stretching of the truth. I had a manger who used to love to TELL people "my PhD work was in Adult Learning Theory." I hear she had this on her resume as well. She'd pepper into conversations and say stuff like, "Well, I think we need to have the CBT be 1 hour long because my PhD work was in Adult Learning Theory." One day I heard HER manager tell me, "Linda has a PhD in Adult Learning Theory so you should listen to what she says." So I asked her when Linda had finished her PhD because when I last check, she had never finished it. The manager was shocked. Turns out that Linda had mentioned a number of times that she did work on a PhD, but she never mentioned that she finished that work. If you cornered her, she'd say, "Well, I was all but the dissertation." To that I reply, "Isn't the dissertation the biggest part of getting a PhD?" So when people tell me what they did their PhD work in, the first question I ask is, "WHEN were you actually awarded the PhD?" There are a lof of "ABDs" out there. So it's not really a lie, but it sure is letting the listener hear what you want them to hear and not correcting the misinformation. |
I once interviewed a guy that lied about everything. He said he had a degree from a well-known university - he didn't. He lied about his dates of employment because he had major gaps of unemployment. Signed a statement that he didn't have any felonies on his record - he had several. Also said he belonged to a professional organization - but they never heard of him either. He also plagarized his presentation...needless to say, we didn't hire him....those background checks really pay off!! |
One person claimed to be the valedictorian of their high school class. Unfortunately for him, my sister earned that honor at the school and year in question. Needless to say, he didn't get a second interview. |
I get a lot resumes that proclaim the author has a sharp eye for detail - but are loaded with mistakes often associated with reliance on spell check. |
I don't know how outrageous this is but I interviewed a young ladie once that had a fantastic background in our business. She had years of experiance and after talking to her for a short period of time you could tell she had that experiance and understood what we do (this was for a qualified plan compliance position). I would have offered her a job on the spot but HR had implemented a background check a year or so before so she had to go through that process. During the process the college she attended could not come up with anything about her, HR called her to make sure they had the correct information and she said she would call the school to figure out what was going on. A day or so later we got a call from the school apologizing for the mix up and answered all of HR's questions. About 5 minutes following the phone call HR realized they forgot to ask a question so they called back and talked to the gentleman they had just spoken to. Problem was he had never talked to our HR at all, ever. We figured she had a friend call and give us the information so we never called her back. Problem is had she said she never got out of high school and told the truth I would have hired her. |
A resume that listed himself as an employee of the correctional facility, when he was actually an inmate |
An entry level candidate trying to pass off her sorority position as one to which she was elected by her sisters and of extreme importance with demanding requirements when, in fact, it was a "foo-foo" title given to all the sisters who did nothing but live in the house. It was done so they would have something to put on their resume. I knew this because my best college buddy's sister was part of the same sorority (with a truly responsible position). The title was Social Coordinator, which she told me was responsible for organizing all the sorority events including, among other things, charity fundraisers, and coordinating with other sororities and fraternities on campus wide Greek functions. |
I have no reason to suspect this was a lie but I once received a resume listing the following experience (slightly paraphrased): Employer: City Port-a-Potty Services Among the duties and responsibilities: Inspected and repaired defective product returned from the field. Despit pressure from colleagues, who felt this courageous candidate was obviously well prepared for customer contact and benefits work, I "passed" on this one. |
One resume for an HR Managers spot came complete with a copy of a forged diploma. The person was hired. After several months of dismal job performance another prospective employee in a different area, was interviewing and noticed the diploma on the wall. After she was hired, she asked her direct supervisor about the diploma, pointing out that the year in which the diploma was awarded was 1 year prior to the school's first classes. An investigation ensued and it was discovered that the HR manager had never attended any college, but had been working as a real estate agent and had served time for forgery and fraud and while in jail read several books on Human Resource Management. He was fired. The young lady that pointed out the error on the diploma is now second in line for the HR Manager possition. She really went to college to get her diploma while employed for the firm. |
A woman who claimed extensive computer experience came in for a practical test. She was completely flummoxed by the whole "screensaver" thing, started crying, and ran out of the office! Sadly, she was one of the more qualified applicants that time around. |
| In a resume received from a recruiter, a former employee misstated the length of time she worked for us and exaggerated job responsibilities. She also got creative with dates and resorted start and end dates for various jobs to make the one with us appear more recent than it was. Same headhunter sent us a resume on another former employee who had been a first level staff member. Resume says he was a "superviser" with us and also involved in plan design and consulting - neither of which are true. Needless to say, they will never be rehired. |
I have seen people whose stated work history, in legitimate businesses that do not employ child labor, including heavy industry, began when the candidate was elementary school age. One candidate, who was almost hired after being interviewed by top executives (including me), claimed to have gone to a certain major university and been on that school's winning Rose Bowl football team. Not true in either case. He was a good sales person, not for us, for himself. Except we did not buy the pitch. |
Former employee saying the still worked for us, but had been laid off over 1 year prior. |
I had a young man state he was a graduate of a university. When I called to verify the degree, I was told there were not enough credits for a degree. When I confronted the young man, he stated he gave me his mother's ssn and wanted to give me a different ssn for him. When I asked why he gave a wrong ssn he stated he has "a lot of numbers in his head." Needless to say, he was thanked and asked to move on. |
| Outrageous? No, but definitely creative and, honest as well. My daugher was a logistics major in college. When we worked on her resume, she showed her two summers working for a moving company (i.e., packing boxes, moving them in/out of houses, transporting to new location, and unloading) as "relocation specialist". It was an attention getter, and was discussed (and appreciated) in interview process. She is now a global planning manager for a manufacturing company. |