I Asked a Hiring Manager at a Fortune 500: What's the Biggest Lie on Resumes That Gets Caught?
Little lies can often make their way onto resumes, but they can have consequences if caught. Even small exaggerations can raise red flags with hiring managers.
Curtis Serna, founder of Noticeable, Inc., has hired thousands of people throughout his career. “When someone gets caught, the interview ends or the offer gets pulled,” he stated. “If you stretched the truth on paper, I assume you'll do it on the job.”
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Here’s a list of the biggest lies hiring managers catch on resumes.
Lying About Education or Job Titles
Some applicants exaggerate their qualifications, such as claiming degrees they never earned or inflating previous job titles, to appear more qualified than they actually are.
Brian Daniel, founder of The Celebrity PA Network, recalled a candidate who claimed to have a master’s degree. When he asked her for proof, she gave him an email address for what looked to be a university registrar’s office.
“When I typed the domain name to the university in my browser, it just went to a blank page that said, ‘Under Maintenance,’ Daniel wrote in an email.
He then discovered through a domain ownership search that the candidate had purchased the website’s domain name herself.
Jon Hill, chairman and CEO of The Energists, an executive search and recruiting firm, added that inflated job titles are typically among the most common resume lies he encounters.
Exaggerating Job Responsibilities
Candidates may also stretch the truth about past responsibilities to make themselves look more experienced. They may have claimed to have managed a team or led a major project.
Hill also has experience with a candidate applying for a senior project management position who claimed to have led the commissioning of a major industrial facility. However, when asked to explain specific decisions involving contractors and the transition to operations, he couldn’t provide details.
“Once I started digging deeper, it became clear that, though he had contributed to that project, he had significantly misrepresented his level of responsibility and authority,” Hill explained.
Hiding Jobs That Didn’t Work Out
Not every job works out, and many applicants will leave this off their resumes. It’s not dishonest, but deliberately changing employment history to hide this can raise concerns.
Matt Collingwood, managing director of VIQU IT Recruitment, recalled a candidate who removed their most recent employer from their resume after taking a position they couldn’t handle. They applied for a similar role with one of Collingwood’s clients and changed the dates of another job.
“A role not working out can be explained. Deliberately changing employment dates to hide it undermines trust,” Collingwood wrote in an email.
His team typically compares resumes with LinkedIn profiles and job announcements to find discrepancies.
Taking Credit for Someone Else’s Work
Another common resume lie is claiming credit for accomplishments that may have been the result of a team effort.
Hill commented that he and his team sometimes see candidates presenting team accomplishments as personal achievements. However, it can be a “difficult lie to discover since the candidate often can speak confidently about the project and its challenges since they did work on it in some capacity,” Hill added.
Inflating Personal Achievements
Some applicants will inflate their accomplishments by claiming results they can’t back up. Serna noted that he frequently comes across candidates who exaggerate their impact.
“Someone says they increased revenue or cut costs but can't explain how it was measured or what their actual role was in the outcome,” Serna commented. “I ask for the metric, the timeframe and what part they owned.”
If they hesitate or change the story, then that tells him what he needs to know.
This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.
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