Employees’ CV Lies: A Disaster or a Pathway to Success? 

While many job seekers believe in portraying an authentic picture of themselves on their resumes, some often go on a lying spree. A survey conducted by StaffCircle asked 1.500 employees a series of questions to determine just how far employees will ‌fake it until they make it. 

32% of employees lied during the recruitment process and out of those that did lie 93% claimed not to have been caught by the recruiters. At the time the survey was conducted, 40% of employees who lied to get a role still held that position. 

Lying when you don’t have the relevant credentials and experience can be an easy way to get a job; however, it can cause you long-term trouble, such as reputational damage and eventually losing the job. So, let’s find out how recruiters detect your lies and what can be the consequences of lying on your resume.  

Gaining Confirmation about Previous Education 

Lying about your school and your previous workplace can be a risky thing to do, as it is an easy lie to detect by recruiters.

For example, if you claim on your resume that you have studied at Harvard or any other top-tier school, the recruiter will simply make a call or drop an email to the school in question to gain confirmation of your education details. 

The same goes for your previous workplaces, which is why it is always recommended to provide verifiable information regarding your qualification and experience, whether it is regarding the place, the duration, or the grades.

Observing Your Skills

Everyone wants to hire individuals who can showcase excellent skills and meet the organisation’s objectives and targets. Therefore, if you mention skills on your resume and your recruiter hires you for those, you will, ‌in your job, be required to display those skills.

For example, suppose you say you excel in some technical skills. In that case, your employer may expect you to perform accordingly, and failing to do this may cause the recruiter to deem that person as incompetent.

38% of the survey respondents lied about their skills. This goes to show that for the job they want, people are still willing to do anything they can to get it.

The effects of not telling the truth during the recruitment process 

Although lying can seem like the easiest way or the last resort to get your favourite job, it can damage your reputation and put your current and future jobs at risk . 14 employees from the StaffCircle survey revealed ‌they faced legal action because of lying. 

With 58% of survey respondents declaring that they saw no benefit from lying during the recruitment process, it does the beg the question ‌why people should even bother doing so. 

Conclusion 

The survey highlights that regardless of the risks and heavy consequences, some people are adamant about lying on their resumes, and 63% still claim they will be tempted to lie in the future. This is despite the fact that 68% of those people who lied stated ‌they found their interview process to be ‌“quite thorough” or “very thorough”. 

Therefore, it is crucial that recruiters  carry out thorough background checks and have methods and procedures in place to hire experienced, talented, and honest people that will aid in the continuing growth of their company.

Job seekers should also understand that lying is not the best way to get a job and should work on improving their skills and becoming capable candidates for a recruiter.