The Dangers Of Lying On Your CV

Your CV is a potential employer’s first view of you. This incredibly important document is either your ticket to an interview or a one-way pass to the bottom of the pile. With this much pressure it is no wonder so many people are tempted to exaggerate their qualifications and employment histories. While omission and selective wording are part of the deal when it comes to putting together a great CV, exaggeration and outright lying should be avoided for your own good. Is it really that serious? Studies show that around 50% of CVs received by employers contain lies of varying degrees of seriousness. Further studies showed that between 90 and 100% of employers would not consider hiring an individual who had been even the slightest bit dishonest on their CVs. There have been several cases around the world of people being convicted and jailed for lying on these important documents. This is because faking a qualification or inventing a position at a company is considered fraud. What is NOT acceptable? Lying about your citizenship Faking qualifications Inventing positions at companies you never worked at Lying about job titles you have held Changing dates to hide gaps between jobs What is acceptable? Showing yourself in the best light Expanding on your skills, good qualities and successes Taking credit for successful team work Using affirmative statements like ‘I am great at this’ and ‘I am very skilled in this area’ Omitting things that reflect negatively on you But what if you can get away with it? You may think that you can get away with a few lies because most employers wouldn’t have the time to double check every bit of information. However, although you might get through the first selection round on a fraudulent CV, when your potential employer starts calling up references you could find yourself in a very difficult situation. If you manage to get the job it won’t be long before it becomes clear that you do not have the skills, qualifications and experience that you said you had. If you do get away with it for a short while, you will always be looking over your shoulder and trying to cover your tracks. Holding together a lie is much harder than putting your head down and earning your job with honest, hard work. There is nothing wrong with emphasizing your good points and down playing your weaknesses and if you get the job without the help of a lie you will have a true achievement to be proud of.