So, there’s no reason to spin, lie or misrepresent facts on your resume.
Life’s too short.
Lying On Your Resume: 3 HR People Who Did It, Got Caught & How To Avoid Their Fate
by Alan Collins
Clearly, most HR pros see lots of resumes and are more familiar than most with the hiring process.
So one might think they would be the least likely to lie on their resumes.
However, that may not be so.
Based on discussions I’ve had with hiring authorities in a variety of organizations, HR folks are no different than those in any other profession.
They spin, misrepresent facts and lie on their resumes too.
I’m not surprised.
Personally, in my career, I’ve encountered an uncomfortable number of HR folks who fibbed on their resumes. However, three specific individuals stand out in my mind because: (a) they got caught and (b) I was personally involved as part of the decision made by the recruiting committee.
Here are those cases (with the names disguised to protect the guilty):
Case #1: “John.”
We hired John as an HR Director. However, he covered up his previous job as an HR Director at a well-known software company by not including it on his resume.
He simply extended the employment dates for one of his other jobs and was counting on the difference not being discovered.
However, when we did a post-hire reference check and the dates didn’t match up, John confessed that he was fired after six months from the job he hid.
And we fired him too, for lying.
Case #2: “Kristen.”
Kristen was a leading candidate for a Senior Manager’s role in our Compensation & Benefits group. However, she stretched reality a bit too far on her resume. On it, she claimed to have led a major company-wide redesign of the executive bonus program, which was experience crucial for our job.
However, we found out that she was, in fact, merely doing ancillary research supporting the executive comp redesign team…wasn’t even a member of that team…and was certainly NOT the leader of the project.
Candidly, this type of fabrication is tough to discover.
And this came to light only when a member of our own interview team told us he knew the real project leader — and it wasn’t Kristen!
When we checked things out and confirmed that Kristen had indeed misrepresented her experience, we decided to move on to other candidates.
Case 3: “Carmen.”
Carmen submitted her resume for a position in Talent Acquisition. She had tremendous experience working for a variety of staffing agencies and was a pro at using social media to source candidates.
She also claimed to have received her B.S. degree from University of Miami. However, when the university couldn’t validate her as a graduate…and she couldn’t produce any evidence supporting her degree completion…we quickly rescinded our offer.
In this latter case, I’ve never quite understood why people will fabricate having a degree. It’s so easy to verify this information. Even if you’re seeking an HR role in a tiny organization with a limited budget, it’s inexpensive to have your educational credentials checked. There are lots of online clearinghouses that will perform background checks at a very low cost.
Bottom line, it’s dumb to lie on your resume because it can come back to haunt you.
But you know that already. However…
What do you do when the damage is already done
and you’ve already misrepresented your credentials?
Sure you could do nothing and hope you don’t get caught.
However, the risk comes when you fill out that job application. By signing it, you certify that everything you’ve provided on it is true, and if it isn’t, you can get fired at any point in the future — even years later — if your new employer finds out.
Instead, I’d recommend taking some very obvious steps if you want to avoid the fate of “John,” “Kristen” and “Carmen”:
#1: Fix your resume.
Bite the bullet. Do the right thing. In your current resume, if you’ve fudged dates or misrepresented accomplishments, make corrections now!
If you have gaps in your employment, be prepared to explain those gaps and sell yourself strongly in your cover letter.
If you’re concerned about your credentials, work harder at explaining and positioning your real accomplishments in a more compelling and persuasive way.
This may mean dropping jobs off your resume that aren’t relevant to the position you’re seeking.
This may mean even listing “years” (2012-2014) instead of “months/years” (January 2012 – April 2014) for the jobs on your resume. However, this tactic is not a substitute for the truth. Many savvy interviewers will ask you about exact dates especially as you get deeper in the interview process. And, under no circumstances should you hide or fail to disclose this information.
Doing all of these things will allow you to sleep better at night and not have to scramble after the fact to make up stories to cover yourself.
#2: Fess up.
If you’ve already been contacted but not interviewed yet, tell the recruiter that you’ve noticed some errors on your resume and provide them with a revised copy.
However, if you’ve gone through an exploratory or an initial round of interviews, it’s time to fess up to the hiring manager, recognizing that it will probably knock you out of consideration.
By doing this, you can take comfort in the fact that you won’t be hired based on a lie and you can avoid having to look over your shoulder constantly hoping no one finds out.
#3: Withdraw your application.
The safest option is to simply withdraw your resume or job application. You don’t have to give a reason why. You can simply thank the employer for the invitation and say you’re not interested in the position at this point in time. In this case, you’ve obviously lost your chance of getting the job. But this is the easiest option if you don’t want to explain or to have to deal with the consequences of lying.
Bottom line, here’s the deal: You should NEVER lie on your resume. Don’t lie about skills you don’t have, Don’t lie about positions you didn’t hold. Don’t make stuff up that you didn’t do to make your resume look good.
It’s fine to highlight your best accomplishments, selectively use only those jobs most relevant to the position and sell yourself compellingly. Your resume is not an autobiography, but a summary of why you’re the best candidate for the HR position you’re seeking.
It’s not worth the pain and the agony.
It’s not worth living in constant fear of someone discovering your secret.
And it’s not worth the hit to your reputation.
But you know that already. Right?
‘Nuff said.
What do you think? I expect a lot of discussion around this post. I’d love to hear your thoughts — other ways you’ve found helpful in dealing with this situation? Add your comments below by clicking HERE.
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This article is just a brief excerpt from my book: HR RESUME SECRETS: How to Create An Irresistible Human Resources Resume That Will Open Doors, Wow Hiring Managers & Get You Interviews!
You can get MORE FREE EXCERPTS from the book by CLICKING HERE.
About the Author: Alan Collins is Founder of Success in HR, Inc. and the author of a variety of best selling HR books including HR RESUME SECRETS. He was formerly Vice President – Human Resources at PepsiCo where he led HR initiatives for their Quaker Oats, Gatorade and Tropicana businesses.
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So what about removing a job from your resume that was short term and the gaps wouldn’t be much of a concern? I have a job that frankly did not do anything to help my career. It’s not even worth mentioning or the space on my already lengthy resume. I didn’t fudge any other dates, I just simply left this one off. A no, no?
Melissa E,
If a job is not relevant, it’s a different story. That’s no problem, leave it off the resume. Just don’t fudge dates and be prepared to truthfully explain the gap, if asked.
Alan
What about weird or non-traditional titles? Is it acceptable to change the title to a more well-recognized title (but a truly equivalent and appropriate one)? Personally, I have always included my actual titles, but then included an equivalent in brackets “(XYZ Equivalent)”.
What about leaving some of your education off your resume? For example, I am beginning to think that my masters degree in law is hindering rather than helping my HR career. One person even suggested I remove my law degree because people might think I’m a lawyer and would therefore be looking for too much money (or would see me as a threat, or too focused on compliance, etc.).
Brian,
I agree with both of your points.
Using the “XYZ title Equivalent” is not hiding anything, you’re revealing your actual title AND you’re merely helping the hiring authorities better put your weird/non-traditional title in context.
On your degree, I personally think your masters in law is a big selling point for many HR positions, but would have no problem if you marketed yourself w/o it — especially if it had little relevance for the position. Why clutter up your resume with stuff that’s not relevant to what you want. Not everything you’ve accomplished, regardless of how significant it is, is appropriate to include on your resume.
Alan
On the job application, do you have to put every job you’ve had if not relevant to the position? Or leave it off if you don’t want it highlighted?
Sage:
Just make sure the jobs & dates listed on the application are accurate and consistent with those on your resume and you should be fine. If there are gaps, be prepared to explain them.
Alan
Thank you for sharing, Alan.
Sage – If I may, I would suggest that this would depend upon the application. Our app specifically asks for ALL positions in the last X years AND at least your last 3 employers (so if you were at company A for 10 years, and worked elsewhere prior, those prior 2 will also get listed.)
Excellent point, Ann!! Thanks for the insight and the additional caveat.
Alan
Great article, Alan. In my experience as HR director, I’ve found that the single most thing that applicants lie about is salary. However, I’ve had experiences with applicants lying about being terminated from jobs, excluding jobs due to poor performance, lying about education, and using references from friends who posed as their supervisors. I am somewhat surprised, though, that this is a problem among HR professionals. Personally, I would be terrified of being caught in lie. Growing up, I remember being punished twice for lying, and both times my dad said, “I’m not ‘whupping’ you for what you did. I’m ‘whupping’ you because you lied about what you did. Another thing my dad used to say was: “It’s not a good idea to lie, because then you have to always remember the lie you told.” In order to be a good liar, you must have an excellent memory and a lousy conscience to go with it.
Gloria, thanks for sharing your experience and adding to the dialog – much appreciated.
And, what wonderful and sage advice from your dad!
Alan
Great article! Clearly, this demonstrates the need for thorough reference checks and maybe even checking off the record.
Am glad to be a part of this site.
The discussions are of great value not only to Hr persons but to all who seek placement.
Thank you for sharing.
A nice and a great article.
I have worked as a recruiter for almost 3 year for an overseas manpower firm and have came across n no. of candidate fabricating their resume to get the job.
This is great information to remember and to share with others. Thanks for the great information Alan!
Melissa and Alan,
My opinion is that any experience is relevant to the job being applied in a certain way.
The job that you think isn’t relevant may have added advantage towards hiring in the sense that it could have added value towards you approach to human relations. I advise you include all your experience aquired over years.
Hi Allen,
My schedule is so busy and I don’t have time to prepare my resume, whom would you recommend that I contact?
My position is HR Manager, but function as a Senior Generalist. Your assistance in the matter would be greatly appreciated!
Marylou Martinez-Morgan
martinez.marylou@gmail.com
Marylou, I’d recommend checking out Lisa Rangel. You can contact her at: lisa.rangel@chameleonresumes.com. Google her name and Chameleon Resumes for more details. Best, Alan.