Like it or not, writing a carefully-constructed resume or curriculum vitae (as resumes are known in scientific circles) is a vital part of any successful job search.
Inexperienced job seekers tend to hastily craft resumes without paying much attention to format, style or content and then wonder why they can’t land job interviews.
The best way to approach resume writing is to think of a resume as a work of art–something that requires a lot of thought, creativity and attention to detail. As one well-known professional recruiter and job search expert put it Trying to find a job without a smart, well-crafted resume is like showing up for dinner at a fancy restaurant in a T-shirt and cutoffs. They won’t let you in.
A survey by Morgan & Banks that found that an alarming 17 percent of male and 7 percent of female respondents admitted to lying outright on their curriculum vitae to secure a position, with those earning $50,000-$100,000 most likely to commit what the Americans call resume fraud.
ADP Screening and Selection Services, a unit of the Roseland, N.J.-based ADP payroll and benefits managing company, says that in performing 2.6 million background checks in 2001, it found that 44 percent of applicants lied about their work histories, 41 percent lied about their education, and 23 percent falsified credentials or licenses
Recently, a survey conducted by Forensic Psychology found that 31 percent of people lie on their resume. Research culled by Jobacle suggests that the number may be as high as 43 percent.
Start slideshow to view the most popular lies exposed in resume by Forensic Psychology:
Many job seekers think this is an easy lie to pull off. But more and more employers are requesting to see previous W2 statements as a contingency of employment, so lying about salary can get dicey very quickly."The lawyers I talked to weren’t aware of any federal laws that specifically stated that lying about your salary when applying for a private-sector job is illegal. They also generally said the issue would probably come under state law jurisdiction but they weren’t aware of any state laws making it a crime either," a New York Times reporter stated in a blogpost.Specifically, according to Della Barnett, a plaintiffs’ employment attorney in California, "Affirmative misrepresentation of a material fact can be construed as fraud" and your potential future employer could sue you for it."The lawyers said it’s often perfectly legal and somewhat common, depending on the state, for employers to double-check facts like compensation with former employers, especially if you signed a form allowing this. So if your potential employer finds out you lied, you’re probably not going to be hired and you may even be fired down the road for it," the blogpost stated.Forensic PsychologySome job seekers "obtain" a degree through a diploma mill, while others just fabricate a degree and hope no one will check its authenticity. There are many stories of people who lied on a resume by falsifying information about their education and got caught. Most employers routinely check education credentials.A credential is an attestation of qualification, competence, or authority issued to an individual by a third party with a relevant or de facto authority or assumed competence to do so. Examples of credentials include academic diplomas, academic degrees, certifications, security clearances, identification documents, badges, passwords, user names, keys, powers of attorney, and so on.Accredibase second annual report into diploma and accreditation mills activity has revealed an astounding 48 percent increase worldwide in the number of known diploma and accreditation mills in the last year. As the Internet is the primary home for these bogus education and accreditation providers, little action is taken to stop them from helping unscrupulous candidates deceive unsuspecting employers.Diploma mills are largely online entities whose degrees are worthless due to a lack of valid accreditation and recognition. The wide reach and anonymity of the Internet offers these operations the perfect market to exploit, which is alarming not just for prospective employers but for society as a whole."The most effective way to combat credential fraud is to share information on diploma mills through international cooperation and raise awareness of the problem. This year’s Accredibase report examines the current status of the diploma mill situation and considers what can be done to protect the public and businesses. Information resources like Accredibase make it easier for regulators, law enforcement agencies and the private sector to access information on bogus institutions and aid in the detection of diploma mills," said Eyal Ben Cohen, Managing Director of Verifile Limited.VerifileIt can be tempting to embellish results on a resume. Writing that you cut operational costs by 50 percent or saved the organization millions of dollars is only appropriate when you have the facts to back your claims up. Some hiring managers will challenge the statistics you mention on your resume, so be prepared to back up any statements with proof of performance.Forensic PsychologySome job seekers stretch the truth and claim they played a larger role on a project than they actually did or that they held responsibilities that in fact were the responsibilities of their superior.The holes in this fib may quickly be revealed when a prospective hiring manager chats with your supervisor as part of the reference checking process and realizes that you and your past supervisor viewed your role differently.Forensic Psychology"If you took a one-day PowerPoint class in 1999 and never developed a PowerPoint presentation in any of your jobs, can you list it as a job skill? Not really, but a lot of people do just that. Claiming you have a skill that you don't will be easily spotted once you are on the job and lack of a critical skill could lead to dismissal, so resist the urge to claim you have skills that you do not," the survey stated.Have you ever lied on a resume?
The bottom line is that most people who lie on their resumes eventually get caught. Lying on a resume is a lousy career management strategy. Stick with the facts and strive to present those facts in the best possible light without embellishing the truth. In the long run, you will secure a position that you are better suited for and more likely to succeed in.Forensic Psychology
