As one of the leading recruiting agencies in Houston, Murray Resources knows most people are tempted to stretch the truth on their resume at one time or another. In fact, estimates report that over half of all resumes contain some fibs. However, if you lie on your resume and get caught, two scenarios could play out:

1) If the untruth is uncovered during hiring, you will be quickly dismissed from the hiring process, which would be truly unfortunate if you were a great fit for the job.

2) If you’re hired and then the lie is discovered, you could get fired. You also might forfeit certain legal rights because you lied during the application process.

Either way, it’s not a pretty picture. So it’s best to avoid lying altogether. But what are some areas that candidates commonly exaggerate, invent, and flat out lie about altogether on their resumes? Here’s a look:

1. Employment dates.

If you were at a company for 11.5 months and say you worked there for a year, that’s close enough. However, if you worked somewhere for six months, don’t try to stretch your employment dates to make it look longer…or worse, lie about gaps in employment. It’s easy enough for hiring managers to verify this information.

2. Job titles.

Job titles are one of the most common areas candidates lie about. They might exaggerate their title by adding a “senior” in front of it, or invent a position they never held. In any case, most hiring managers will verify your work history before they offer you the job. So your lie will likely be uncovered.

3. Education.

If you don’t have the educational requirements to get the job, don’t lie about it on your resume. All it takes is one quick phone call or email to your “alma mater” for a hiring manager to verify your educational background.

4. References.

Reference checking is one of the last steps in the hiring process. So if you’ve made it to this point, don’t sabotage all your efforts by providing the potential employer with fake references (for instance, by coaching family and friends to lie on your behalf).

5. Skill level.

When you lie about your skill level on your resume, you could really be setting yourself up for failure. Should you get hired, you may not have the knowledge and experience to actually perform on the job.

Hiring managers typically don’t expect perfection. What they do expect, though, is for candidates to be honest about their background and experience. If you’re not, and you do get hired, you’ll constantly be looking over your shoulder. It’s just not worth it.

Are you trying to create a clear, compelling, and accurate resume, but need some help? Call the employment experts at Murray Resources. As one of the leading recruiting agencies in Houston, we can assist you with the entire job search process – from crafting a strong resume to preparing for interviews – all so you can find opportunities that are a great fit for your skills and background.

Ready to get started? Contact us today.