Vienna
Should You Lie on Your Resume?
by Mary A. Schumacher
Should you lie on your resume? Many people do and bear no consequences. But be aware - recruiters are taking notice of some highly visible and embarrassing background check failures.
One incident involved Albert Dunlap, who was removed from his CEO and chairman positions at Sunbeam Corp. in 1998. The company recently discovered that the executive search firm hired to fill the position failed to uncover that Mr. Dunlap had been fired from two senior positions in the 1970s, information that could have been a factor in the decision whether to hire Mr. Dunlap at all.
Lies and More Lies
A survey by executive search firm Christian & Timbers revealed that Mr. Dunlap is not alone is misrepresenting his past. The firm examined 7,000 resumes and found that 23 percent were not accurate.
Their findings revealed that 60 percent overstated the size of an employer and 52 percent claimed they had a full degree when they had not finished all coursework. Others exaggerated their compensation or their positions, or they omitted jobs entirely.
But not just senior executives lie. About one in four candidates overall provide inaccurate information on their resumes, mirroring the results of the Christian & Timbers survey. Most of these people were not caught. Why?
Time and money are the main reasons recruiters, both outsourced and internal, don't conduct proper background checks. When labor markets are tight and filling jobs is difficult, employers make offers before doing a check. Even if time pressure isn't a factor, verifying employment and education history can be burdensome for an employer.
Times Are Changing
Slipping through a lie or two may become more difficult. Particularly after the September 11 terrorist attacks, U.S. employers are conducting more criminal checks than before, according to the Society of Human Resource Management. The need for employers to provide a safe workplace is helping to drive this increase.
Of course, now that the embarrassing consequences of not doing a background check are becoming at least in some instances highly visible, recruiters also want to prevent such situations. Employment experts are urging employers to be more thorough before making an offer.
Finally, don't rely on assuming former employers will only provide your dates of employment and title anymore. Once afraid of being sued by a former employee unhappy over a bad reference, employers now can be afraid of being sued by an employer who wasn't warned about a bad employee.
Therefore, think twice before misrepresenting yourself on your resume. It's better to emphasize your real strengths than present a fantasy.