One of the most unfortunate, yet prevalent behaviors among job seekers is for them to lie or exaggerate their qualifications for a position on their resume. In an article appearing on the HR Dive website, author Riia O’Donnell writes that recruiters and HR professionals know that the problem of resume misinformation plagues a staggering number of resumes that cross their desk.
There are lots of surveys out on the web that give statistics about how many resumes are less than honest about the personal or professional qualifications of the applicant. In a survey conducted by Hire Right, it cited as many as 85% of employers who were surveyed uncovered some untruth on job applicant’s resumes. That is a figure that is up from previous years.
The reasons that applicants lie on resumes can vary. Some tailor their resume for each job that they apply for and will fudge on the amount of time that they were with a specific employer. Others will give themselves more experience or expertise than they really have.
Some HR industry professionals believe that bots that are programmed to screen applicants may be at least partially to blame for this uptick in exaggeration on resumes. These bots are programmed to check for sets of requirements and eliminate any that don’t meet the requirements specified in the job description. Today there are scores of articles and instructional videos available on the web that instruct job seekers how to beat resume screening software by the use of keyword emphasis.
Nearly all of these, however, don’t tell applicants to exaggerate or lie on their resume but rather apply for jobs that they are qualified for. While sticking to applying for an entry-level position may pay less and be less glamorous to start with, being fired for lying on your resume or can be a whole lot worse.