People are getting more desperate to find jobs. So desperate, they’re making false claims on their resumes.
Prospective employees always try to make themselves look good on their resume so they stand apart from everyone else. But a weak economy and labor market make people even more likely to lie to get a seat in the interview chair. A recent survey showed that as many as 43% of candidates exaggerate or flat out lie on their resume.
The most common lies are:
- embellishing responsibilities
- adding skill sets
- adjusting dates of employment
- claiming an incorrect academic degree
- adding or deleting companies worked for, and
- changing or inflating previous job titles.
If you’re in these industries keep an extremely careful eye out for fraudulent resumes, they’re even more common:
- 60% of resumes in the hospitability industry contain untruths
- 59% of resumes submitted to the transportation and utility companies contain lies
- 57% of applicants to the IT industry lie on resumes, and
- 45% of resumes submitted to the federal government lie.
With the recent influx of college graduates into an already overflowing job market, things will probably get worse.
Background checks can help weed out many of the resume liars and help avoid wasting your valuable time and money on unqualified hires.
