Lying on a Résumé Can Ruin Your Career

People lie. Are you surprised? I bet not! In fact, behavioral experts have determined that babies begin to lie as early as 6 months old. Deception often has payoffs that lure us into lying – even at a very young age.

In one study conducted by Bella DePaulo Ph.D. and her colleagues, 147 people between the ages of 18 and 71 were asked to keep a diary of all the falsehoods they told over a one-week time period. The study revealed that people lie on average once or twice a day.

The researchers defined a lie as deliberately misleading or creating a false impression. It is tempting to lie on a résumé because your financial livelihood, as well as your professional growth, can be at stake.  While it may seem like a good idea at time, this can be detrimental to your career. 

Here are just a few documented career lies. Many others abound!

• RadioShack’s former Chief Executive David Edmondson lied about his academic record.
• Mike Freeman formerly at CBS Sportsline lied about graduating from the University of Delaware.
• Michael Brown, who worked at FEMA during Hurricane Katrina, said he was named “Outstanding Political Science Professor” at Central State University - yet he was never even a professor at the school at all.

One of the most common résumé lies is regarding education. It is a crime to falsely indicate that you graduated from a university if a degree has not been formally conferred. There are some ‘résumé mills’ that will sell you a bogus degree too; and in many states these are outlawed as well.  Yet, time and time again, people foolishly commit fraud in a misguided effort to bolster their credentials.

I have always believed that this is disrespectful to the many people who have successfully graduated from accredited universities. Stating you have a degree when you don’t goes beyond simply being inappropriate. Aside from the moral and legal repercussions, lying about your education can get you in some serious hot water. 

You can destroy years of hard work and professional dedication by being dishonest about your academic history. Why take the chance? Wouldn’t it make more sense to take a few courses and complete your education than to climb the corporate ladder based on a falsehood that could come back to bite you?

Another common lie on résumés is to falsify the dates of employment. While it is not necessary to state the specific months you worked at a company, if you are asked to complete an application, you must reveal the exact time period you worked there. If there is a background check, the last thing you want to do is get caught in a falsehood.  There may be a gap that you wish to downplay; this is not, I repeat NOT, a license to blatantly lie about your work history.

Our career coaches often help candidates who have gaps in their résumés or incomplete educations to create honest and understandable explanations that do not negatively impact their candidacy. Very often, memorizing a brief and well worded sound bite can make the difference in the impression a candidate makes when interviewed.

Other common résumé lies include information related to titles, sales achievements, language fluency, and awards. I am always extremely careful about positioning a client accurately. Of course I strive to highlight achievements and accomplishments, but I am always mindful of the truth. Each candidate needs to stand on the merits of his own work.

Résumé fraud is a serious thing. Honesty is always the best policy. If you are honest, you will never have to remember your own lies.