Consider this scenario: The director of meetings position at a large high-tech company includes managing the company’s participation in domestic and international trade shows. "Marsha" meets all of the qualifications except that she has minimal trade show experience. To be considered a viable candidate, Marsha decides to embellish her experience in this area. Unfortunately, the truth comes out during the first interview and the company disqualifies Marsha as a candidate.

Truth Hurts
This fictional story illustrates an ongoing problem. With unemployment reaching close to 10 percent, a large percentage of job seekers believe they need to massage the truth on their resume to gain a competitive edge.

According to ADP Screening and Selection Services, a background screening company based in Fort Collins, Colo., this is a significant issue. In 2008, it found that 54 percent of candidates submitted false information on their resumes.

Some areas where people tend to fabricate information on their resumes include the following:

• Education and certifications
• Work experience
• Length of employment
• Exaggerated job titles

Education/Certifications
The stories about individuals who show degrees and certifications they never received, or of having received from non-existent institutions, are endless. Even if an employer doesn’t initially verify your education, it can come back to haunt you.

Consider this as an example: Your current employer is acquired by another company and it requires all employees to reapply for a position. The new company indeed verifies degrees and will fire anyone who lies on their resume.

If you don’t have a degree, then focus on your experience. Show a prospective employer how it will benefit from your accomplishments and achievements. Identify your strengths and your areas of expertise. If a company or organization has to choose between an individual whose experience matches with what the position requires, or someone who has a higher degree but lesser experience, the majority of the time experience carries more weight.

Work Experience
As the example highlighted earlier, it’s not worth stating false information about your qualifications because the truth will come out in the end; either it happens during the interview, or even worse, once you’re on the job.

Recently, while working on updating someone’s resume, I asked for more details about some of the client’s accomplishments and achievements. It turned out that the individual had inflated information about her level of involvement with generating sponsorship revenue, as well as the size and number of programs she had managed. Even if a company didn’t dismiss this individual for providing false information on her resume, it creates a climate of
distrust. How could a manager be certain that this person is telling the truth about any of her work experience?

Length of Employment
Another area that people frequently massage is dates of employment. The most common reasons candidates alter dates is to a.) cover up long gaps between jobs; b.) avoid showing that they’ve been a job hopper; or c.) to eliminate discussing a short-lived job experience.

Even if you leave a job after a few months, be sure to note it. There may be skills you acquired or enhanced
in that position you’ll want to refer to in the future and you won’t be able to because you selectively eliminated the position on your resume. Identify short-term contract assignments by stating that in parentheses alongside the job title. Be as transparent as possible about your work experience.

The other thing to keep in mind is that while resumes are not legal documents, job applications are; any false information stated on this form is cause for immediate rejection as a candidate.

Exaggerated Job Titles
Many employers verify past employment to make certain that people held the position they’ve stated on their resume. Your references or the human resources department at a former job will quickly point out any errors or inconsistencies, so instead of changing the job title, focus on the responsibilities that match with the available position. Make certain that the first few bullets under each job emphasize experience that’s most relevant to the posted position.

Massaging the truth on your resume can affect your career for years to come. How do you explain to the next employer that you lost a job because you lied on your resume? Unless you’re comfortable building lies upon lies, it’s best to tell the truth about your qualifications and experience. In the end, you’ll be viewed as someone who’s credible and maintains high standards. What employer wouldn’t value having someone like that on their team?