To Tell the Truth ... 

Gregg is getting tired. He started his job search with a bang, but as he continues, he is losing energy. He reads the classified ads and visits the online career sites religiously, but the jobs he's most interested in typically require experience and education that just didn't match his levels. Or he hasn't done the specific task they are requesting yet he is certain that could master that skill in no time at all. What should he do? Is a little embellishment on his resume or job application okay? How about omissions? Exaggeration? Stretch the truth? Enhancement? Outright lies?

Because of the ramifications of negligent hiring relative to potential litigation, employers have become much more cautious about in their hiring procedures. Companies often employ outside investigation firms to conduct background and reference checks on applicants and new hires. And pre-employment testing is much more commonplace now. Several rounds of interviews are often conducted as a method of exposing potential problems before hiring occurs.

The answer to "what is ethical?" or, more particularly, "what can I get away with?" is complex and changing. I have clients who feel guilty if they omit even a part-time evening/weekend job at Baskin-Robbins. I have other clients who think of a resume as a novel, they are the lead character, who represents the person they wish they were. These people would like to fabricate degrees, pick their own titles and make up entire job descriptions - essentially change their "name, rank and serial number."

Overall, it seems that job-seekers, recruiters and hiring personnel alike believe some level of exaggeration occurs more often than not and that this is the perceived ticket to getting an interview. There is nothing wrong with trying to present yourself in your best light, but there is a fine line between selling yourself and lying.

Recruiters have seen it all. People tend to think that there is no problem with adding fictional responsibilities or titles to a position with a company that no longer exists. How can anyone find out what I did there if they are no longer in business? Well, the lies tend to snowball and one lie undoubtedly leads to another. Consider this: It is a small world. Suddenly someone else is being considered who actually worked for the same out-of-business company that you did. Or worse yet, they are already on staff. And so it goes. If you were hired and then fired on account of this indiscretion, how will you handle this on your next resume. And so forth.

Typical lies include inflated or made up titles, inaccurate dates to cover up employment gaps or job hopping, inflated degrees, salaries, accomplishments, and roles. In other words, lies creep into every major heading on the resume.

Certainly there are problems with lying on a resume. Aside from the moral problems, if that lie is discovered, in all probability an immediate firing will follow. If you lie on your resume, how well can you perform on the job if you are constantly worried that someone will discover the truth? Do you really want a job that you are not qualified for and that will most likely expose you after a period of time on the job?

And remember these two old adages: 1) If you always tell the truth, you don't have to have such a great memory, and 2) What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.