I came across this story this morning while doing some research on resume fraud. I found this interesting because it featured a few more famous resume imposter’s, ones I have not listed in the past. I often find it mundane to keep using the same examples over and over. According to Forbes, there are nine ways an applicant will “fib” on his or her resume:
- Lying about getting a degree
- Exaggerating numbers
- Increasing previous salary
- Playing with dates
- Inflating titles
- Lying about technical abilities
- Claiming language Fluency
- Providing a fake address
- Padding grade point averages
There are a few more examples other than George O’Leary, Marilee Jones and David Edmonson. Now I have more names to keep future posts more interesting!
Dear Jason,
The Forbes story is correct in pointing out the various areas of fibdom (made up word) in jobseekers’ resumes. As a Certified Resume Writer, I ethically prepare accurate and truthful resumes for my clients.
But let’s face it… Companies sometimes fib & more often stretch the truth, whether it be to attract talent or investment. They lie about the “opportunity” that a position offers, they exaggerate their numbers, they inflate their importance, they sometimes provide fake addresses, and they definitely pad their accomplishments.
I bring this up, not to excuse or condone jobseekers who are patently deceitful, but to illustrate that the dance of the job search is more governed by marketing than by strict adherence to the letter of the “truth.”
Somehow, while jobseekers are routinely admonished to strictly report their histories, warts and all, a simple review of recent business news will show that companies are apparently free to openly exaggerate, obscure, and sometimes flout the truth when they place job ads, market to consumers, and seek investment.
Great point. I actually thought about that before I posted a story later in the day about resume fraud http://blog.employeescreen.com/2008/05/12/chicago-tribune-article-on-fudging-your-resume/. The problem is that the employer holds all the cards when deciding whom to hire, therefore they set the rules of the game. My mom might also point out that “two wrongs, don’t make a right”. I guess the consumer of an organization’s business would be the gamekeeper on keeping the company “honest”, not potential employees.
What you are saying is job-seekers can’t use on their resumes the job description that first attracted them to their current and past jobs without lying.
[...] lot of the stories you read about individuals applying for jobs talks about dishonesty on the resume or attempting to cheat a drug test. It is very rare to see a story about an applicant’s honesty [...]