Have you ever lied on your resumeIn the competition to get -- or keep -- a job, the temptation to "improve" on resume reality can be overwhelming. But the career consequences can be devastating if discovered. For example, former MIT dean of admissions Marilee Jones resigned in late April after 28 years with MIT when she was caught falsifying her education. Similarly, former Radio Shack CEO David Edmondson had to resign his $1.5 million position in February due to incorrect education information on his resume. I am 61 years old. I was recently interviewed for a position in the health care industry in marketing (with a top notch facility in the industry). I was in the top 3 to be considered. I had every reason to believe that I had more than a strong chance to be hired for this position. I have never wanted a job as much as I wanted this position. It was a perfect match in every way. I decided to lie about a DWI that I received in 1992. I also left out two jobs that I had briefly over several years because they were positions to tie me over until I could find what I was looking for. After very strong encouragement and interviews, I received this comment in the letter of rejection: All of the information you provided us on your experience and background has been carefully reviewed. After careful consideration, we have concluded that the position was not the best match. Was it my lie? Maybe yes and maybe not. It is my opinion that I should have stuck with the truth. I have not lied on my resume for several reasons. First, I believe the consequences of lying are greater than those of not lying. Second, I want to be hired for what I bring to the job -- I don' t want to create unrealistic expectations that I can' t fulfill. And, lastly, I remember a co-worker who obtained the top job in an organization by lying (pretty blatantly) on his resume. He was found out a few years later and let go, and the whole thing was publicized in the local media. It' s hard for me to imagine he found a comparable job after that. I have a post to RESUME EXPERT with no reply. Where do I need to send my resume for a reply from her? I can tell you a few key issues. #1 Make sure that your resume advise will be the same as the previous 1000 resumes that have been posted. Read the comments made by the Resume Expert to the other posted resumes. Take the advice, and incorporate it into your resume. If your resume gets to the point where the Resume Expert can give you advice that will be different and beneficial to many others and be and example to others, she will comment on it. #2 Help critique other peoples resumes. It will get her attention and you will learn a lot about making mistakes on resumes (its like you are the employer). I did theses things many years ago and both of the experts commented at length on my postings probably a total of 7 times. I could post it right now and I would get a response, but they helped me to the point that my resume is excellent and when I need to change it, I know what to do. I have never really had to lie on my resume, but I am tempted to lie on an application. I have only had two on-site interviews in almost 5 years and only a handful of phone interviews. So I am desparate. Any advice from anyone would be greatly appreciated. I have a minor criminal record, but they are only minor misdemeanors. But everyone seems to be asking for "all felonies and misdemeanors except minor traffic violations". I even have a DUI that is technically a misdemeanor. I don' t think that a DUI will hurt me, but I am terrified about a Disorderly Conduct conviction. And I have a misdemeanor that I was convicted of but it was recently overturned and must be retried. This is happening currently, but won' t be resolved before the interview or their background check. It will probably be dismissed, but I will have to wait probably 30 days! How do I handle this? Is it possible legally to not answer the question but willingly sign a background check request? Is there a professional way of handling this? Is it possible to say that I am not sure of the official dispositions (which is actually true, I am attempting to find out myself)? I am sure the answer will be no, but can I just say "no" and let them discover it if they really want to? This goes back to the original question about lying on a resume. But I haven' t worked for five years and I don' t know how much worse it can get! Maybe I should just take the chance and work as long as I can before I get fired? Then at least I have more current experience. As I said, I have never had to lie on my resume because I was fortunate enough to have had some incredible opportunities that helped me gain the skills that I present and my accomplishments are actually real. I agree that you have to find a good "match" between employee, employer and the position. There is no point in having Pro/E on my resume if I only trained and dabbled with it and that was 8-9 years ago. What' s the point of going on an interview where they sit me down and have me create a 3D model using a software that is now a distant memory. I think that prospective employees need to ask real questions of the employers (not just questions that make you appear to be ambitious) so that you can realistically assess your chance of doing the job. It has been two-and-a-half years since I have had an employer who sees me for who I am and what I have to offer, and they discovered that from my resume. It was verified during the phone interview, but it could be seen on my resume. I understand how frustrating this job market can be, but I am encouraged that there is hope. I hope someone can help me with my job application problem. Thanks. I feel for you. As you can see from my posting, I am in the same predicament. I am trying to get advice beforehand. If your DUI is that old, can it be expunged? Is there anyone at those two jobs who would do you harm if they were contacted for verification? Were those jobs in your industry where they will even care why it didn't work out? For example, I don't think any engineering firm will care that I was "released" from serving in a restaurant because of "customer complaints", but if it were anything of a professionalism issue, then I think they would care. I am tempted to be "honest" by fessing up to the issues but giving information that can't be checked to minimize the reaction. I don't know, I guess you just have to try and see what happens. Hope it gives you some hope. Thank you for your reply. My attorney told me that a DUI never goes off one' s record. I was just hoping they would not bother to go back that far. I have since learned that with the new software available to businesses, it no longer takes much more than the click of a button to see at a glance whether there has ever been a problem and that I should not ever lie about it because that only makes it worse. Your situation by be different if it does not involve a criminal situation like a DUI. I am also told by a business man (friend) that they now have software to check people' s work history and is available if the employer wants to purchase it. I think the biggest lesson here is that if you get caught lying, you won' t even be given a chance to defend yourself. I hope it works out ok for you. Giving them a minimum of information is probably your safest approach. Thanks for the reply. I wonder if you know of a way to get the information that employers can get. With background checks, there are so many offers on the internet, but I don' t trust them. My brother tried a trial with Net Detective or something like that, and couldn' t even find my DUI with my name, ssn and the city in which it occurred! I would love to know of a reliable source that I can hire to check myself before I say or write and sign anything. I also have had a couple of jobs that were too short-lived to put on my resume. And I have had numerous non-industry jobs since then. I would give that information if they want it (I guess I will have to ask), but for one I quit and the other I was given the option to quit, so no real harm. This is where the "honesty" comes in. If the employer will say "he quit", then I just need a good reason. The reality is that there is always a reason why a good "match" isn' t made, I just need to identify the reason and rectify it in the future (provided it wasn' t embezzling or violence or straight-up slacking, or even having obviously overstated proficiency and abilities). So I am not really worried about those, even though there was a time that I was terrified to admit that things didn' t work out (and even suffered the greatest heartbreak of my life when Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth Texas had to rescind an offer when I brought it up after the interview). If you are 61, then we have similar desparation. I haven' t worked for almost 5 years and I don' t know how long I have before it is beyond hope. Anything I can do to get the information before the interview so I can be "honest" about it will be a great asset. If you have any suggestions, I would like to hear from you, or anyone. Again, my big concern is how to deal with the
Of course, learning from one' s mistakes and changing one' s ways is imperative, but let' s face it, "(An affirmative answer will not automatically disqualify you from being considered as a candidate for employment.)" doesn' t leave any applicant with a good feeling. I guess this is where I have to hope and trust that I can be honest enough to bring it up, but humble and remorseful enough to get through it with a job offer. There is that saying, "Be innocent as doves but as shrewd as snakes". Maybe it is like an interview question--don' t give them an explanation but focus on how it has been corrected and won' t affect the company in any way. I still don' t know, but "talking" about it helps. Thanks. | |||||||||||
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Career Tips
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