When Should You Lie on Your Curriculum Vitae?

Know more about lying on your Curriculum Vitae

By Selipha Kihagi

How many times have you considered telling a lie on your Curriculum Vitae? I would like to think that most of us have thought of telling that small lie at one time. Maybe you added a technical skill that a particular role was looking for, on the pretense that you would learn it but you never did. “They want someone who has mastered Excel functions; I’ll include it on the curriculum vitae then learn my way around it before the interview”. Or maybe you thought a little lie on your work experience or leadership skills wouldn’t hurt much. So you wrote that you were the chairperson or finance secretary for your school body.

Lying on your curriculum vitae may seem an innocent venture in the beginning, but it may come to ruin you one day. They say it all starts with one lie, then another to cover the first one, and by the time you are getting to management level you can’t tell the truth from the lie. And that’s when things come crumbling down on your well-made career.

Is it okay to tell a harmless lie on the Curriculum Vitae?

Candidates will query recruiters and career coaches on various matters, with some asking if it is okay to tell a harmless lie on the curriculum vitae (CV). If you have been debating whether to tell a small and harmless lie when submitting applications, let me help you with an answer. There is no such thing as a small or harmless lie on your curriculum vitae. You may get away with it and make it to the interview, may be even get hired. But once that small lie surfaces, everything you will have worked for and achieved to that point is put to question.

Remember in 2012 when Yahoo’s CEO was fired because of a discrepancy in his resume?  Scott Thompson, the then CEO of Yahoo, was let go after 4 months for stating in his resume that he had a Degree in Accounting and Computer Science while in truth his degree was in Accounting only. Now, Yahoo is a big company and getting to CEO level in such a company would be a big accomplishment for anyone. But because of that one small lie, he was out of a good job and ruined his credibility.

So, why do you want to lie on your curriculum vitae? If you asked recruiters how many times they have encountered lies on people’s CVs, the answer will shock you. Some candidates are so good at lying they make it to the interview stage, only to fall short when a background check is done. Others even get hired into positions but once they start doing the actual work and can’t deliver, the person is out of a job for good.

Why you should never lie on your Curriculum Vitae

1. Once trust is lost, it will take forever to regain
Telling a lie on your CV is not about getting to the interview stage unnoticed, but it is telling employers that you are willing to lie to get what you want. You also communicate that the position is not really as important as you getting to where you want, and that you already do not believe in who you are.

If a recruiter looks at your Curriculum vitae and uncovers that it is full of lies, you get blacklisted and no matter how much you edit your CV to the truth, it will never get past the selection process. The same applies when by chance you get past the recruitment process and your background check comes back faulty. Recruiters lose their trust in you at that very moment.

2. However small the lie is, your qualifications will not matter

You may be suitably qualified for a position, with the degree and certifications required as well as the work experience. But if a recruiter spots a lie on your CV, at that moment you lose credibility and they start questioning your other qualifications. What if the degree in fake? Have the candidate even worked for these organizations?

A lie can be spotted easily, especially with job titles, name of companies, period of work experience and even education. Always make sure that the information provided on the curriculum vitae is true and factual, even your friend acting as your former boss to provide reference can ruin your chances.

What to do when a lie seems better than the truth

Most people lie on their CVs because they are not sure of how to handle certain career issues like employment gaps, salaries, skills and even when titles change. The good news is that there are ways to add this information without ruining your chances.

And sometimes you realize leaving out certain information is much beneficial than telling a lie. Also, if you must lie on a temporary skill like Excel or Photoshop, make sure you actually make time to learn it.

Are you considering lying on your Curriculum vitae? Let us know so we can help.

cvwriting@corporatestaffing.co.ke