Your CV serves as a snapshot of who you are, so it must sell you while also being genuine. People who embellish the truth or lie on their CV are likely to have their lies discovered during the pre-screening procedure. Lying on your CV is recognised as a significant violation contributing to the larger crime of application fraud.
A 2022 study found that 32% of respondents admitted to lying on their CV, admitting that the competition to secure the finest jobs may have tempted them to take this step. Candidates are going over and beyond to stand out from the mass, including getting a little innovative with their academic performance and career history and fabricating the truth on their CV.
Why Do People Fabricate the Truth?
The most typical lies were about experience (53%), prior salary (26%), and skills (38%). Candidates who are most likely to lie are commonly in the age bracket of 25 to 34. The 35-44 age group is the second most likely to lie, closely followed by the 18-24 age group.
Negative Consequences of Lying
If your lie is caught, your employer will no longer trust you. Additionally, you will lose any goodwill and recommendations you may have had at that position, should you have avoided getting caught for a long time.
You might have also hurt your prospects of making future networking relationships because you never know who knows who. In the future, people could be more reluctant to contact you or help you.
Finally, people may also question your morals. Putting work aside, reputation and ethics are important. It is not worth risking your future.
How Can You Get Caught?
You could believe that no one will care to double-check the information on your CV. You might get lucky. But there are many ways that your lie could end up costing you.
If you’ve made false claims on your CV, you will need to provide further details if the lie you told on your CV is questioned during the interview. You’ll be caught soon if you can’t support your statements or if your body language evidently reveals that you’re lying.
If you’re lucky and you get the job, you may have to maintain this lie, and there’s a chance you’ll tell your coworkers or even your supervisor. The repercussions and effort required to maintain a lie increases as the lie gets deeper.
Concerningly, most people exaggerate their skill set. At first glance, this could appear harmless, but what if you are required to apply the skills you have claimed to be an expert in? Since aptitude tests are frequently used during interviews, even if you lie about your professional expertise, the test will reveal your incompetence.
Companies need to react to the threat of employees lying during the recruitment process and one of the most efficient ways is through an efficient performance management system, as this tool enables them to assess the skill levels of employees and highlight any skills gaps in the team.
You can still be exposed if you are requested to apply the talents you falsely claimed to have to execute a task, even if you are hired without taking any tests. In the worst case, acting in a way you are not properly trained could cause damage or hurt others.
Before offering you the job, many employers run a background check, making it simple to uncover any lies regarding dates, fraudulent job titles, false degrees, and exaggerated GPAs. They also verify your references. If you have exaggerated your work titles or misled your qualifications, an honest referee could reveal you.
