Will a Job Know If You Lie on Your Resume?

 

How likely is it that you can get away with lying on your resume?

Most people have heard that it's ok to lie on your resume. In fact, some people--even job coaches and resume writers-- will say you'd be stupid to not lie on your resume.

But will you get caught? Well, that depends.

What sort of lie are you telling? The type of lie that you include is a big factor in if you'll get caught.

Are you lying about how long you worked somewhere?

This one is an easy lie to catch. The reason it's so easy to catch is that people can simply check with your former employer. It's called an employment verification. Most companies don't even need to confirm it themselves, they simply use an outside service called the WorkNumber. 

It's risky to lie about how long you worked because it's an easy thing for the company that is considering hiring you to check on.

Lies About What Work You Did?

This one is easier. A HR department can't really check on what you did. So, unless you are going to be tested--or if they are going to try and call and do a reference check (which is hard to do in most states due to personal privacy laws) then you're clear.

This is where most people lie on their resume--in fact, it would be uncommon and out of the ordinary to find a resume where this was not a section where people embellish things.

Lies About Where You Worked?

This one is easy to catch. If you didn't work at a company, be careful to list working there. It's very easy to call the work number or check with HR. Most people who have to lie on their resume are people who have bad work histories because they either were fired, or quit--at least that's why most people think.

Lying About How Long You Worked Somewhere?

This one is a bit more tricky.  If the company that you are applying for does a background check, or any sort of employment verification then they can find out if you are lying about how long you worked somewhere. 

But in some cases it doesn't matter. If the dates are off slightly, then it might slide through. But if the dates are really fake--such as in a case where you worked there for 1 month but are claiming to have worked there for several years, then it's going to catch up with you.