Even in the rosiest of economies, it can be tough for some people to get a job.
It seems that every employer wants someone with a college degree and a few years of relevant experience. The resume is the primary tool through which an employment candidate can distinguish himself or herself from others. And if the resume does not make you look promising, you may not get that critical interview that will get your foot in the door. Hence, millions of people face the same dilemma when composing their own resumes: to embellish or not to embellish.
A recent survey by the Los Angeles Times indicated about one fifth of employment candidates in professional fields admit to fudging a few things on their resumes, by making little improvements on the truth that they didn't consider lying. Another 14 percent admitted to making outright false statements. The remaining two-thirds claimed to not have strayed from the truth at all. However, even many of these people were not always forthcoming about embarrassing facts. Omission is still viewed far more leniently in American society than misinformation.
Some people are more prone to fudging things on their resumes than others. "Men tend to exaggerate their accomplishments, and women tend to be more modest about their abilities and accomplishments," said Kim Foglia, a senior executive at the Internet firm Galt Corp. "I think that fudging is a fairly standard practice in resume building and probably underutilized by women."
Foglia initially landed her job with Galt after claiming on her resume that she knew HTML when she did not. She managed to learn the skills she claimed to have before her first day at work, and her career has been a success. Today, reflecting on where she got by misrepresenting herself on her resume, Foglia's advice to women is bold: "Sell yourself strong and occasionally exaggerate your experience. But be prepared to deliver."
Many University of Memphis graduates face the temptation to follow in Foglia's footsteps, because they lack the real-life job experience and skills that more seasoned employment applicants may possess.
Untruthful information on one's resume can often hurt chances of employment more than it can help, however.
Most companies hiring people at mid to high salary ranges will check references for proof of prior employment and college graduation. Some use third-party reference vendors to do such checks, and may not discover discrepancies in the resume until after an offer of employment has been made. In most cases, providing fictitious information on a resume or employment application is grounds for immediate dismissal.
David Miller, a student at the University of Memphis, agrees that lying on resumes is not a good long-term strategy. "The temptation to fudge on your resume is fierce, but the fear of your employer finding out can keep you from doing it," said Miller. "If they ever found out, you'd be history. Plus it would be even tougher to get a new job without lying again, since most employers will ask why you left your last one. Few people want to hire admitted resume padders."
Fellow student Stephanie Williams has a different perspective. "Many people fudge something sometime or another. When you don't, your resumes can look dull," said Williams. "Sometimes, it's just about how you make your previous experience look on paper. There's nothing wrong with expressing your qualifications in a well sounding and presentable form."
Many employment experts agree with the distinction made by Williams. It's not a good idea to beef up resumes with fictitious information. But a resume is a selling tool, and one should always focus on the positive. As Duffy Spencer, a social psychologist specializing in employment issues, put it, "Wordsmithing is just a part of impression management." And how well you play the game of impressions management will make the difference between landing that dream job and not even making the cut to the first interview.
