Why They Lie: 4 Reasons Why Job Seekers Are Driven To Being Less Than Truthful On Their Resumes

Nancy Anderson
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It can be frustrating to find the perfect job posting, only to discover that you do not have the required qualifications. As a result, some job seekers resort to lying, embellishing their skills and experience, and stretching the truth about their certifications or educations. This leads many hiring managers to question what is driving job seekers to resort to lying. Find out why the temptation turns into dishonest practices.

1. Desperation

A job seeker who is facing financial troubles due to unemployment and a pile of bills may believe that lying on a resume is a way to financial freedom. The desperation often leads professionals to damage their professional image by trying to outsmart potential employers in order to obtain a regular pay check again. Although this practice often backfires and can lead to termination if the truth is uncovered, the initial desperation is often the justification for an applicant who chooses to violate trust.

2. Delusions

It is not always the case that professionals are intentionally trying to be malicious or deceptive by lying on their resume or application materials. Career Coach Ford Myers asserts that some people truly believe that their experience is more than it actually is. In a Fast Company article, Myers said that it is common for people to spin their experience in the best light, but some job seekers cross the line and tell outright lies.

3. Jealousy

Envy may be one of the motivating factors for job seekers to embellish the truth. A candidate who has been unemployed or miserable in a low-level position may feel inferior to his successful colleagues. As a result, this jealousy leads job seekers to lie and cheat to climb up the ranks by any means possible, including lying on their resumes. Motivation gained from envy is often harmless, but when it leads candidates to misrepresent themselves and the truth, it can backfire and cause much more damage to their professional images.

4. Immorality

The sad truth is that some people do not feel guilt or remorse when they lie or cheat. This character flaw leads professionals to misrepresent their experience, skills and proficiencies without feeling as if they will get caught. A state of immorality may also lead job seekers to continue lying until they obtain what they want. Hiring managers should be leery of candidates who seem too good to be true and feel justified in lying. These individuals can eventually harm the reputation of the company they represent.

Although truth and honesty are expected during the hiring process, the sad reality is that many professionals do stretch the truth. It is helpful to uncover the reasons why, but to also commit time and energy to investigating the validity of each applicant's resume.

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  • Feifei W.
    Feifei W. •

    According to a survey, 83% of job candidates have lied at least once in life. Are they punishable by the death sentence or the life sentence? No. If we don’t wish to put over 60 billion people to death, we need to re-examine our system to see what is generating the systematic problem. The slow economy is blocking your way and my way to learn and grow. So good people are directed to the gray area to make their resumes look appealing. And everyone I know is doing it. For example， I run a family business，so I decide what I do at work。 Naturally what I do includes what I‘m learning to do instead of what is required by the family business。This is a gray area，but it’s not a lie。 Most people polish their resumes the way I do. This is not a matter of honesty but a matter of resource scarcity. All animals instinctively fight for resources. It’s not up to us to impede natural instincts. It’s up to us to build a strong economy to sustain people in their path to learn and grow.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    @Duncan even if the reasons behind the lie are valid ones, a lie is still a lie. That's why I think that candidates should have to undergo at least a cursory practical exam prior to being hired. The lies will surely come out then. Certainly @Katharine we want to paint ourselves as the best person for the job but honestly - it never pays to lie regardless of the reason.

  • Katharine M.
    Katharine M. •

    It can be difficult to draw the line between placing yourself in the strongest possible light and actually telling a lie. You want to come off as confident, competent, willing to try new things, etc. but have to fight the temptation to actually claim experience you don't have. I always remind myself that when I start the job, I don't want to be placed in the position of doing something I'm not familiar with, but claimed I could do.

  • Duncan Maranga
    Duncan Maranga •

    The idea of people utterly lying or stretching the truth during interviews is devoid of the professional seriousness, especially when the lies go unnoticed during the interview and the person finally gets the job. However, some end up satisfying their employers by learning quickly and catching up with their duties. Shouldn't this be a pointer that the lies don't really matter and that what actually matters is the performance of this new employee?

  • Jay Bowyer
    Jay Bowyer •

    It may occasionally be tempting to tell fibs on our resumes — especially if we're experiencing particularly hard times and are desperate to get jobs — but we're more than likely to get caught, and when we do, the consequences can be seriously unpleasant. It might not be illegal to lie, but it's certainly very misleading — and it can stain a person's reputation for a long time.

  • Jacqueline Parks
    Jacqueline Parks •

    I'm with Rickey D. I have also heard too many times that I am overqualified. I am usually an older candidate, and I feel that employers often don't want an older, over-qualified new hire. Although I don't recommend lying, I feel that it is important that the applicant target the resume to the specific employer, thinking about what they want to hear, and then adding explanations as necessary at the interview. I use to be more naive about this, but now I think it essential.

  • Abbey Boyd
    Abbey Boyd •

    I find it hard to believe that people exaggerate their skills and/or lie about their qualifications unknowingly as the article suggests. I think most people know their skills and limitations, and purposefully embellish these skills while ignoring the limitations. I don't think it's accidental or unintentional at all. There is a big difference between being creative and flat out lying.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    Thanks @Mike - couldn't have said it better. @Jacob you might be amazed at the tales that I see on resumes that are posted. People look at a job posting and then just take what's on it and throw it on a resume whether they have the talents, skills, and experience needed or not. Sure the lie will come out eventually but they may be just enough of a story teller to weave the lies in with the truth to make them look so much better than they are. Remember that an interview is your chance to "sell" yourself and this is just what some folks do - arm themselves with a chestful of lies and then try to fake their way through it once hired.

  • Mike Van de Water
    Mike Van de Water •

    Lydia you definitely want to truthfully list ALL your relevant skills and accomplishments, so I wouldn't be so careful that you tip over the other way into being modest. On my team I want people who know what they have accomplished and are confident that they can reproduce that success. Modesty is great in the workplace, but there's probably no room for it until you get the job.

  • Jacob T.
    Jacob T. •

    Shouldn't coming up a little short on a particular skill or educational requirement be an opportunity to indicate a desire to learn and grow? If a candidate has submitted an accurate resume and cover letter, why bother to lie at that initial interview - the hiring team has already decided to take a deeper look, it makes sense to allow them to see what you can do and what you want to do at that point.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    Thanks for the comments. Modesty is probably okay - to a point. But the bottom line is that you will only get one chance to sell yourself so yes, it is time to toot your own horn.

  • Ric Botelho
    Ric Botelho •

    I agree with Lydia's as I have experienced the same thing during a recent interview with a new employer. Quite simply told me that I did not sell myself for the job... So my next approach is to be a little less modest

  • Lydia K.
    Lydia K. •

    I wonder whether #2 - delusions is always a fair accusation. After all there are two sides to every story and the applicant may simply be telling his/her side. As the article states - everyone wants to portray themselves in the best light possible. Does modesty have any place on resumes and cover letters? Or would modest applicants simply lose out against applicants who toot their own horns?

  • Rickey D.
    Rickey D. •

    I've been told all too many fine I'm over qualified during infamous first interviews. The very best way I've found is to only inform possible employer's is to give little or bare minimum as to experience. Seem to have helped me,better than being told over and over the dreaded "over qualified" nonsense.

  • Laura W.
    Laura W. •

    I think there's a thin line though, between actually lying and just polishing up your skills a little. I mean, we all want to portray our best side in a resume or interview and are likely to gloss over any negative attitudes or points that we might have. At what point does it become lying?

  • Tara Avery
    Tara Avery •

    I agree with @Shannon (and @Nancy) -- trying to weed out liars based only on their resumes seems like an expensive and time-consuming task, whereas there are many questions asked by good HR people that will attempt to catch liars in their lies. It's also important not to make snap judgments, isn't it? The person whose resume looks excellent could actually be entirely truthful, and you might be losing the opportunity to hire someone perfect based on a paranoid fear of lying.

  • William Browning
    William Browning •

    I don't think that jealousy is that big of an issue for people who lie on a resume. Perhaps that should more accurately be ambition or arrogance. People who are arrogant tout themselves up as bigger than they are and then can't deliver what they promise. Lies on resumes are the same way--a candidate can't deliver what he said he could.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    @Shannon I agree with you. Personally I would prefer to interview first and then, if the person is a good fit, do the background check and credit check. These services are not cheap so I would think that a company would only want to do them on a person that is being considered as an employee. I do agree that the interview is a good way to weed out the candidates for both flaws and embellishments.

  • Shannon Philpott
    Shannon Philpott •

    This truly shows that the work of a hiring manager and HR professional involves a lot more than just scanning through resumes and cover letters. It is almost as if companies need a department to investigate the validity of applicant information. At what point is it not worth the effort? In my opinion, it may take more time to interview what appears to be honest applicants, but the interview usually reveals character flaws and embellishments.

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