Never lie on your resume: 5 repercussions of lying in your CV

When it comes to hunting for jobs, the first thing that strikes our mind is drafting an outstanding resume. This document is responsible for delivering a positive first impression about you to prospective employers. So, it’s extremely important to project the most authentic version of yourself on your resume. So fabricating and lying in the hopes of impressing recruiters can get you in trouble .

According to experts, most employers spend less than five minutes reviewing a resume. However, their expertise gives them the capability to quickly catch a lie or two within those few minutes. Sometimes the lies get caught during in-person interviews. And not to forget, almost every company conducts a background check on each candidate before hiring them. So, it doesn't matter how big or small the lie is, it won’t go unnoticed by the scrutinising eyes of the recruiters.

What does the data say?

First Advantage Corporation, a leading global provider of HR technology solutions for screening, verification and safety, reveals major discrepancy trends in its India Employment Screening Trends Report for the third quarter of 2022. Based on the background screening performed in the Indian market, the report highlighted that in the manufacturing sector, the discrepancy percentage increased from 7.5% in Q2-22 to 9.5% in Q3-22. In addition, out of every 100 individuals who got verified in the BFSI sector, 15 had some discrepancies.

According to the report, many sectors are ready to embrace advanced modes of verification to hire talented and skilled candidates with legitimate credentials, and to alleviate workplace risks. Clearly, companies, whether large corporations or startups, are investing their money in technologies that can make the employee screening process easier and more effective.

What are the repercussions of lying on your resume?
Slightly altering the figures of your last paycheck or exaggerating a skill that you barely possess cannot be a cause of worry, right? If that’s what you think, think again.

Lying on your resume can lead to dire consequences. Depending on the severity of the lie, it can tarnish your reputation, get you terminated, and even land you in legal trouble.

To bring some more clarity on why lying on your resume is not a good idea, here are some repercussions that you must understand:

1) Impact your reputation – Imagine you studied French as an additional subject for two semesters in college. However, your resume claims you are proficient in French. While you may think that an exaggeration like this will not harm your interview for a writing job, it can go beyond that and impact your reputation as well. So, choose your words wisely.

2) Loss of opportunity – Let’s look at another possible case. What if during the interview you did not share the fact that you joined some university but never completed the degree? You could lose an opportunity to land an offer because of this, even if you did well in the interview. On the other hand, an honest explanation of why the degree was not completed could have worked in your favour.

3) One lie leads to another, there is no end to it – Let’s say you decide to lie about a specific skill on your resume just to clear the interview. You get selected and join the company. Now, you have to repeat the same lie every single day to keep your job. This becomes a vicious cycle. The constant pressure to keep a certain image can impact you. Ultimately, the company might start questioning your skills and qualifications, and in some cases, even terminate the contract.

4) Criminal charges and loss of legal rights – Although it rarely happens, some employers do file for criminal charges for really serious fabrications. In short, sometimes, lying on a resume can be considered an actionable offence.

5) Licence cancellation – For those who belong to the medical or law industry, a single lie about your skills can cost you your licence to practise or work. And in an industry like this, where your licence certifies your credibility, your career can get impacted because of that one lie.

Lying on your resume doesn’t mean simply getting disqualified from an interview. It can affect you in more ways than one – loss of opportunity, reputation damage, licence cancellation, mental stress and more. It is better to embrace honesty because that’s going to support your career in the long run.