Your resume matters! It’s the first piece of information a potential employer has about you, so it’s best to be honest and accurate. Unfortunately, in their eagerness to get a dream job, many applicants sometimes embellish or exaggerate their resumes—usually either in their job history or level of education.
But those discrepancies can be easily exposed, and when that happens, you risk losing any chance of being hired. Or worse, you could later be fired from the job you misrepresented yourself to get! Here are three reasons it’s important to be completely honest and accurate on your resume.
Employers perform background checks
Most employers complete thorough background checks including a sweep of your references. Whether it’s a gap in your work history or a specific project that you claim to have worked on, these facts are easy for employers to verify when they call a former supervisor. Even if it’s only a small discrepancy that’s discovered, you’ve jeopardized your credibility and reliability, and potential employers will start to wonder if there’s something larger and more serious you’ve been dishonest about.
It will be obvious when your start work
If you can’t demonstrate the abilities you claimed to have on your resume, you could be fired. Your new supervisors and co-workers will have expectations of you that you won’t be able to meet. This failure will be more obvious than if you had just asked for help in learning how to tackle a new task. Whether they uncover your lie or they’re just disappointed with your poor performance, this is not a good first impression to make.
You’re cheating yourself
It’s exhausting and stressful to maintain a lie or to “fake it” on the job! You’d rather start at a new position with a clean slate where you can focus completely on taking in your new surroundings, trying to master your new tasks and responsibilities, and getting to know your co-workers. You shouldn’t also have to worry about keeping your story straight or covering up your weaknesses!
Instead of succumbing to the urge to exaggerate on your resume, make yourself stand out by putting your strongest attributes, experiences, and skills first. Mention your non-work related experience, such as volunteering, or certifications you’ve earned. Whether an inconsistency comes out in the interview process or after you’ve started your job, you don’t want these embellishments or misrepresentations coming back to haunt you.
For more information on how to construct a quality resume and land your dream job, check out our website at https://culvercareers.com.
Ty Culver has extensive experience in the Talent Acquisition/Retention space. He has helped some of the most powerful companies in the market place enhance their employee experience and scale their teams. Ty specializes in Executive Search, Retention programs for Key People and Population Wellness. Ty has helped CulverCareers rise to the Top 1% of the industry and differentiate from the field with a holistic approach to Acquisition and Retention of People.