“It’s never appropriate to misrepresent
yourself,” says Kevin M. Rosenberg, managing partner of executive search firm
Bridgegate in Irvine, CA. First, if you get the job, you can lose it as soon as
your lie comes to light. Second, it’s a huge risk: Rosenberg says most
companies conduct background checks, verify degree completion and confirm past
employment. Third, your reputation is on the line: “Integrity is everything to
employers, so don’t call yours into question,” says Rosenberg.
Title
People embellish job
titles to drive up compensation or seniority, but it could backfire.
Job Duration
Candidates often list only years of employment, say, 2005 to 2007, rather than
specific months, say, December 2005 to January 2007, to hide that they’ve
jumped from job to job. It’s better to address a high-turnover career head-on.
Give concrete reasons for multiple jobs in a short span. Include a
parenthetical note on your resume that you left due to corporate relocation or
company shutdown. People also cover up how long they’ve been out of work. But
there’s no need to whittle down your six-month stretch of unemployment to three
months on your resume. “Employers understand it’s a tough economy for
job-seekers.
Skills
In this competitive market, you may want to exaggerate your technical expertise
or knowledge of industry-specific software. Not a good idea, Employers expect a
candidate to be able to function as her resume. In short: Just because you’ve
dabbled in a computer program or taken an introductory class doesn’t make you
proficient in it. Even if you manage to get the job, you may falter when the
company realizes your skills aren’t as strong as you stated. Instead, she
recommends accurately describing your competency on a scale: For basic
knowledge, say “trained in” or “familiar with.” For medium experience, use
“solid understanding” or “proven.” And for expert-level knowledge, try
“demonstrated success” or “strong ability.”
Education
No one wants to be eliminated early in the process for not finishing college,
so some applicants list years spent at a college or university without
mentioning the degree. If you didn’t graduate, specify your class standing or
number of credits remaining. Always be truthful about your major. Just look at
what happened to former Yahoo! CEO Scott Thompson.
Achievements
Taking all the credit for team successes is a common resume blunder. Companies
want to know how you’ll integrate with the workforce. “They look for people who
can lead and inspire as part of a team.” Convey your ability to collaborate on
your resume by replacing “I” with “we” where appropriate.
Residence
Hiring managers prefer local candidates, so why not use a friend or family
member’s address if you don’t live in the city where you want to work? You may
have a problem once you receive that coveted call. But if you’re legitimately
staying with a friend for a couple of weeks and can make yourself available for
interviews, it’s okay to use that address on your resume.
Age
some candidates leave off ten years of experience to avoid seeming too old,
while others may change degree dates because they’re afraid of being too young.
“Just be who you are, hope you’re dealing with an open-minded company and walk
in there with your best foot forward.”
