Outlook Unlimited - Recruitment for Solihull, Birmingham, West Midlands, Warwickshire

As the UK economy slides closer to recession and the job market tightens, the inclination might be to inflate your credentials and your work experience in order to impress potential employers. If you’re feeling the pressure to pump up your profile, you’re not alone. Research shows when times get tough jobseekers are more inclined to exaggerate—or even outright lie.

The top seven CV lies:

1. Job title (rank)
2. Dates of employment
3. Inflated salary
4. Criminal records
5. Education (e.g., bogus degrees or degrees from diploma mills)
6. Professional license
7. “Ghost” company (self-owned business)

Exactly how do jobseekers enhance their experience? Consider job titles as an example. There’s a tendency toward ‘self-promotion.’ In this case, self-promotion isn’t about marketing yourself, which is generally viewed as positive. Instead, self-promotion means something altogether different, as in bestowing bigger and better—and unearned—job titles.

What’s the reasoning behind Job Title Lies?
Jobseekers typically inflate job titles in order to apply for more senior positions, with the thought that those positions offer more prestige and higher salaries. Employers equate job titles with experience, skills, and, in some instances, credentials.

Education is another area where people frequently lie. Jobseekers may claim to have gone to a uni they never attended. In other instances, they are self-graduators; that is, they attended uni but never completed the degree requirements and nevertheless claim they have a degree.

Why do Job Seekers do this?
Presumably the intent is to set themselves apart from other applicants. In addition, many jobseekers are able to rationalize the behaviour. In the case of a degree, for example, they tell themselves they plan to go back to university and graduate. Nevertheless, good intentions are not accomplishments. CV falsifications are dishonest and grounds for disqualification.

The Fear Factor
Lying on your CV or job application carries risk. The most obvious one is that the lie will be uncovered and the jobseeker won’t be hired; or, if already hired, the employee will be dismissed.
But there’s another potential pitfall to being dishonest. Falsifying education, experience or skills means the person might not have what it takes to do the job

A Different Approach
Instead of falsifying credentials; jobseekers should try to stand out in other ways to separate themselves from the competition or simply, rather than lie about your experience and credentials, why not go after a job for which you’re actually qualified? What’s more, why not follow your passion? If this means working your way up while finishing your education, so be it. Showing pursuit of education on a CV can be very attractive to a potential employer, and the hiring organisation may even cover the cost of your education.

Keeping It Honest
Jobseekers now have online identities, thanks to business and social networking sites like LinkedIn, MySpace, and Facebook. Although some of these sites are designed to connect with friends, it is advisable jobseekers examine what they’re saying about themselves. “Up to two-thirds of hiring managers have googled applicants, and they’re looking at MySpace pages,” he says.

Your reputation is yours to control and that Job opportunity you seek? It’s yours to win or lose!