Why do people lie on their CVs? Is it to embellish their skills, educational qualifications or work experience, or do they have another motive?
Scott Thompson, the chief executive of Yahoo, was recently sacked after it turned out he had lied about his qualifications on his CV. He claimed to have graduated in accountancy and computer science and yet the college he attended did not offer the computer science degree at the time he was there.
A recent survey of 700 managers in the UK discovered that around one in three had at some point lied or exaggerated on their CV, but only 2% were found out.
40% of managers said they have spotted an applicant lying at interview stage, according to Elas, the law firm that conducted the survey.
Peter Mooney, the head of employment law at Elas, said that liars might feel comforted in the knowledge that they are not alone, but lying could backfire spectacularly. It’s now much easier to check up on somebody’s past simply by searching the Internet.
He went on to say that its pointless lying when you apply for a job, especially if you have the skills the prospective employer is looking for.
A lot of people believe they need to exaggerate their qualifications and yet a lot of employers are more interested in hiring somebody who has hands-on experience in a role. Qualifications are all well and good for giving you the theory you need, but you have to be able to put it into practice as well.
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Image: Warning by mikecogh
