There have been various studies on resume fraud that indicate that around 80% of resumes have false information on them. This week it has been revealed that the former Head of Immigration in NZ claimed a PhD from the London School of Economics and the State Services Commission has made the decision to the refer the situation to the police.
There are unfortunately a number of executives that have been caught out both in NZ and internationally that have held very senior positions.
Just like any other type of fraud, why would you do it? I guess there is the fear of not getting a position that provokes employees to ‘embellish’ their CV. I understand people highlighting strengths and ensuring that their CV paints them in the best light, but quality reference checking and background checks will catch an individual out sooner or later.
The Rock radio station ran a poll today on ‘do you think it is okay to lie on your resume?’ and at one point when I was listening over 80% of listeners thought that it was. They also had some interesting callers and text messages come through by people who were free to admit on national radio situations where they had ‘fudged’ their CV:
• One caller had changed his role title from Mail Room Clerk to Distribution Manager and then as he had owned a couple of properties put himself as a Director of the last company he worked for. Ironically I am not sure that in this case he was doing himself any favours as he was applying for a truck driver position!
• One prospective candidate had put his own cellphone number down as a referee and I assume under a false name regarding a previous job. Upon leaving the interview the candidate received a phone call from the potential new employer and the candidate started giving himself a glowing reference, the only problem was the candidate was being watched out the window of the office by his potential new manager.
• Another caller showed that he had a good sense of humour by stating on his CV that he has a PHDL – ‘Probably Has Difficulty Learning’
• One caller talked in some detail about how she lied about her salary in getting her current role.
I have heard of a number of occasions where people have said they were on a higher salary to ensure they get an increase in their next role. This again is dangerous, for instance as part of our reference checking process at LINK we check on a candidates previous salary to ensure consistency.
If the employer, is an employer of choice they should pay you what you are worth and you should be able to also gain benchmarks from the recruitment firm as well as looking at salary surveys to realise what is a fair and equitable salary. Starting negotiations with a lie is likely to end in not gaining the role at all and is not a good way to begin any relationship.
My recommendation; highlight your strengths on a CV and ensure that a potential employer can see that you are an ideal candidate for the role – but don’t lie. It will catch up with you sooner or later.
