Lying on your CV

fryup

Have you done it??

Given yourself a higher grade in an exam, lied about previous jobs and positions you held, lied about certain skills you have, put down mates as referees etc etc

so did you do it and more importantly have you ever been caught out ..if so what were the consequences??

davet82

fryup wrote: »

Have you done it??

so did you do it and more importantly have you ever been caught out ..if so what were the consequences??

Yup i got caught alright, when i couldnt start the aeroplane i knew the gig was up

Kiith

I swear, I did invent the lighbulb.

Shenshen

fryup wrote: »

Have you done it??

Given yourself a higher grade in an exam, lied about previous jobs and positions you held, lied about certain skills you have, put down mates as referees etc etc

so did you do it and more importantly have you ever been caught out ..if so what were the consequences??

I wouldn't call it lying as such... but I have polished the truth up a good bit on occasion.
I never claimed to have worked in a position I haven't, and I never lied about exam grades, but I have over-stated previous responsibilities, for example.

The result? I got the job. Still got it 4 years on.:D

Feisar

I never needed to.

My experience and network contacts have got me all the jobs I've had.

jester77

It doesn't take long in an interview to figure out if something is BS and at that stage the rest of the CV holds no merit.

steve9859

I have embellished very heavily in the past, but when I decided to move to London, and started applying for jobs, I was advised to not lie at all, and be pretty truthful about extra curricular stuff, as everything is checked. I wouldnt have done anyway, as my experience now speaks for itself.

But the fact is that the advice was spot on. I couldn't believe the hard evidence that I had to supply to prove exam grades, extra curricular achievements, a reference for every job on my CV. Even had to prove that I was unemployed and looking for work during a gap in the CV by submitting job-hunting emails and screenshots from job search websites with application confirmations. OK, it was a big London company withj a well resourced HR team, but haveing spoken to some recruitement firms, it appears that it is now commonplace

Plus of course internet searches that I have no doubt that the employer did. Long story short - you cant lie any more and get away with it - at least not in London. A bit of embellishment (eg. You had direct reports of 8 when it was actually only 4) would go unnoticed. But saying that you had direct reports when you didnt have any would get found out.

Never have embellished, i have enough stuff on there

Sleepy

I've never actually needed to... I've a decent degree & post-grad, good skills and experience and that's generally done me fine when I'm job-hunting.

mikemac1

It's how lots of barmen, me anyway got their first job

Of course I've experience, here ring my reference

Which is a friend in London on a mobile phone

I Heart Internet

Never lie on your cv. It'll put you on the defensive at any interview. Do embellish and expand upon your experience though. Best advice I've got (from an employer) is that you should always blush when you read your own cv - but don't tell lies.

ejmaztec

davet82 wrote: »

Yup i got caught alright, when i couldnt start the aeroplane i knew the gig was up

I got caught out when I was asked to perform an appendectomy, and looked a right tit when I sawed off the top of a patient's skull to scoop the brain out.

I tried to make a run for it, and they then realised that I couldn't possibly have won a gold medal in the the 10,000 metre race at the 2008 Olympics.

Fuckin embarrassing it was.

Micky Dolenz

Yeah, I'm not really a gynaecologist.

Sucka's.

John Doe1

I put down pierluigi collina as a referee, it was technically correct










this may not be true

Sleepy

mikemac1 wrote: »

It's how lots of barmen, me anyway got their first job

Of course I've experience, here ring my reference

Which is a friend in London on a mobile phone

Oh, hands up, I did that back in the day. "Yeah, I've worked in the college bar, course I know how to pull a pint".

I had worked in the college bar, that much was true but it was as floor staff and the only pints I ever pulled there were my own at the end of a shift.

fryup

seemingly it happens in the best of places :pac:

Mike 1972

Youd be a bit of an idiot to lie about exam results but not as big as an idiot as the employer who doesnt insist on seeing your certs (Ive always been amazed at how few actually do).

Its people lying on CV's that are responsible for this damnable trend towards employers only accepting application forms. One can be sued if they are caught out lying on an appliction form but not on a CV.

Hasmunch

Domo230 wrote: »

Im working on a dumbed down CV at the moment as I believe many of the places I am applying for view me as overqualified.

Now where's my box of crayons.

Make sure to colour outside the lines, that'll get you the job!!

Hasmunch

Domo230 wrote: »

You'd think so but many employers are looking for people who can think outside the lines.

Employees are allowed to think for themselves... never heard (or thought as a matter of fact) of that before.

quietriot

I've no outright lies on my CV and think it's pretty pathetic when people make up complete lies to put on it. It just stinks of insecurity and a bad personal image. You have to make the most of what you have and can do so with a well laid out and well written document.

If you find yourself making up stuff for your CV, you should be asking yourself what you can do to enrich your life/gain experiences to talk/brag about, rather than asking how you can fool others into taking on what you clearly to believe yourself to be a sub-par employee.

Mike 1972

Mike 1972 wrote: »

Youd be a bit of an idiot to lie about exam results.

If one is going to lie on their CV then its better to lie about your level of experience since its what employers are looking for anyway. If one or more of your former employers (actual or completly fictitious) are no longer in business its a good place to exxagurate/completly fabricate stuff that is very difficult for a prospective employer to verify (unless there is someone else who worked there that they know particularly well) plus theres going to be less awkward questions about your reason for leaving since it will be reasonably assumed that you were made redudant or saw the writing on the wall. Dont have ALL of your previous experience in failed companies though or your prospective employer might start to see the common factor in this litanny of disaster.

Dont completly overdo it though or you run the danger of winding up in a job which you are completly incapable of achieving even a barely passable level of performance leading to weeks/months of hell followed by humiliation and ultimately the need to update your CV with even more porkies.

And dont bother with the aul shyte about leading your school/college debating team everyone puts that on their CV and every employer knows its complete ballix.

old_aussie

My entire CV is a lie, but I got the job.

cosanostra

Yeah got the job but was found out when i couldn't take a pulse http://www.irishhealth.com/article.html?id=19508

JuliusCaesar

fryup wrote: »

seemingly it happens in the best of places :pac:

And in the highest of places....

but how hard the fall!

mikemac1

So anyway, was Bertie realy a chartered accountant?

Mickey H

mikemac1 wrote: »

So anyway, was Bertie realy a chartered accountant?

He was in his ar5e.

Kevin Duffy

mikemac1 wrote: »

So anyway, was Bertie realy a chartered accountant?

More of a Creative Accountant.

Da Shins Kelly

No, I haven't lied, just embellished. I know a few people who have outright lied on theirs and gotten away with it.

Jim_Kiy

I have lied a few times during interview concerning a stint with a company would didnt care for my bohemin attitudes..I was sacked after an email sting uncovered 'pornographic' material(jokes) in my inbox.The fact that these emails where in everyone inboxes was not deemed too important.Anyway my line is 'it was unchallenging' and luckly enough I got a job start after so there is no gap.
I mean what the alternative tell the truth and never work again?
:pac:

Eve_Dublin

Back in Ireland, I upgraded all my LC results to honours level (more for myself though...and now I've kind of convinced myself I did better than I did!) and my year in South America was changed to a full year of volunteering (I did 4 months though, so I could provide referees and stuff). And I stick on a few hobbies I gave up years ago.

When I moved here, I had to prove I had some teaching experience so I put town China. Turns out the chick who intervied me had taught in the same city I put down. I looked like a right muggins and she knew right well, so just told her, "Listen, that's rubbish, I didn't teach in China. I'll see you later" and got up and left.

Don't think I'll ever be applying for any kind of fancy-pants job in my lifetime, so no real need to lie too much.

stovelid

Don't need to now.

The trick is just to foreground and embellish certain things to match requirements but not to actually lie.

Lanaier

steve9859 wrote: »

I couldn't believe the hard evidence that I had to supply to prove exam grades, extra curricular achievements, a reference for every job on my CV. Even had to prove that I was unemployed and looking for work during a gap in the CV by submitting job-hunting emails and screenshots from job search websites with application confirmations. OK, it was a big London company withj a well resourced HR team, but haveing spoken to some recruitement firms, it appears that it is now commonplace
....

Seems a bit extreme tbh.

Never lied on a CV, sounds like more hassle than it's worth.
As for using friends as a reference.... I happen to now be really good mates with some people I worked for in the past, they really were my bosses so what can you do? :pac:

In fact when I look at my last three job references they are all people I still meet for pints.
Guess it pays to get on well with the boss

bleg

Nah I'm deadly so I don't need to lie.

Mike 1972

Lanaier wrote: »

Never lied on a CV, sounds like more hassle than it's worth.

Unless youve just recently emerged from prison or career to date has been a litanny of disaster on the scale of Frank Spencer it most certainely is.

On the other hand there is a fine line between telling actual lies and subtle exxaguration or omitting/brushing over unfavorable/embarrasing details whiich just about everyone does.

When you send out a CV you are selling yourself and advertising your services and when did you ever hear an advertiser or a salesperson tell the full truth ?

Employers and (especially) agencies know (and expect) this (especially if one is going for a career in sales/advertising) and are effectively doing the same themselves when theyre telling you what a fantastic opportunity they are offering you to work for their wonderful company.

Just a little bull$hit makes the world go 'round !

Larianne

Yep, when I was 18/19 after my first job in Dunnes stores. I said I was awarded Employee of the Month when I applied for a promotions job. The HR lady rang up asking about me. They couldn't remember me, nevermind any ficitious award recieved. HR lady did get a date out of it with HR man though. :pac:

Have never lied since though.

manual_man

fryup wrote: »

Have you done it??

Given yourself a higher grade in an exam, lied about previous jobs and positions you held, lied about certain skills you have, put down mates as referees etc etc

so did you do it and more importantly have you ever been caught out ..if so what were the consequences??

I think most people lie. But in most cases not to the degree you said. For example my mate went through a rough time there recently after graduating 18 months without a job. he put on his cv he spent a year of that travelling even though he didn't, he was worried potential employers might see him as "unemployable" with an 18 month gap on his cv, so i can see why he did it

Mike 1972

I hope none of the posts admitting to blatent fibs are being made from work :pac:

Larianne wrote: »

HR lady did get a date out of it with HR man though. :pac:

One might be very suprised at the degree to which HR people in particular areas of the country and/or industry sectors know each other anyway.

I got my first serious job at a company Id hitherto never even heard of by applying for a job someplace else and the HR guy there passing my details on (Nowadays this would have some folks screaming about data protection but back in the day there was less of an issue made of such things and having landed a job which was largely a piece of p1$$ and was paying me considerably more than I deserved at the time I was hardly going to be the one to).

It was explained to me on the interview how this state of affairs had worked to my advantage. It was also made subtlelly (but not too subtlelly) clear to me on the first day how this could also work to my disadvantage should things not work out.

Batsy

A few days ago it was revealed that 70% of Irish workers have lied on their CV.

I daren't lie on my CV. It's against the law to do that in Britain. A couple of years ago a young woman was jailed for lying in her CV. The maximum penalty for lying on your CV is ten years in prison.

Dudess

Batsy wrote: »

A few days ago it was revealed that 70% of Irish workers have lied on their CV.

I daren't lie on my CV. It's against the law to do that in Britain. A couple of years ago a young woman was jailed for lying in her CV.

Lol, sure she was...

By whom was this thing revealed a few days ago?

tempura

steve9859 wrote: »

I have embellished very heavily in the past, but when I decided to move to London, and started applying for jobs, I was advised to not lie at all, and be pretty truthful about extra curricular stuff, as everything is checked. I wouldnt have done anyway, as my experience now speaks for itself.

But the fact is that the advice was spot on. I couldn't believe the hard evidence that I had to supply to prove exam grades, extra curricular achievements, a reference for every job on my CV. Even had to prove that I was unemployed and looking for work during a gap in the CV by submitting job-hunting emails and screenshots from job search websites with application confirmations. OK, it was a big London company withj a well resourced HR team, but haveing spoken to some recruitement firms, it appears that it is now commonplace

Plus of course internet searches that I have no doubt that the employer did. Long story short - you cant lie any more and get away with it - at least not in London. A bit of embellishment (eg. You had direct reports of 8 when it was actually only 4) would go unnoticed. But saying that you had direct reports when you didnt have any would get found out.

Christ, who was the interview with MI5 ?

Batsy

Dudess wrote: »

Lol, sure she was...

It's against the law to lie on CVs in Britain. You can be jailed for up to ten years for doing so.

By whom was this thing revealed a few days ago?

77% of jobseekers lie on CV, survey finds
Read more: http://www.examiner.ie/ireland/77-of-jobseekers-lie-on-cv-survey-finds-181206.html#ixzz1klXxZ9Ib

Almost 70pc of Irish workers lie on their C.V. http://www.joe.ie/news-politics/current-affairs/almost-70pc-of-irish-workers-lie-on-their-cv-0019901-1

Survey shows 68% of workers lie on CV

http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/business/survey-shows-68-of-workers-lie-on-cv-536966.html#ixzz1klYEkc57

Nearly 70% lied on their CV, says survey http://www.newstalk.ie/2012/recommended/nearly-70-lied-on-their-cv-says-survey/

Almost 70pc have lied on their CVs http://www.businessworld.ie/livenews.htm?a=2900142;s=rollingnews.htm

68% of Irish workers have lied in their CV http://insideireland.ie/2012/01/23/68-of-irish-workers-have-lied-in-their-cv-50684/

Abi

Nope, I've never lied on my CV. I've never put any of my school results in it, because nobody actually gives a fcuk. They're more interested in your training and work experience. I've never walked out of an interview and didn't get the job.


A friend of mine a few years back was having trouble getting work, his ex boss was an absolute bastard to him, so he left. Even when he left his boss was still being a cnut to him, and any time he received a call from a company looking to employ my friend, he was giving bad references to them.

So I told my friend to give me his CV, I re-jigged it a bit to target the kind of work he was looking for, and as his last employer I put my mobile number in.

Within days I got a call from a prospective employer, and I basically told the truth about my friend, he never missed a days work unless he was really ill, and was competent in his work. He got the job and finally shook off his prick boss. Illegal, yes. But my friend was so depressed over not working, I had to do something. He's still in the job and happy, and thats over ten years ago

Mike 1972

Unless one is just out of school/college (and doesnt have much in the way of work experience) It is pointless going into too much detail about ones exam results. And if one is qualified to say degree level or above nobody gives a monkeys how one did in their Junior cert/GCSE's back in the day. Lying about ones exam results is pretty stupid though since its so easy to get caught out although its amazing how lax many employers still are when it comes to actually checking.

Batsy wrote: »

I daren't lie on my CV. It's against the law to do that in Britain. A couple of years ago a young woman was jailed for lying in her CV. The maximum penalty for lying on your CV is ten years in prison.

Are you sure about this ?

I was told its a civil rather than a criminal offence and that it only applied in respect of application forms (which unlike CV's are usually signed by the applicant) which is why many employers only accept application forms now (pain in the @r$€; that they are).

Id imagine one could be only actually jailed for forged/altered paperwork (exam certs or documents proving eligibility to work in the UK) and anything else would just be a matter for a lawsuit ?

Abi wrote: »

A friend of mine a few years back was having trouble getting work, his ex boss was an absolute bastard to him, so he left. Even when he left his boss was still being a cnut to him, and any time he received a call from a company looking to employ my friend, he was giving bad references to them.

Under some circumstances (if she was able to prove it) she could have had a case for defamation against her.

Employers have been sued for giving both bad and good references which is why many employers wont give them now other than to confirm that the employee worked for them between specified dates. Many employees dont bother checking references either (although some sectors -particularly the civil service still insist on doing so) because they know theyre a load of crap and that people are going to be very selective about who they choose to name as references.

Lanaier

Abi wrote: »

Nope, I've never lied on my CV. I've never put any of my school results in it,

Same, never been asked either.

Was a massive waste of time school was (for me).

holystungun9

Lying on your CV results in a crumpled up piece of paper. Your prospective boss will not look kindly on your crappy presentation.


















Apologies for the lame joke.

Abi

Mike 1972 wrote: »

Employers have been sued for giving both bad and good references which is why many employers wont give them now other than to confirm that the employee worked for them between specified dates. Many employees dont bother checking references either (although some sectors -particularly the civil service still insist on doing so) because they know theyre a load of crap and that people are going to be very selective about who they choose to name as references.

Oh yeah, I know it's something you could sue for. But his boss was kind of doing it indirectly from what I gather. This is during a time when jobs were two-a-penny, interviews were going very well and they more or less were giving him the work until they made their reference calls. Then the John dear letters came out. My friend knew what was going on and he didn't know how to get out of it, so I edited out his bosses name and put in a fake name. I told my friend to contact his 'ex boss' by mobile rather than landline because 'she' was often out on call outs. Worked a treat

Lanaier wrote: »

Same, never been asked either.

Was a massive waste of time school was (for me).

Most of the subjects were of little use to me when I left school. It was the training I did after that was of benefit, that's what got me my first job.

stovelid

Nobody should even mention school results on a CV unless you've just left.

Two pages is all I ever use: third-level and professional qualifications, summary of employment and me skillz.

Sorted.

Batsy

Mike 1972 wrote: »

Are you sure about this ?

I was told its a civil rather than a criminal offence and that it only applied in respect of application forms (which unlike CV's are usually signed by the applicant) which is why many employers only accept application forms now (pain in the @r$€; that they are).

Id imagine one could be only actually jailed for forged/altered paperwork (exam certs or documents proving eligibility to work in the UK) and anything else would hjust be a matter for a lawsuit ?

It is illegal to lie on your CV in the UK. You can be jailed for up to ten years for doing so.

In March 2010, Rhiannon Mackay was jailed for six months for lying on her CV.

To get the job of capital projects administrator with Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, she falsely claimed to have two A levels and also forged a letter of recommendation. She used the same false CV to apply for 11 other jobs. It was only when her performance was deemed to be below par that managers at the Trust looked closer at her background and she was ultimately convicted using the Fraud Act 2006, making her the first woman to go to jail for CV falsification.

http://careers.guardian.co.uk/careers-blog/no-need-to-lie-on-your-cv-steve-szita

Dudess

Brevity is key. No need for hobbies either unless you're e.g. a coach, volunteer etc.
And I wouldn't put third level results on it unless it was required. Degree/diploma/whatever should suffice.

Abi

stovelid wrote: »

Nobody should even mention school results on a CV unless you've just left.

Two pages is all I ever use: third-level and professional qualifications, summary of employment and me skillz.

Sorted.

Same. When I did my course in management this subject came up, and it circled badly presented CV's. The rule of thumb is, don't go over 2 pages unless you can't avoid it. Employers don't want to be looking through pages and pages of shyte, just get the important stuff in. Your CV shouldn't be a one-size-fits-all effort either, it needs to be designed and certain training / work experience needs special emphasis or further information added, depending on the type of work you're applying for.

Abi

Dudess wrote: »

Brevity is key. No need for hobbies either unless you're e.g. a coach, volunteer etc.
And I wouldn't put third level results on it unless it was required. Degree/diploma/whatever should suffice.

Exactly. The only time you should mention interests or hobbies is when you've just left school, as a CV filler. Nobody actually gives a shyte whether you like knitting, long walks, or all that other bollix.

Stick to whats valuable to the job you're applying for.