Building a CV that stands out from the rest is essential if you want to be noticed. However, lying about your skills and experience is not the answer. Even so, there are certain areas where candidates seem more likely to be dishonest.
A CV is the first gateway to the job market, so it is important for it to stand out from the rest. However, lying about your professional or academic background should never be an option.
According to a report entitled Monster Future of Work: 2021 Outlook Survey, 66% of employers agree that candidates exaggerate the information they include in their CVs about their skills and abilities. However, some specific areas seem to stand out when it comes to this issue.
According to a 2020 study by ResumeLab, which surveyed more than 1,000 Americans, these were the most common lies found in candidates’ CVs:
- Professional experience
- Skills
- Responsibilities
- Dates
- Salaries
The same study also showed that 93% of respondents said they knew someone who had lied on their CV, but only 36% admitted to having done so themselves. Another interesting finding, however, is that lying appears to pay off in some cases. According to the same study, almost 80% of the individuals who admitted to lying on their CV were eventually hired without the dishonesty being detected.
One of the solutions that has been proposed is to use new technologies to support candidate assessment, with Human Resources departments being among those that should receive the most training in this area.
However, Marketividade’s main advice is that everyone should prepare their CV as honestly as possible, acknowledging both their strengths and the areas in which they can still improve.
Do not try to deceive the recruiter. Being as honest as possible is the best way to show that, even if we do not know everything, we are willing and eager to learn.
