Look, I get it, looking for a job is hella stressful. Everything from having to update your resume to having to talk to loads of people to the waiting to the eventual desperation after the 50th application—it’s just hard to keep that up.
But that in no way means you have to start embedding your resume with lies. Or sneakily pulling off documentary espionage when some sensitive materials are left unattended in the waiting room. And then, to top it all off, telling the boss man you want the boss man’s position in the company. Granted without knowing the interviewer is the boss man. But hey, everyone deserves a second chance, right?
More Info: Reddit
Ever considered lying on your resume? What about during an interview? Sure, it gets the adrenaline going, but boy are you in for a surprise
Image credits: Jason Goodman (not the actual image)
Some years ago, a Redditor shared how they caught a candidate lying on her resume (on top of other things), taking a rather wholesome twist
Image credits: u/sioigin55
So, besides rifling through confidential paperwork and flat out lying about working at a different company, the candidate also tried to replace the interviewer
Image credits: Real Estate Japan (not the actual image)
Image credits: u/sioigin55
Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual image)
Needless to say, it didn't go well—the candidate was asked to leave, and the interviewer actually considered pushing her more
So, a few years back, Redditor u/sioigin55 shared how they used to work for a real estate developer as the head of sales and marketing. For convenience sake, they were tasked with hosting job interviews for this one new sales function. 8 candidates applied. And all was going swimmingly until candidate #4 took the stage.
Long story short, she didn’t know she was seen trash talking other candidates and rifling through confidential docs that were temporarily unattended at the front desk. So far, not a good start with the red flags. But it gets worse.
Needless to say, the interview itself was no better. Turns out, she lied on her resume as OP could actually fact-check her claims by having worked in the same place and the same time. What’s more, she didn’t do her research and didn’t know that her very bold suggestion to shift her application to another position was actually a declaration to replace OP, the interviewer and head of sales and marketing. You can guess what happened next… vicious mockery. Or whatever else you’d call this particular murder by words.
An update surfaced giving more context after the Redditor learned of the candidate's notorious reputation
Image credits: u/sioigin55
Image credits: The Coach Space (not the actual image)
The story (briefly) ended there, but a few weeks later, OP provided an update. Essentially, OP had a function with that other company the candidate claimed she was a part of. They explained that they are well aware of her, but did in fact confirm she’s actually a part of an agency that subcontracts over the weekends. This alone made the story spread in the locality. But it didn’t end there.
Fast forward a few years and there is yet another update! But one with a bit of a twist. OP recently changed jobs and, as it turns out, that candidate from years back works there too. Incidentally, she reports to OP now, so it didn’t take long for her to pop by their office for a chat.
But here’s where it gets wholesome. They talk things out, turns out it was sheer desperation to get out of a workplace—one that pushed her to do extreme things. She apologized, it was a good talk, OP even offered to help her out if she ever ends up leaving her current position.
Across the three posts, OP got a bit over 5,600 upvotes, but the engagement was real. OP did address the elephant in the room and apologized that he didn’t have a petty resolution for this. But hey, wholesome is the next best thing.
There was a handful of people who remembered this story, and the absolute majority were happy to see it turned into a wholesome redemption story. Though, some did advise caution as profuse apologies and downplaying behaviors can be a sign of compulsive manipulators.
But here's the twist: the candidate ended up working under the author of the post after they had switched jobs, and she approached them to apologize
Image credits: u/sioigin55
Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual image)
In the end, the two had a very productive conversation, turns out it was all because of desperation and the Redditor even offered to help next time
StandOutCV dove deep into the topic of lying on resumes, and it seems to be a bit of an epidemic across many industries. Turns out, 55% of people admitted to lying on their resumes at least once, which could very well translate to about 42.5 million people in the US.
The most frequent lies can be seen in manufacturing (72%), healthcare (64%), and arts (63%) with men (59.9%) being bigger liars than women (50.6). The study also found out that younger folk are more likely to lie on their resume than older ones, with the exception of those closer to retirement.
The aspects people usually lie about are mainly previous work experience (55.4%), but it can also be skills (43.1%), college degrees (41%) and even employee references (40.3%). And, here’s the kicker: of those 55% who have lied, over two thirds (70%) were actually caught during some part of the process. So, does it pay to do that? Statistically, no.
Over half of them ended up being fired, with a small portion getting fined or the police getting involved. Only 16% of employers decided not to do anything about it. So, only a 30% chance to not get caught and another 16% chance to not face any consequences. Yeah, I’m gonna keep my resume pure and clean for my next job interview.
So, what are your thoughts on this? What would you have done in OP’s situation? Would you lie on your resume, or during the interview process, and if so, why? Divulge your secrets and other resume know-how in the comment section below!