Lie on Your Resume Dont Be Stupid!

Lie on Your Resume Dont Be StupidLying on Your ResumeLie on Your Resume Dont Be StupidTzu siches a scene in the 1994 movie Forrest Gump in which the title character, played by Tom Hanks, admits to telling a little white lie, which his mother (played by Sally Field) said was OK to do as long as it didnt hurt anyone.Forrest, though limited in IQ, clearly knew the difference between a little white lie and a whopper. But when it comes to your resume, either one can disqualify you from getting the job. Even if you do get the job, chances are good the lie will eventually be uncovered, and youll be shown the door, hurting both your career and your reputation.Here are three notable examples of resume truth-stretchingAs MITs former dean of admissions discovered last year, a lie can come back to bite you many years later. She resigned after admitting she had misrepresented her academic degrees on her resume when MIT hired her - in 1979.More recently, Robert Irvine, host of the Food Network sho w Dinner Impossible, did not have his contract renewed by the networkafter he sauted his professional background a bit, specifically with previous claims that hecooked for the British royal family and at the White House (The network said it might revisit its decision at the end of the season).In 2006, the CEO of retailer Radio Shack resigned after he admitted that his claim ofholding two college degrees was two more than he really had.If youre compelled to lie about, embellish, exaggerate, or misrepresent anything in your work history or educational background, heres one word of advice Dont. Theres just no substitute for telling the truth. And technology is more likely to uncover a lie today, since so much personal data is available on the Internet, and many employers are using Internet searches to help verify data applicants submit on their resumes.And if the lie is uncovered before the employer makes an offer, the employer will likely not tell you they just wont hire you, which le aves you open to repeating the lie the next time you send your resume.Interviewing expertMichael Neece, who has reviewed thousands of resumes in his 20+ years in the staffing and hiring world, says there are legitimate reasonsjob candidates might lie One is to protect themselves and theirformer employers. For instance, if a candidate told the truth about being fired and subsequently filing a sexual harassment lawsuit, he says, it might disqualify the candidate while implicating the former employer. Painting an ex-employer in a negative light is one of those red flags that can go up in the job-search process. Still, its better to find a neutral way to tell the truth.Ifthe truth hurts (or could hurt your chances at landing a job), the best strategy is to stick to the facts in as unbiased a way as you can. If, for instance, you were let go because of a personality clash, or if you and your boss had a difference of opinion over the reasons for your exit, explain the situation matter-of- factly in the interview, keeping your emotions in check. Instead of saying, My boss was a micro-managing control freak who wouldnt let me tie my shoes without asking first, try something like, I was released because my independent, get-it-done style - which I and my other employers have always considered to be a strength - just didnt mesh with the new supervisors hands-on management style.A lie or exaggeration on a resume is just plain stupid. And, as Forrest Gump liked to say Stupid is as stupid does.