I know it’s tempting to tell a white lie or two for the sake of landing that dream job or landing any job if you’ve been out of work for some time.

You might think that adjusting your resume with a few tweaks won’t hurt anyone as long as you keep as close to the truth as possible.

But my sincere advice as a well-wisher is to resist temptation.

Fake it till you make it means disaster for your career when you get caught and you will.

I’m often asked questions on Quora about changing careers and resume guidance from newbie job hunters. This question caught my eye and while I provided guidance to the youngster, I believe it’s an ethical question that we need to consider whether we’re in jobs or self-employed.

The question reminded me of a lady manager in my employers Talent Management department whose career was going places until one day I learned that she had been dismissed.

Overnight the star of the department who was known for wearing the latest fashions, diamonds and difficult to ignore (she made her presence known, if you know what I mean) was sent out of the doors and her colleagues were happy to see the last of her.

Having attended a few pan division Manager Training sessions with her, I knew she had an opinion on everything, and asked too many innocuous questions from the trainer so I guessed she was aggressive with her colleagues too.

That turned out to be part of the picture.

My friends back in her department told me that she was overbearing and her management style was demotivating.

For someone in the Human Resources department, she lacked communication skills in dealing with her team. Waving her diamond rings and imperious air did not help.

She loved to brag and it was this habit that got one of her disgruntled juniors spurred to do some investigation into the truth of her brags which lead to opening a Pandora’s Box.

Some of her certifications were false. Her work experience was exaggerated and she was clearly not the owner of all the credentials that had gotten her the job.

This lady got lucky that she was asked to leave the company but I doubt she’d have received a reference for another job. There was a lapse of recruitment procedure and considering that the hire was in the Talent Management department, I’m sure a lot of people would’ve gotten into trouble for the lapse.

This was in the days when only companies that had security related or highly confidential and sensitive information hired private investigators to verify the antecedent of the prospective employee.

The rest relied on confirming references and putting in clauses of summary dismissal for false information.

It was a world of good faith and clearly the phrase ‘trust but verify’ wasn’t carried out properly.

Complete background verification is an important hiring procedure

A decade later, things have changed and employers are concerned about the cost of a wrong hire.

I remember the same employer had called overseas to talk to my references and those conversations were long ones because I was a returning expat and the information that I would be handling was confidential and sensitive.

A friend of mine who was in Executive Search told me that with the advent of new technology, their first step to check candidates was to Google them and check their LinkedIn profile.

It doesn’t surprise me in the least. Hiring the wrong candidate can have serious consequences for an organization ranging from service delivery all the way to security risk, legal risk and potential reputation damage for the entity.

In an article that I read sometime back in the Economics Times the cost of a bad hire to an organization is 5 times the bad hire’s annual salary.

The article pointed out the possibility of dire consequences that included reputation damage and financial concerns.

The verification procedure is taken more seriously, including background verification by an external agency.

HireRight’s 2015 Employment Background Screening Trends Report for India, based on more than 218,000 checks done in India from January 2014 to April 2015 states that almost 3 out of 10 screenings conducted by HireRight in India contained a lie or a discrepancy.

The most commonly found discrepancies related to educational (52%), employment background (11%) and professional licenses while on a lesser scale, there can also be inaccuracies in their criminal history or identification documents provided.

Heaven help you if you’ve been offered a job by a company that now does this verification either before you join or even after you’ve joined them and you’ve spruced up your resume or have hidden details including criminal records that are discovered by the third party agency!

Consequences of lying in Job Applications and better methods

Resume fraud is a crime although not every country presses criminal charges that can in the worst case scenario, land you in jail (If you are based in certain states of USA, you can be jailed)

I can understand the need to stand out above the noise in a highly competitive job market but it’s simply not worth the risk.

For starters, your own reputation will be damaged and rebuilding credibility will be a long and hard task.

You wouldn’t be able to provide the reference of an employer who sacked you for lying and the danger of being discovered will keep you looking over your shoulder.

Is it really worth it?

The querant on Quora wanted to lower his age because he didn’t have any work experience and thought it would improve his prospects. His frustration was apparent.

The answers he got to his question were clear that they would never hire a person who lied.

The truth is, 1 lie can lead to many to support the original lie and the damage to your reputation will be irreversible.

Here’s what I would do instead, whether you are a newbie in the job market or trying to get a dream job and want to stand out from the crowd.

1. We all have non-work related experience that gives us unique skills that make us an asset. Put those in your resume. You can read more about it in my blog post Putting Unpaid and Volunteer Work in your Resume
2. Include your hobbies and interests in your resume where you learned something that is of value
3. Hire a good resume writer who will discuss your experience with you and help you to create a Master Resume that you can customize for different jobs.
4. Create a LinkedIn profile and explore openings there where you can apply – don’t lie on your profile!
5. Stay in integrity and don’t let your present situation get you down. Things have a way of working out when you least expect them.

Would you embellish or adjust your resume for the sake of a job?

Additional Resource for serious job seekers

You wouldn’t have to compromise your reputation or integrity if your job hunt is done strategically. Check out Karmic Ally Coaching’s Job Search Success Bundle here or by clicking on the image below.

Have you ever applied online for a position that you felt matched your skills and competencies and yet did not get invited for an interview, leave alone land the position?

If yes, then all things being equal your CV was stopped by the online gatekeeper.

You aren’t alone. Reading some of the questions and comments on sites such as Yahoo Answers, Quora and

This is a prevalent problem for the earnest job seeker.

One discussion caught my eye. It shows the frustration of the job seeker and the feeling that online job applications do not work.

“Just lost in a sea of wasted data. I understand that there is a lot of competition, but after 5 years I have never gotten an interview? At least? Something is very wrong with the system. I have always been hired when I walk into a blue collar job and get to talk with a manager on the spot. I am tired of working jobs I’m make too little to get ahead and I’m over qualified for.”

Source: Indeed.com : Frustrated Internet Job Hunting. Update 9 February 2021: This article appeared in Indeed Community which was sunset on December 14, 2020.

The job seeker mentioned that most of the job postings on the job search sites directed him to the company’s on-line application website.

He mentioned going directly to the companies HR departments in order to by-pass the online gatekeeper but was told that they did not accept applications in person.

In one case he was referred by a friend who worked closely with the hiring manager and still told to go through the on-line application process.

He concluded that the problem lay with the on-line application process that these companies used where programmers were told to only draw out CVs that triggered “keyword” or else the CVs would never get seen.

The post drew over 50 responses. Some tried to help with ideas and telling the reality of online job hunting. Others were venting their own spleen and some reducing to blaming others.

Of course, there could be other reasons why our job hunt doesn’t get us the desired results but here we’re looking at the gatekeeper.

Don’t blame it on the online gatekeeper –face reality or get bitten

If you are applying online for jobs without success, then it is time to face up to some truths.

Truth #1 – Technology is playing an increasing role in the hiring process.

This trend has been around for as long back as I can remember. I remember when one of the companies that I worked for downsized and quite a few of us needed jobs in a recessionary economy.

I called the Country Head of a major Executive Search Firm with whom I had done business hoping he could get me back into employment. After all, he knew me. We had worked across the table together.

He was very sympathetic but advised me to first set up my online account with their firm, complete my details and THEN revert back as they had certain systems that could not be overridden, not even by him.

I did the needful. By chance I got a direct offer from an employer before I got to test the system and see if it worked.

The point is that nowadays, most mid-sized to large companies are using the online application process. With the help of technology, they are able to sift through 1000s of CVs to identify the ones whose content meets the job opening’s criteria.

Truth #2 – Bypassing the online application process may be more detrimental than beneficial to your candidature

One of the other reasons for setting up an online gatekeeper is to prevent hundreds of applicants inundating the inbox of the recruiter or HR department every time they post a position.

There’s an exception to this rule – when the job announcement asks for an email to be sent with the CV and other documentation. In such a case you can do a follow up to ensure your CV has been received. Call before sending it to find out who needs to be addressed in the covering letter. Other than that, there should be no circumvention of the process.

Sad truth, but there have been instances of large companies being accused of and sued for discrimination while hiring.

Even if you know the person who is doing the hiring, it is better to go through the process and via the HR department. The prospective employer would not want to appear partial or of committing any impropriety. Bypass their systems at your own peril.

What you can do instead to make the online bouncer let you in

Instead of focusing on how to beat the system, why not work with the system?

Your electronic résumé is important. So let us focus on it.

Accept it as a fact that when a position is announced, there will be thousands of applicants for it.

Don’t believe me?

Check out a job announcement on LinkedIn or any job portal. If you find images and the word ‘hot’, know that there are lots of applicants competing for the opening.

Assuming that you are qualified for the position, your objective should be to rise above the noise and stand out.

Here’s how:

• You already know that a computer is going to go through your CV looking for trigger words. So, take a good look at the job posting and at your CV. Are there any matching skills with a different wording that can be changed to match the job spec?

• Computer databases utilize plain text and do not recognize any formatting other than indent and return. Unless you’re asked to upload a word or pdf document, keep your CV simple. Make it easier for the computer to read and input into the right fields. Many portals allow you to review the input information before finalizing or ask you to upload the CV in word doc and then show you how it looks on the system. Make use of these opportunities to ensure that the information is placed in the correct fields.

• Avoid Functional CV formats because these are not online gatekeeper friendly and may not be properly read thus bouncing you out even before a pair of human eyes gets to see the CV.

Above all, do not blindly submit your CV or fill out job applications.

Put some thought into it to improve your chances of getting the interview call. Even if that happy event does not occur quickly, there are other avenues of job hunting which is a topic for another day.

How about your experience with online job applications? Good, bad or ugly? Do share your experiences and insights with me. I’d love to read about them!

PS. Need more guidance on filling out online job applications? Acquire the Online Job Application Pack and apply the guidance.

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