Resume

Why You Shouldn’t Exaggerate On Your Resume

Why You Shouldn’t Exaggerate On Your Resume

As a professional and accredited resume writer, I often speak before groups of other resume writers and give advice to many job hunters. I always caution people not to exaggerate on your resume. RELATED: What To Do If You’ve Lied On Your Resume I stand up for truthful resumes because I am a truthful person, but also because:


  • If you exaggerate on your resume and are invited in for an interview, you are going to have to defend what you wrote. The more you try, the more obvious it will become to the interviewer that you lack enough confidence in yourself to stick to the truth.
  • If you exaggerate on your resume and somehow pass the interview, the company will check references and they will discover that none of the references can confirm the information on your resume.
  • If you exaggerate on your resume and somehow make it all the way through to hiring, you will have to deliver on the job. How can you deliver on skills and accomplishments you simply do not have?
  • If you exaggerate or lie on a resume (for example, claiming that you graduated with a degree when you didn’t or attended a college you didn’t attend), and you are found out later, you can be fired and might even ruin your chance to ever get hired. In some states, you could be charged with a misdemeanor or even a felony.
This post was originally published at an earlier date.Photo Credit: Shutterstock
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