By
Michelle Reese
Tribune
January 18, 2006
(abridged version)
A former recruiter recently published a guide
that attempts to convince job seekers that they can easily inflate
credentials on their resumes; seemingly without consequences.
The author suggests that job seekers lie about
job titles, educational background, and position responsibilities
to get interviews, and eventually employment job offers, for which
they are not qualified. On his Web site he is quoted as saying:
"Once you realize the extent that people go to in fabricating their
resumes you start to realize that those that don't lie on their
resumes stand to lose jobs to those that do."
But local career experts tell clients not to
go down that path.
Kathy Sweeney, Certified Professional Resume
Writer and Credentialed Career Master of East Valley, said there
are many consequences to taking this route, from losing credibility
to losing a job after you're hired and the truth is discovered.
"If a company finds out you lied on your application
(which reflects dates and degrees on your resume), they can fire
you. The author of the fake resume Web site forgot to mention the
eventual consequences to the job seekers," Sweeney said. "Further,
if a candidate is dishonest, and actually does land a job with a
company that does not conduct background checks, it will eventually
catch up to them during their tenure with the company. They could
end up in a position where they will fail to meet the expectations
of their new employer and eventually be fired for incompetence."
This practice not only hurts the lying applicant,
but those who do tell the truth. It may also hurt the company and
other employees in the long run, Sweeney said.
"A person who does have the actual experience
to meet the job requirements may not be selected because he or she
appears to have less experience than the person who lied," Sweeney
said. "Further, if a company hires an individual who lied on his
resume, and then eventually has to terminate him, it hurts everyone
in the long run because the costs to hire another individual are
astronomical and could result in lower salaries."
Job seekers may have the skills and experience
for a job, and not know it. Look at your activities outside of work:
Do you plan events for a youth program? Volunteer in a nursing home?
Write your community newsletter? All these require skills that can
be transferred to a new job. Applicants should seek out other ways
to add to their experience, and not pad their resumes.
Volunteer: Gain experience through a community
or nonprofit group. o Seek out company opportunities: It may be
in another department where a job seeker wants to work.
Attend conferences and join associations: Even
if you don't work currently in your desired position, you can attend
a conference that interests you to gain more knowledge and contacts.
By joining an association, you'll also gain a circle of people to
network with once you're ready to make a leap into the new area.
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