Resumes: Don't bend the truth on your resume

It would seem an obvious statement but here it is. Don't lie on your resume.

Don't "bend the truth" either.

I had a client recently who was finishing a training course. He had finished the actual courses but still had to complete a certain number of hours practicum before he would have his certification.

On his resume he wrote that he was fully qualified, and was most annoyed when I told him he should not put that until he actually is qualified.

It would seem an obvious statement, but I come across it so often.

Misrepresentation doesn't work in the long run.

It may get you an interview and if you lie well enough at the interview it may well get you the job.

However, if you don't have what you claimed to have, sooner or later that is going to become apparent and it is grounds for instant dismissal.

I can appreciate how hard it is to know that you could get a job "if only...", especially in the tough job market we are experiencing just now. But lying is not the way to go.

Tell the truth. Make the truth sound as appropriate for this job as you possibly can, without exaggeration and without 'bending the truth'.

Need help writing an effective resume? I offer one on one assistance online and locally.

Or try this great tool.
.