| Let's state a few truths right away. | | | | only time she wasn't making mistakes was when |
| 1. Honesty is good. | | | | she was out on one of her many smoke breaks |
| 2. Not telling the truth (a/k/a lying) on resumes | | | | or telling me long stories about her extremely |
| can cause you and your employer a lot of | | | | colourful dating adventures. By day two I knew I |
| problems. | | | | had to fire her. Either that, or try and replace her |
| 3. Despite the first two truths, many people tell | | | | with the person whose resume she had |
| lies on their resumes. | | | | apparently stolen. |
| Some common lies and/or gross exaggerations of | | | | The only good part of the story? On day three, |
| the truth? | | | | the day I was nerving myself up to fire her, |
| 1. Education or lack of: Saying you got a BA from | | | | Jessica didn't show up at all. Later in the day I got |
| an Ivy League university when you barely | | | | a voicemail message saying she'd decided to |
| scraped through high school. Making sure you | | | | move out West with her boyfriend, so wouldn't |
| write down a university far away, hoping the | | | | be in. Ever again. Needless to say, I did the dance |
| employer you're applying to won't want to run up | | | | of joy. |
| long-distance charges checking. | | | | This was a great lesson for me, though, with the |
| 2.Titles and duties: Putting "Rapid Nutrition | | | | main lesson being that some people lie on their |
| Purveyor" when you really sold snacks at a | | | | resumes. After that, I never hired someone |
| corner store. Sorry, but your title was "Cashier." | | | | without meeting and interviewing them first. |
| 3. Skill level: Writing "Proficient at Microsoft Excel" | | | | Two things to remember: |
| when you can open the program but don't know | | | | 1. Lies on resumes usually become apparent on |
| how to do a single thing with the little box thingies. | | | | the job, and can lead to all kinds of embarrassing |
| (I mean cells.) | | | | and stressful problems, and possibly firing. |
| 4. Dates of jobs: Saying: Admin Assistant | | | | 2. The better and higher-paying the job, the more |
| 2008-2009, when you only worked in that position | | | | likely that the employer will check your |
| for one week in February, then got fired and | | | | references and educational claims. In upper-level |
| were unemployed till December. | | | | jobs, you can be virtually certain that your |
| A few years ago, I experienced being on the | | | | references will be checked. |
| wrong side of one of these resumes. On the | | | | Do you have to reveal absolutely everything |
| recommendation of a well-meaning friend, I hired | | | | about yourself, good and bad? Of course not. And |
| someone to be my assistant, sight unseen, relying | | | | there are ways to minimize or frame certain |
| entirely on her stellar resume. We'll call her Jessica. | | | | things that may otherwise prove an obstacle to |
| On paper, Jessica sounded so good I wondered if | | | | getting an interview. For example, if you have a |
| she wouldn't end up taking over my job. | | | | brief bad experience with a job, and end up |
| According to her resume, she excelled at all | | | | leaving within a few days or weeks, it's not |
| forms of written communication, and was highly | | | | unethical to leave it off. Full disclosure isn't always |
| trained in computer accounting. I couldn't believe | | | | necessary. |
| my good fortune in getting someone like her for | | | | Honesty on your resume means telling the |
| a fairly low wage. | | | | employer who you really are, and who they'll be |
| In reality? Jessica was, to put it as nicely as | | | | getting if they hire you. There shouldn't be any |
| possible, completely unqualified for the job. After | | | | nasty surprises for them after they've given you |
| the first day of misspelled memos and error-filled | | | | a job. If you were the employer, you wouldn't |
| spreadsheets, I seriously considered taking her | | | | appreciate that, would you? So when it comes to |
| aside and asking her if she was dyslexic because | | | | resumes, honesty is the best policy. |
| she reversed numbers and letters constantly. The | | | | |