Misrepresenting information on your CV

Your CV is the first thing a potential employer will see. A CV is either your key to get into an interview or the reason you moved to the bottom of the stack. This is a lot of pressure and it's no wonder why so many people are tempted to exaggerate on their CV's.

Picture of a CV

Wording plays an important role in putting together a good CV, exaggeration and lying should be avoided at all costs.

Is lying on your CV really that serious?

The answer to this question is yes. Lying on your CV can get you into trouble no matter how big or small the lie is. Creating a position in a company or faking your qualification is considered fraud and you could face jail time if the business or educator wants to take legal action.

Things you should NOT lie about on your CV

1. Your education and technical skills. Do not fake your qualifications or alter your subjects. Businesses will phone the institute where you got your qualification or where you trained and find out that you lied.

2. Your job titles. Do not lie about the job titles that you have held. Businesses will phone your references and you will get caught.

3. Making up positions at companies you never worked for. Do not add a company if you have never worked for them. The business you are applying to could get a hold of the other business and find out if you worked there.

4. Employment dates. Do not change the dates between jobs to hide the fact that you did not work for a certain period of time. The business will find this out when contacting your references. If you were unemployed between jobs, you could have been productive.

5. Criminal record. Do not try and hide or lie about a criminal record as you will be found out. Many businesses run criminal background checks on their potential employees nowadays.

Lying on your CV can take away the job opportunity, rather be honest with your potential employer. Play on your real advantages and highlight them in your CV.