Poll of the Day > If I lie about a job on a resume, what are the chances they'll check?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Im applying for an internship but I need at least one year of previous work experience. I dont have that. So what if I just lie

Lying in a resume doesn't seem like a good idea >.>
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But getting an awesome paid internship does <.<

Depends on the job. For a job I recently applied for, I was told to lie on it by the job I was applying for. But that was for a specific reason.

Also, it may depend on if its online or in person...
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LinkPizza posted...

Depends on the job. For a job I recently applied for, I was told to lie on it by the job I was applying for. But that was for a specific reason.

Also, it may depend on if its online or in person...

Its working for a huge company in their international affairs department.

The application is online

Depends on the job.

If youre applying for an office job that you can fake it until you make it, you usually can get away with fibbing a little about your experience. If its something like engineering, construction, electrician, nuclear physicist, etc dont lie because youll be spotted quick.

Definitely an office job. According to the application, its reading and writing policy briefs about management, research into products, and economic and foreign policy issues for shareholders so they can keep up to date about the company.

MrMelodramatic posted...

Definitely an office job. According to the application, its reading and writing policy briefs about management, research into products, and economic and foreign policy issues for shareholders so they can keep up to date about the company.

Do you have any experience in any of this?

Sorta. In some of my classes Ive worked with policy briefs and memos (but governmental, never for a business), and Ive taken a few international political economies courses and foreign policy courses.

And right now Im in the process of getting my masters for public administration, with an emphasis in public policy analysis and international affairs.

So Ive had experience with these types of things for grades, but never a job.

<.<

MrMelodramatic posted...

So Ive had experience with these types of things for grades, but never a job.

<.<

But thats what an internship is for, right? Im not applying for a senior position or even a job lol

If someone thinks you're lying just tell them you're nervous because you're not yet accustomed to this new place or something.
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Bump

Don't do it.
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Do it, whats the worst that can happen

Zangulus posted...

If theyre only looking for 1 year experience they dont care. Its a gatekeeping thing. If you lie and they check youre screwed. If you dont they might still hire you.

Actually, looking again, Im not sure where I saw the year thing. It says.

Required: Previous internship or other experience in business, public relations, media, government, or policy.

Successful candidates may have experience in the following or similar areas
- Public relations for brands or companies
- U.S. Government, or state government experience

So not even a year-long lie.

Don't lie.
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Lie

Wrong topic.
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66/34, it either happens or it d'oesnt
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Don't not lie
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Experience can literally be anything on an application, no matter how bogus it sounds.

You're not even technically lying.
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DevilSummoner1 posted...

Lying in a resume doesn't seem like a good idea >.>

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The best lies are the truth.

Hard to say. I've had jobs definitely check to see if I was ever employed at places on my resume.

I wouldnt lie. If its a big company, theres a chance theyll check. And if you lie, you might ruin any chances in the future of reapplying.
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Don't lie and don't worry about it either. Don't pay attention to the years of experience or skill sets on a job posting, if it's something you want to do and you know things that are in the ballpark then you'll probably have a decent chance
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Depends on the job and the lie. And keep in mind that lying on a resume or during the interview process can be grounds for dismissal which, if you later use them as a reference, may or may not come up in conversation.

MrMelodramatic posted...

Im applying for an internship but I need at least one year of previous work experience. I dont have that. So what if I just lie

That's probably not actually necessary. If it was, though, just find a family friend who owns a business and have him lie that you worked there. Bam, solved.
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If you go to the place I just walked out on and lie, youll definitely prosper. They dont call references so you could write down that your main hobby is riding unicorns through a giant vat of lubricant and that would be sufficient. Guys came in there saying they had all this experience, so they got started at $20/hr and then people overheard them asking how to load a coil nailer. Like gtfo. One dude literally stapled his finger to his thumb which isnt even possible unless you dont have any other reason to go home early.

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dud posted...

Don't lie and don't worry about it either. Don't pay attention to the years of experience or skill sets on a job posting, if it's something you want to do and you know things that are in the ballpark then you'll probably have a decent chance

Probably the closest to what I'd suggest.

If it's an internship at a reputable organisation with an opportunity for a proper role down the track, I'd guess that they know you have minimal experience and are looking for someone to help do some of the more mundane bits of the work, whilst also seeing if there's potential in you. In other words, it's all about the attitudes/behaviours at this stage (since after all they're paying peanuts) and you can offer similar experiences and examples to demonstrate the criteria they're looking for through other means beyond an actual job. I've employed people with no real work experience before but they could demonstrate how they met the skills/traits we were looking for through other examples (e.g. community work, uni societies, etc).
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gloBal enemy posted...

dud posted...

Don't lie and don't worry about it either. Don't pay attention to the years of experience or skill sets on a job posting, if it's something you want to do and you know things that are in the ballpark then you'll probably have a decent chance

Probably the closest to what I'd suggest.

If it's an internship at a reputable organisation with an opportunity for a proper role down the track, I'd guess that they know you have minimal experience and are looking for someone to help do some of the more mundane bits of the work, whilst also seeing if there's potential in you. In other words, it's all about the attitudes/behaviours at this stage (since after all they're paying peanuts) and you can offer similar experiences and examples to demonstrate the criteria they're looking for through other means beyond an actual job. I've employed people with no real work experience before but they could demonstrate how they met the skills/traits we were looking for through other examples (e.g. community work, uni societies, etc).

It depends. The problem with online applications is that many of them are there as filters. For example, for the job Im applying for currently, my bosses (who are currently my bosses, and would also be my boss more of I get the job) told me to basically say Im the best at what I do for the online application. And to basically put all the requirements I needed onto the application. Almost word for word. Saying that the hardest part of getting the job was getting past the online application. And that I basically had the job once past that. The reason that you want to say your the best is because youre usually going up against others who will say the same thing. So, I think it more of less depends. But thats also one of the reasons I hate the online application process. You normally have to lie or embellish just to get a chance to actually apply... Unless its asking stuff you actually have done. Which doesnt always work for younger people. Or people moving to a new career field...
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If they are that specific in the experience they want you to have, then it's probably going to be very clear to them that you lied very quickly. And they want you to review documents for government work... messing up there could be a huge financial loss to them.

It also seems odd to me that they want that type of experience for an internship. It's like they wanted you to intern somewhere else before you intern for them. Sounds like a way for them to get cheaper labor by calling it an internship
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LinkPizza posted...

gloBal enemy posted...

dud posted...

Don't lie and don't worry about it either. Don't pay attention to the years of experience or skill sets on a job posting, if it's something you want to do and you know things that are in the ballpark then you'll probably have a decent chance

Probably the closest to what I'd suggest.

If it's an internship at a reputable organisation with an opportunity for a proper role down the track, I'd guess that they know you have minimal experience and are looking for someone to help do some of the more mundane bits of the work, whilst also seeing if there's potential in you. In other words, it's all about the attitudes/behaviours at this stage (since after all they're paying peanuts) and you can offer similar experiences and examples to demonstrate the criteria they're looking for through other means beyond an actual job. I've employed people with no real work experience before but they could demonstrate how they met the skills/traits we were looking for through other examples (e.g. community work, uni societies, etc).

It depends. The problem with online applications is that many of them are there as filters. For example, for the job Im applying for currently, my bosses (who are currently my bosses, and would also be my boss more of I get the job) told me to basically say Im the best at what I do for the online application. And to basically put all the requirements I needed onto the application. Almost word for word. Saying that the hardest part of getting the job was getting past the online application. And that I basically had the job once past that. The reason that you want to say your the best is because youre usually going up against others who will say the same thing. So, I think it more of less depends. But thats also one of the reasons I hate the online application process. You normally have to lie or embellish just to get a chance to actually apply... Unless its asking stuff you actually have done. Which doesnt always work for younger people. Or people moving to a new career field...

Such is the world we live in - the system filters out candidates who don't meet whatever the minimum requirement is. It's there for a reason and honestly HR would've done the same if it wasn't automated/semi-automated. I'd be surprised if work experience was a mandatory requirement for an internship/entry/grad level position (vs experienced/lateral hires).

That all being said, if you already work in the organisation, why do you need to apply through the external process? Wouldn't there be an internal referral system which also takes into account your current performance (or at least that's how it works in my company).
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gloBal enemy posted...

LinkPizza posted...

gloBal enemy posted...

dud posted...

Don't lie and don't worry about it either. Don't pay attention to the years of experience or skill sets on a job posting, if it's something you want to do and you know things that are in the ballpark then you'll probably have a decent chance

Probably the closest to what I'd suggest.

If it's an internship at a reputable organisation with an opportunity for a proper role down the track, I'd guess that they know you have minimal experience and are looking for someone to help do some of the more mundane bits of the work, whilst also seeing if there's potential in you. In other words, it's all about the attitudes/behaviours at this stage (since after all they're paying peanuts) and you can offer similar experiences and examples to demonstrate the criteria they're looking for through other means beyond an actual job. I've employed people with no real work experience before but they could demonstrate how they met the skills/traits we were looking for through other examples (e.g. community work, uni societies, etc).

It depends. The problem with online applications is that many of them are there as filters. For example, for the job Im applying for currently, my bosses (who are currently my bosses, and would also be my boss more of I get the job) told me to basically say Im the best at what I do for the online application. And to basically put all the requirements I needed onto the application. Almost word for word. Saying that the hardest part of getting the job was getting past the online application. And that I basically had the job once past that. The reason that you want to say your the best is because youre usually going up against others who will say the same thing. So, I think it more of less depends. But thats also one of the reasons I hate the online application process. You normally have to lie or embellish just to get a chance to actually apply... Unless its asking stuff you actually have done. Which doesnt always work for younger people. Or people moving to a new career field...

Such is the world we live in - the system filters out candidates who don't meet whatever the minimum requirement is. It's there for a reason and honestly HR would've done the same if it wasn't automated/semi-automated. I'd be surprised if work experience was a mandatory requirement for an internship/entry/grad level position (vs experienced/lateral hires).

That all being said, if you already work in the organisation, why do you need to apply through the external process? Wouldn't there be an internal referral system which also takes into account your current performance (or at least that's how it works in my company).

It socks because they have to filter. I do understand why, too. There could be way too many candidates for the position. Might as well filter. Which sucks because even for an intern/entry/grad level position, people might get skipped because someone has more experience, which makes it harder for others to get that experience... Which sucks... And though a human would do the same, you can sometimes do a little better by getting HR to look for a specific application.

For my job, its kind of complicated and pretty stupid how they do it. Thats why I have to apply. I basically have the job. I just have to apply because of the weird rules...
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IMO if you are doing well in your company, your bosses/managers should be able to vouch for you and speak to HR and/or share your feedback/employee evaluations/etc. It doesn't hurt to ask them if they can do this.
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gloBal enemy posted...

dud posted...

Don't lie and don't worry about it either. Don't pay attention to the years of experience or skill sets on a job posting, if it's something you want to do and you know things that are in the ballpark then you'll probably have a decent chance

Probably the closest to what I'd suggest.

If it's an internship at a reputable organisation with an opportunity for a proper role down the track, I'd guess that they know you have minimal experience and are looking for someone to help do some of the more mundane bits of the work, whilst also seeing if there's potential in you. In other words, it's all about the attitudes/behaviours at this stage (since after all they're paying peanuts) and you can offer similar experiences and examples to demonstrate the criteria they're looking for through other means beyond an actual job. I've employed people with no real work experience before but they could demonstrate how they met the skills/traits we were looking for through other examples (e.g. community work, uni societies, etc).

Theyre definitely not paying peanuts lol. Its a $25/h, forty hours a week internship.

aurick79 posted...

If they are that specific in the experience they want you to have, then it's probably going to be very clear to them that you lied very quickly. And they want you to review documents for government work... messing up there could be a huge financial loss to them.

It also seems odd to me that they want that type of experience for an internship. It's like they wanted you to intern somewhere else before you intern for them. Sounds like a way for them to get cheaper labor by calling it an internship

Its an internship only open to graduate students, so it seems reasonable you wouldve had an internship before this, or even a job.

Don't do that. I've straight up blacklisted people from our industry for lying on their resumes, ok?
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MrMelodramatic posted...

gloBal enemy posted...

dud posted...

Don't lie and don't worry about it either. Don't pay attention to the years of experience or skill sets on a job posting, if it's something you want to do and you know things that are in the ballpark then you'll probably have a decent chance

Probably the closest to what I'd suggest.

If it's an internship at a reputable organisation with an opportunity for a proper role down the track, I'd guess that they know you have minimal experience and are looking for someone to help do some of the more mundane bits of the work, whilst also seeing if there's potential in you. In other words, it's all about the attitudes/behaviours at this stage (since after all they're paying peanuts) and you can offer similar experiences and examples to demonstrate the criteria they're looking for through other means beyond an actual job. I've employed people with no real work experience before but they could demonstrate how they met the skills/traits we were looking for through other examples (e.g. community work, uni societies, etc).

Theyre definitely not paying peanuts lol. Its a $25/h, forty hours a week internship.

That sounds more like a job than an internship...
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MrMelodramatic posted...

Its an internship only open to graduate students, so it seems reasonable you wouldve had an internship before this, or even a job.

Im so used to internships only being for penultimate rather than uni graduates but anyhow...

Look, its upto you how much honesty you want to put into your application. If it was me I wouldnt factually lie about something on a job application, especially if it can be easily disproven. After all, if you lie about something like this, what does it say about your conduct in other aspects of professional life.

And what I dont really get is the linkage with your current role and why you cant get a referral in if youre that concerned about the stated criteria.

Shrug. Maybe I just have a different view on these as its been a while since I was on that side of the fence.

Ps. Im not sure what the local pay scale is for your role/industry but $25/hr sounds like a normal internship rate for a professional role which would require a degree. At least thats about what I think we pay our interns.
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MICHALECOLE posted...

Do it, whats the worst that can happen

They can fire you and probably take legal action against you for fraud among other things, that's what. You should NEVER lie on your resume when it comes to experience. That being said, it doesn't mean not to emphasize that, even though you don't have the direct experience, you have trained in that area of expertise.

DeathMagnetic80 posted...

Hard to say. I've had jobs definitely check to see if I was ever employed at places on my resume.

Yeah, in my experience most places seem to check, especially if its through a recruitment agency or if they have a big HR Department, smaller places probably won't check though. Although a lot of the time they don't finish those checks until 1-2 weeks after the person has already started working.

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GastroFan posted...

MICHALECOLE posted...

Do it, whats the worst that can happen

They can fire you and probably take legal action against you for fraud among other things, that's what. You should NEVER lie on your resume when it comes to experience. That being said, it doesn't mean not to emphasize that, even though you don't have the direct experience, you have trained in that area of expertise.

This mother fucker just said they can sue you for lying on your resume

GastroFan posted...

MICHALECOLE posted...

Do it, whats the worst that can happen

They can fire you and probably take legal action against you for fraud among other things, that's what. You should NEVER lie on your resume when it comes to experience. That being said, it doesn't mean not to emphasize that, even though you don't have the direct experience, you have trained in that area of expertise.

OHJOY90 posted...

DeathMagnetic80 posted...

Hard to say. I've had jobs definitely check to see if I was ever employed at places on my resume.

Yeah, in my experience most places seem to check, especially if its through a recruitment agency or if they have a big HR Department, smaller places probably won't check though. Although a lot of the time they don't finish those checks until 1-2 weeks after the person has already started working.

That's because recruitment agencies need to justify their ridiculous prices (and I've been stung by them doing a half hearted background check), and large HR departments have workplace laws to abide by and documentation to retain should they ever get investigated.
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TC, they might ask for a W-2. In which case youre fucked.

They might also not. In which case, you got away with it.

P.S. Lying about your education, though, is a cardinal rule you do NOT want to break.
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HornedLion posted...

TC, they might ask for a W-2. In which case youre f***ed.

I thought you wouldn't have to since I was pretty sure you didn't have to disclose your old wages.
Am I wrong? I was pretty sure you didn't have to disclose that.

Usually I got asked by recruiters about my salary and expectations but I think that was only to ensure that things didnt get progressed too far if it was never going to fly.
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