Embellishing information during your job search is unethical. The details you present are perceived to be an honest representation of you.
Because employers talk with each other and contact candidate references, they can find out that you embellished information in your cover letters, resumes, or interviews. As a result, you can lose out on job opportunities and damage your professional reputation.
Embellishing Resumes
ResumeLab’s 2023 Job Applicant Behavior Survey of 1,914 workers found that 70% lied on their resumes:
- 37% lied frequently
- 33% lied once or twice
- 15% had considered lying
- 15% never considered lying
Embellished resume topics
The respondents provided misleading information about the following resume topics:
- Name of the company that employed them
- Job title
- Job responsibilities
- Length of employment
- Number of people managed
- Skills
- Metrics
- Accomplishments
- Awards
- Education credentials
- Career gaps
- Technological abilities
- Volunteer work
Embellishing Cover Letters and During Job Interviews
The ResumeLab survey found that lying in cover letters was common:
- 50% of respondents frequently lied in their cover letters
- 26% lied once or twice
- 15% never considered lying
- 9% had considered lying
The survey found that lying in cover letters and during job interviews also is common:
- 44% lied frequently
- 36% lied once or twice
- 20% had not lied
Impact of embellishing during your job search
Embellishing your information can have immediate and long-term impacts on your career. Therefore, you should focus on your transferrable skills and relevant experience to increase the likelihood of being contacted for an interview.
Honest Strategies to Secure Your Dream Job
You can choose among these strategies to secure your dream job without embellishing:
- Submit strong application documents that make a positive impression. There are online resources and professional resume writers to help.
- Be honest, authentic, and enthusiastic when showing your value to employers.
- Customize your cover letter and resume to the role and company.
- Demonstrate value alignment to show you fit the company’s culture.
- Optimize your resume so a hiring manager can easily scan your education, skills, and work experience.
- Include bullet points, action verbs, and metrics to demonstrate your impact on an organization.
- Highlight your relevant accomplishments, work habits, and personality traits that align with the role.
- Emphasize your willingness to learn and grow by highlighting your volunteer and other activities.
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