The 3 Most Common Lies Told On A CV
Everybody stretches the truth on their CV, right? Pretty much, although some may not care to admit it!
Relax, it happens. You’re desperate to impress and you’ll say anything to do so. But of the thousands of CV's that we’ve seen, there are certainly a few lies that crop up more often than others…
- Job Omissions
People seem to think that not being at a job for very long is the same as not being at the job at all!
Your CV and your Linkedin profile should be identical, however some people decide to leave out a job from their CV only for us see it on Linkedin, or vice versa.
It makes us wonder – what happened during that role that made it unworthy of a mention? Regardless of duration, it’s still additional experience worth telling an employer.
On the other hand, if you do mean to mention it and have taken the time to put it onto your Linkedin profile, but not into your CV, we can’t help but question your attention to detail!
- Writing who you want to be, not who you are
“Confident, motivated and innovative”… are you? The personal statement segment of a CV is undoubtedly the most difficult part to write. The mistake that people tend to make is that they think they only have two options:
1. Tell the unremarkable, everyday truth that they’re pretty good at some stuff and not so good at others.
2. Lie. Tell the employer exactly what they want to hear – or more so, what they think they want to hear.
What they always seem to miss is secret option #3. Dig a little deeper, what traits are you great at? Maybe you’re not organised, but it’s okay because in actual fact, you work better under pressure. Think about your employment history and there’ll probably be a number of impressive examples that prove it. Explain why you’re good at what you do even if it appears to be unconventional. It’ll catch their eye better than ‘I’m a confident team player with great initiative!’
- Hobbies & Interests
When was the last time you went swimming, seriously?
Not only do some people list hobbies that they don’t actually do, they pick ones that contradict the rest of their CV. You could write that you’re a team player who works fantastically with others, yet you list your only hobbies as swimming, writing and sewing. It doesn’t quite add up. If they really are your hobbies, don’t be afraid to tell us that you enjoy working in a quiet, solitary environment. And if they’re not, why aren’t you telling us what you genuinely enjoy doing?
Be honest – what have you lied about on your CV? (In the past of course… we’re sure your current CV is 100% truthful!)
Like this article? Take a look at these!
The 3 Most Common Lies Told By Recruitment Agencies
The 3 Most Common Lies Told On Job Descriptions
Enigma People Solutions is an award-winning technology recruitment consultancy. We find technical leaders for the emerging and enabling technology industries. Visit our services page for more information. Visit our job search page for the latest vacancies in photonics, electronics, semiconductor, software and IoT in Scotland and the UK. Check out our blog page for the latest in the technology industry. You can get in touch with us hello@enigmapeople.com or call us on + 44 131 510 8150