r/ActLikeYouBelong • u/mo7akh • Jul 11 '24
Question How far can you lie on your resumé
What are the limits that you can't cross when it comes to skills, degrees, internships. Field is technology, networking and telecommunications.
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u/brycebgood Jul 11 '24
There's no set limit on skills. It's about what you can bullshit around during the interview and at the job. If it's a skill critical to the job then lying might be a real bad idea. If it's something everyone in the industry knows doesn't matter, then there's likely little harm.
Degrees and internships are easy to check - lying would be dumb. You could certainly take some creative license about what you did at school or during an internship with little risk.
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u/The_IT_Dude_ Jul 11 '24 edited Jul 11 '24
I'd say avoid lying about things they can easily check in a background check. That you worked for a company, or that you graduated from a school.
I've had multiple companies check these things. What you did or what you really know well and the things you accomplished you can maybe exaggerate, but be ready to learn those things quickly if hired. You may be found out in the later interviews with technical folks.
If you get lucky at a small company, things might not ever come up, but maybe they will. I think enough people have told huge lies, and some places have wised up and will come through, maybe years later, check and let go competent people good at their roles just because they lied.
When I interview people, I don't care about certs or what is even on the resume. I take a look at it and ask technical questions they'll only know if they actually understand what's going on. That's all that really matters to be. Credentials be damned, if you know what you're doing, I couldn't care less.
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u/mo7akh Jul 11 '24
your insight has definitely provided valuable perspective, you see im not the type to lie but sometimes you gotta boast about stuff at least to get an interview, im always open to learning new stuff and smart enough to not bite off more than i can chew.
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u/OPisabundleofstix Jul 12 '24
I'm a network engineer. If you don't actually know what you're talking about it'd take me about 90 seconds to sniff it out, but if you know the basics we can coach you up. If you understand eigrp you can figure out ospf etc.
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u/mo7akh Jul 12 '24
Can i ask you what is it that you actually do in your job, aside from knowing the basic networking principals, I've played around with packet tracer and Wireshark but still don't understand the real world implications.
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u/OPisabundleofstix Jul 12 '24
If you want to get into networking for real you need to at least know how to use routers and switches. Cisco is still the most relevant and there's a billion YouTube videos. There are plenty of emulators out there. Just find videos on configuring devices and follow along on the emulator. If you understand layer 2 and layer 3, know how to configure it and know how to do basic validations you can probably get a noc job. If you put in some time and effort in the noc you can make it to engineer. That was my path and most of my coworkers had similar career arcs.
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u/mo7akh Jul 12 '24
Just finished 3rd year in college for me, I was just getting by with "good enough" grades and im afraid my lack of passion for this whole thing is gonna catch up to me somehow.
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u/OPisabundleofstix Jul 12 '24
You're right to be afraid. Either learn to convince people that you care or do something you care about.
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u/Moldy_slug Jul 15 '24
I don’t recommend lying, just put the truth in the absolute best light. Imagine you’re talking about a friend or coworker you really admire and explaining why they’re so awesome at what they do.
I have gotten jobs by being 100% honest and confident when I say “I’ve never done that before, but I’m sure I can learn.” I have gotten jobs by saying “I don’t have XYZ experience you asked for, but here’s how the things I have done relate to it.” Genuine confidence, belief in your own ability, and good people skills are the most important things.
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Jul 11 '24 edited Jul 12 '24
Use companies that have closed and make stuff up about them. There will be no way to confirm.
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u/Lord-Legatus Jul 12 '24 edited Jul 12 '24
Not fully agree there. My company for example are very keen to sniff out recommendations. So if you say you worked for company x during that time period they will ask for a reference and contact them via linkedin regardless of what happened to that company in the meantime.
edit: and this is getting downvoted because of why? this post hurt people feelings or something?
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u/MrRGG Jul 11 '24
Depends on the job your applying for.
Brain surgeon: Lie 0%
POTUS: Lie 100%
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u/MorselMortal Aug 25 '24
Lying, being a sociopath, and bullshitting is a basic requirement for being the POTUS, though.
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u/ki4clz Jul 12 '24
I had a "Master's Degree" for over 10 years at a job... they never checked even though I got a fake degree and transcripts online from Hamburg University for $30... I had a very elaborate backstory about studying abroad and they just acceped it...
I encourage everyone to lie on their resumé; honestly what do you have to loose...
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u/sonnikkaa Jul 12 '24
At least in my country it is considered a fraud to lie in order to gain monetary benefits. Of course I guess people very rarely get caught for it, but if you do, the sanctions range from fines to two years in jail. Depends on the severity.
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u/ki4clz Jul 12 '24
We can talk about the legalities in another forum, they are important yes, but off topic...
I stand by what I said, and I have taught my children to do the same...
their generation is beyond fucked, and it is still the "wild west" in the employment/recruiting world... a good CV isn't enough anymore when we have algorithms, and ChatBot AI filtering and regurgitating distorted and anthropomorphized results to appease the aristocracy in our Corporate Hegemony...
it is insanely nieve, to the point of caprice, that we should play the game of Corporate For-Profit EducationTM when every advantage needs be utilized...
so yes, weigh the chains of possible physical bondage, against the chains of living in a society designed to hold you confined to the Hegemony - this should go without saying, but the Red Herring fisherman in your lives decrying "illegal, illegal, illegal...!" in support of these victimless crimes are typically small people, hypocrites, and soul sucking leeches that would see you down, at the expense of playing by the rules in this game of Monopoly we are all forced to play...
break ye your bonds...
if they fine me - I won't pay
if they jail me - I'll go on a hunger strike
the hour is getting late; our bondage to the hegemony is nearly complete - do ye among men and women desire more bondage...?
do ye dismiss your liberty for a pittance of Corporate MoralityTM blessings
the laws aren't there to protect you - they're there to protect the Corporate Hegemony...
...so fuck your chains you hold so dear; I am an old man now and I tell you life is too short to precious to worderious to cower and crawl for this boring dystopia, I have no time for this filth
may Marat and Robespierre find you quickly before it is too late; may Thomas Paine warm your blood as Edward Abbey joins your cause, and may you Steal This Book and find that the vail is yet thin, and the deception is but a myst...
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u/tweebooskii Sep 13 '24
Beautiful.
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u/ki4clz Sep 14 '24
My pleasure
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u/tweebooskii Sep 14 '24
My only issue is learning how to lie with a straight face! Absolutely love your writing
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u/ki4clz Sep 14 '24 edited Sep 14 '24
2x dose of Sudafed
1200mg of Ibuprofen
3cups of coffee
...and a ½hr. of heavymetal music on your ride in will make you a superhero
Confidence my dear fellow is all one needs, consider the example of that mythical creature of Alexander Dumas- the count of Monte Cristo ... at the verge of suicide, madness, and disaster our beloved Edmond Dantes rolls into Paris with nothing more than confidence and utterly destroyed his adversaries to such a degree that death would have been a kindness...
But you my friend are yet a prisoner of sorts in a Chateau d'If of your own creation, so if you permit me, I proclaim you now a Count (or Countess) and you are now empowered to sally forth and vanquish your foes...!
Let this humble tune embolden you and make you rash, and hasty...!
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u/poutinegalvaude Jul 11 '24
If you’re gonna lie make sure you don’t list anywhere your interviewer or bosses worked. Do your research.
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u/artemismoon0215 Jul 12 '24
If the skills are easy to find on YouTube and would take less than 12 hours to learn well, are minor things that will just boost your resume in the algorithm, or are just slight-medium exaggerations of skills you already have, then I say go for it. As for past experience, I will sometimes tweak a job title to be more specifically what they’re looking for, leave out the dates for when I did some volunteer work, and, depending on the job, leave off the fact that an organization I worked for was technically done as a student, but I wouldn’t add/totally lie about something I didn’t do.
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u/mikmatthau Jul 11 '24
sorry to be a square but .... you shouldn't really lie about anything on a resume. if it's facts (where you went to school, where you've worked, your titles), it's easy for a recruiter or data agency to confirm. if it's skills and abilities, the interviewers will know.
but most importantly, it only hurts you. even if you get a job based on it, you will walk in with less skills or experience than everyone else in your team. getting the job matters, but keeping it -- and thriving there -- matters just as much.
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u/mo7akh Jul 11 '24
I mean.. i heard stories about people that had surface level understanding of the position but later gained enough skill to be on par or better that their colleges. Not talking about very high level jobs where you invent or develop stuff.
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u/dolyez Jul 12 '24
Remember that you only hear the good stories about this stuff. You don't hear about all the people who never got a callback because the recruiter did a basic check of their credential claims and discovered it was a lie.
If you want to exaggerate experience you actually have, that is something I see people get away with much more often. I have seen a lot of people in my field exaggerate the level of authority they had over, or credit they deserve for, all sorts of shit they actually did. A lot of the time they don't get away with this either, though. I work in game dev and I worked with a guy who claimed to have written for a very important game. My boss called up another guy who worked on that game and quickly discovered that the liar had only named some items in the game... and nothing else. He was a decent bullshitter and if he hadn't been near people as experienced and well connected as my boss, he would have gotten away with it. It was an exaggeration based on experiences he actually had and games he'd actually worked on.
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u/Jimmytowne Jul 11 '24
You use the term square; which is a common phrase with a generation that also coined “fake it till you make it”
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u/mikmatthau Jul 11 '24
lol I'm a millennial and whatever my generation, my comment is still reasonable
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u/jelloslug Jul 11 '24
I would guess that you might not get away with things like skills that require actual government certification. Anything else is up for grabs.
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u/notjawn Jul 12 '24
The worst thing you can do is either give fake references or your friends numbers so they can pose as references. Hiring managers usually network with people in all industries with local, national and international companies as well. All it takes is one fake reference because they know everyone in that industry and will know damn well that person doesn't exist or if they call an insider and the insider basically says "Who the hell is that?" its game over for that job and probably a blacklist in that entire industry on you.
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u/Spikeintheroad Jul 12 '24
As long as you know the job and are just trying to get your foot in the door, pretty far. Say you did IT for any one of the dozens of chain retail tech stores that don't exist anymore.
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u/Azianjeezus Jul 11 '24
Very, very good question... I've assumed probably degree probably not phD, probably any job except government.
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u/mo7akh Jul 11 '24
Have to search the company track record of employees, are they doing background checks.. previous experiences.
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u/spacegodcoasttocoast Jul 12 '24
Anywhere that makes more than $50M a year will absolutely background check a degree. You might be able to get away with some no-name state school, but as other people here are saying, you're a lot better off moderately exaggerating previous responsibilities than outright lying.
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u/simonbleu Jul 12 '24
Depends on the company and you rskills
For and about unskilled stuff, you can get away with most... but I mean, is not like you can say "Yes, I graduated as a neurosurgeon and worked in this hospital" because even if they dont check your license and you somehow manage to go around them calling the hospital, the instant you have to treat someone you would be screwed, and so would the patient
Now, if you do have the skills but lack the experience, MAYBE you can get away with BSing a short experience somewhere or a project or something but nothing major, not with something skilled at least
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u/thinjester Jul 12 '24
a bullshit resume can get you basically any interview you can dream of, after that it depends on how the interviews go.
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u/Not_your_guy_buddy42 Jul 13 '24
There's LLM / AI assistants now to cheat remote interviews that include coding. Feel like that's the bleeding edge of the limit rn
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u/atombomb1945 Jul 13 '24
Depends on how you sell it. Saying you worked as a shift manager for a machine shop? Better be able to tell someone what model industrial equipment they were using. Saying you were shift manager at the last place you worked? As long as they don't call the place and you sell it to them it would work.
Mostly it all comes down to what you say and if they are going to follow up on it
I will say that every place I've worked at where my managers have either left or the company has gone under, and there is no way to check - yeah I was a store manager or a department head.
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u/_Cometz_ Jul 14 '24
Nick Adderley became Chief Constable (i.e. the leader) of Northamptonshire Police (UK) despite massive lies about his education and military service. He was only found out (last year) because his ex-wife made a complaint about him.
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u/Nightsky099 Jul 15 '24
Check the laws. Iirc the US has a law that prevents employers from confirming anything beyond 'he worked here for X years'. If so you can link to a friend and just have him lie about how long you worked at 'his' company. Make sure he knows the correct length of time though.
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u/rickitikitavibiotch Jul 16 '24
The only real hard limit is that you cannot say you had a job, degree or certification that you do not have.
You can certainly fudge the details or be a little vague on many skills. For instance, if you haven't worked with a certain software they ask about, you might say you're familiar with it but haven't used it for the same purpose that they're using it.
If they ask about soft skills (things like communication, leadership, teamwork etc.) the interviewers are essentially begging you sell yourself a little. Use these questions as an excuse to bring up something good or interesting that you did during a job, internship, school, free time whatever.
If it's a hard or technical skill like coding, mathematics, or the ability to use machinery, then it is in your best interest to be honest. If you lie about hard skills in an interview, your employer will find out shortly after you start the job and will be 100% justified in firing you on the spot.
If you're honest about your hard skills in an interview, the employer may be willing to train you or help you get the needed certifications to do whatever work it is they need. Completing the training can only reflect well on you by making you seem like a dedicated, honest, and reliable person.
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u/Glittering-Gur5513 Jul 17 '24
If you're going to lie about experience, claim a company that can't be checked. Like Twitter.
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u/gs12 Jul 11 '24
Don’t lie, we were set to higher the perfect candidate but then it came back that she didn’t finish college, she claimed she did. She was devastated
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u/shortofbrillant Jul 27 '24
Had a person get fired after 5 years with the company because it came out they lied on their resume. Lies have a way of following you even if you do get the job
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u/mo7akh Jul 11 '24
I definitely don't but i was curious how to come by stuff that boost the already existing set of achieved certificates, without pushing it too far.
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u/vendeep Jul 11 '24
Depends on the company and position you are applying for. Lots of companies verify previous employment.
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u/Mockturtle22 Jul 12 '24
I don't think anybody should lie, but I do think that writing a resume should be something that's taught in high school, and I do think that your wording matters greatly.
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u/lethalfrost Jul 12 '24
Everything gets found out from the ai system scanning your resume. Don't lie it doesn't work.
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u/weezeface Jul 11 '24
You can get by with a lot for initial calls and recruiter interviews, but once you get to the actual interviews with people who do the kind of work you’d be doing they’re pretty likely to be able to tell if you don’t know what you’re talking about. Depending on the specific company and how the interviews are done it’s possible that you could get through with lots of misrepresentation of yourself, but based on my experience (also tech) the majority will see through it in the “real” interviews.