A recent study has revealed that more than 85 percent of the population lies or “embellishes” the information they present in their resumes, and that the use of deception is on the rise. Human Resources expert and President of Employco USA, Rob Wilson, says people are padding their resumes to help them get in the door. “Many people don’t even consider it to be a dishonest thing to do,” Wilson says. “They figure it is like taking the shampoo bottles from a hotel room, something that is expected and allowed.” One of the top five things applicants are lying about or embellishing includes their education. Wilson says though they may be honest about their degree, some will add certifications and training they do not actually have. Many will add time to their length of employment at other businesses to cover a period of unemployment, they will use past coworkers as references instead of managers, will fabricate duties performed in previous jobs and will lie about their salary history. Wilson says employers need to be aware of this trend in order to ask the right questions during the interview and reference checking processes.
