CareerBuilder, the online job listing service, not only specializes in helping match employers and job hunters, but it has developed a survey arm that provides insights into the job matching process.
It's just released the results of its latest survey that could justifiably be dubbed the CareerBuster survey, for it asks employers to divulge instances where applicants were caught lying in the interviewing process.
Such instances aren't rare. In fact, 56% of managers surveyed said they'd spotted a fabrication on a resume. Folks most often lie about their skill sets (62% of employers identified an embellished skill set) or their job responsibilities (54%). Nearly four in 10 caught someone faking dates of employment, and another quarter said they'd spotted academic claims that were false.
Now we come to the fun part: S*** people say in an interview or on a resume that just ain't so. Among the gems this year…
1. Applicant claimed to be a former CEO of the company to which they were applying.
2. Applicant claimed to be fluent in two languages – one of which was pig Latin.
3. Applicant's personal website linked to a porn site.
4. Applicant introduced himself [in the cover letter] by saying "Hey you."
5. User name of applicant's email address was "2poopy4mypants."
6. Applicant claimed to be a Nobel Prize winner.
7. Applicant claimed to have worked in a jail when they were really in there serving time.
8. Applicant claimed to have attended a college that didn't exist.
9. Applicant listed as a reference an employer from whom they had embezzled money and had an arrest warrant out for the applicant.
10. Applicant's stated job history had him in three different companies and three different cities simultaneously.
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
