It could be embellishing a former job title, talking-up responsibilities or even fudging qualifications – you name it, an applicant has done it. The problem is it’s happening more often than many employers realize. According to one background check firm, as many as 75% of resumes contain an inaccuracy. Some are fairly minor in nature, while others are out-and-out falsehoods, designed to tailor the resume to a specific job or to mask aspects of their background that are less favorable. “A candidate’s resume is their marketing tool to gain employment and hence they use it to portray themselves in the best light possible,” said Greg Newton from background-search firm Verify. According to Verify, the most common omissions or embellishments include: leaving out positions which are less flattering to a person’s ‘on paper’ career profile; modifying job titles to portrait a higher level position was occupied; and listing qualifications that were only commenced and not yet completed. Recent data has also indicated that candidates are more honest in their online profiles, such as on LinkedIn, than on their paper resumes, however; Verify found the opposite to be true.
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