OneShift founder Gen George reveals the seven most common CV lies

EVERYONE fudges the truth a little ... right? It turns out some people are telling whoppers right throughout their CV. Here are the most common lies.

BE HONEST. Have you ever fudged the truth on your CV? 'Expanded' your experience to make you seem more worldly? Or inflated your salary in order to get a bigger pay bump?

If you're feeling guilty, you're not alone.

A survey of more than 23,000 businesses by career matchmaking site OneShift found that more than 56 per cent had experienced staff lying on their CV. CEO Gen George said it's surprisingly common how often people do it, whether its to boost their salary or improve their references.

"People do it because they want to impress and tick all the boxes. It's about getting the interview and once they're in the door they sell themselves on personality, but they feel they have to over-impress to get past that first barrier," she said.

Here are the seven most common things people lie about:

Dates of employment - It's often said you need to be in a job for at least 12 months before starting to look around, a misconception that can lead people to fudge dates to make them look more senior.

Ms George said the worst case she ever experienced was interviewing the same person for two separate jobs eight months apart and they insisted nothing had changed in their work situation. However a quick phone call to the previous company revealed they hadn't worked been working for at least 12 months.

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But despite the temptation to exaggerate tenure, Ms George said in most cases dates really aren't that important.

"It depends on the role. If you're looking for a CEO or CFO you'd hope they would stick to it but when it's other roles there's a lot of flexibility. It's about what suits you and your company. When I look at a CV it's not about time frames, it's about what they can do."

Job titles - Vice President, Sales definitely sounds punchier than Junior Accountant, but unless you were actually doing executive duties, it's probably not worth pretending you were.

"Embellishing what you've done in the past will trip you up because you'll be expected to take on similar tasks but you'll be unsuitable for the role," Ms George said, adding that a quick call to the former boss is all it takes for your lie to backfire.

So you were a senior executive after just eight months? Impressive. Picture: Thinkstock.

Skills and accomplishments - So you built the website for your last company, designed their software system and boosted sales by 50 per cent? Rather than make you sound like a miracle worker, exaggerating your accomplishments can seem ridiculous.

"Once you start prodding it becomes very transparent as to whether they did it or not," Ms George said, adding that it's still important to list experience that goes beyond your job description, provided they are things you've actually done.

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Salary - Inflating your salary is probably the most tempting thing to do because people want to set a precedent so they can earn more in their next job, Ms George said.

However employers can easily double check your salary bracket with your last manager so don't shoot yourself in the foot by aiming for the stratosphere.

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Education - Degrees and academic results are two of the most common fibs, as people boost their grades or change their major to suit the job listing, Ms George said. After all, who would ever find out?

But ultimately, she said finding the right person is more important so don't blow their trust by lying. "You can train someone to do anything but you can't train the morals and value and culture they bring to the team."

Masters from Harvard? Check.

Responsibilities - "It's pretty common for a resume to state that the job seeker "managed a team" or "managed an account" in their last position," Ms George said as the wording can leave this open for interpretation. "But let's be honest, managing is managing. And if you were the lowest on the totem pole or really anything other than the manager, you didn't manage."

References - It's a common joke that no one has a bad reference, but using friends and family to stand in for professionals is dangerous ground.

"Coercing friends and family to lie and act as your professional references can get them in trouble too so it's hardly fair on anyone involved. Value your friendships and look elsewhere for a genuine reference," Ms George said.

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Gen George's tips for a great CV

• Don't worry so much about your formal qualifications. Work history, freelancing, interning and doing things relevant to your industry are all hugely important. "It's not just about having degrees, it's having the work ethic," she said.

• Check spelling and grammar with a fine tooth comb and make sure the cover letter is specific for the role. Bosses don't want to hear about how much you'd love to work somewhere else.

• When you're writing an introductory paragraph at the top of your CV, keep it in the first person. "If you're going to write about yourself you've got to take ownership," Ms George said.

• If you take time out of the workforce to have children, own it. More and more people are listing their time spent parenting on their CV and including skills used like time management and organisation, Ms George said. "It's interesting that it's becoming more acceptable to say I took time off to raise a family. People usually try to hide it and say they did hours freelancing."

Have you ever told a lie on your CV? Continue the conversation on Twitter

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