Would You Lie On Your CV?

Yet, a recent survey by job site Adzuna.co.uk has revealed that as many as a third of job hunters are doing just that.

Adzuna.co.uk conducted a survey of 3,587 participants either in, or looking for, employment. When asked if they had lied on their CV, a whopping 37% admitted to doing so at some stage in their professional career.

Of those that had lied on their CV, 83% said they still got the job, with 43% stating that their lie directly contributed to them bagging the role.

But did they ever get found out? According to 83% of candidates who lied on their CV, their fib was never discovered by their boss or co-worker. Which is perhaps why 96% of CV liars said they would do it again (with 37% revealing they would be prepared to tell a “big lie” to get their dream job).

However, not all CV discrepancies are there to maliciously hoodwink hiring managers. Most of the time survey respondents just wanted to “inflate the truth.”

According to the survey, most people fib about their skillset, e.g. being proficient in Excel (43%); their work experience (39%); and their education (35%).

So, what does your average CV fibber look like? According to the results, they are usually male (58%), aged between 25 to 34 years old (34%), and looking for a job in Marketing or Advertising (17%). Other sectors where candidates were more likely to inflate the truth were: Retail (14%), Finance (12%) and Law (12%).

Whether they expect it or not, 48% of HR professionals admit to not always checking an employee’s qualifications, and only 62% believe you should check references.