Everyone knows that lying on your resume is probably not a good idea and yet many people still give in to the temptation to do exactly that. Next time you are applying for a job, consider these four reasons you should not lie on your resume.
- You May Get Caught
Most employers do not check every detail on every resume, but if they are seriously considering you for a position, they may check some of the important ones. Once upon a time, checking to see if an employee is telling the truth involved making a lot of phone calls or writing a lot of letters, but today, many of the details you put on your resume can be easily checked by using tools such as education verification services. Because of this, if an employer wants to make sure that you really did graduate from Harvard, they can pretty easily find out.
- Stress
Even if you do not get caught, you will probably spend a lot of time worrying that you might get caught. If your lie is not detected during the application process you could potentially spend years worrying that every time you are up for a promotion or expected to take on new job responsibilities whatever you fudged on your resume could be exposed.
- You Could Lose Your Job
Even if you have been a very good employee, if your employer finds out that you lied on your resume, you could end up losing your job. Employers need to be able to trust their employees and an employee who has been lying about his qualifications for weeks, months or even years may no longer seem trustworthy. Additionally, employers may want to make an example out of you to discourage other employees from dishonest actions.
- Your Reputation May Be Ruined
If you lose your job because you got caught lying, it may be difficult to find a new job. You will have to explain to potential employers why you were fired from your previous job, which may cause them to pass you over because you seem untrustworthy. If you try to avoid this situation by omitting the job from your resume or inventing an excuse, then you risk being fired from another job for lying.
Lying on your resume to land a job you really want may be tempting, but ultimately is not worth it. Consider these four reasons you should avoid the practice the next time you are tempted.
