Research reveals most common lies told on CVs

Nick Elvin

Seventy-one per cent of hiring managers have caught a lie on a CV, according to a new survey by CareerBuilder.co.uk.

And more than a third of these employers have seen instances of CV embellishment increase post-recession.

However, the study revealed how recruiters would not necessarily turn down an application if they discovered a candidate was lying on their CV.

Forty-one per cent of those surveyed said they would automatically dismiss an applicant, while 52% said it would depend on what they had lied about. Six per cent said they’d be willing to overlook a lie if they liked the candidate.

According to the survey, the most common lies employers catch on CVs relate to:

• Embellished skill set (57%)
• Embellished responsibilities (57%)
• Dates of employment (40%)
• Job title (36%)
• Companies worked for (32%)
• Academic degree (27%)
• Awards/recognitions (15%)

“Trust is very important in professional relationships, and by lying on your CV, you breach that trust from the very outset,” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder.

“If you want to enhance your CV it is better to focus on highlighting tangible examples from your actual experience. Your CV doesn’t necessarily have to be the perfect fit for an organisation, but it needs to be relevant and most importantly accurate.”

The survey also looked at how long employers take to review individual CVs. Just over half (51%) said they spend more than two minutes reading through each CV, while 25% spend less than 60 seconds and 12% spend 30 seconds or less.