Background checks and embellishing your resume

this blog before, and with recent news there is no reason not to re-visit the issue and re-enforce our previous claims. While it is OK to emphasize your attributes and focus on your prior achievements, to embellish or over-exaggerate these claims is fool-hardy. These days, high level background screening will rule out your resume before you get anywhere near the job. While most people are tempted to make themselves look more desirable than they really are, honesty seems to be the best policy. Ashwini Shekar, team leader, says, “Hiring someone based on what they have produced on their CV and realizing that they actually know nothing is a big waste of time for the company, as we will have to train them from scratch. So, these days, the moment we feel that some one’s resume looks too good to be true, we look closer.” Many pre-employment background checks have features in place to rule out ’embellished resumes’ as soon as they are sent in. “There are tests designed specifically to spot fakers. So we let applicants know beforehand that faking will not be appreciated. This has helped save a lot of time”, Shekar goes on to say. There is no doubt that while lying may get you a job, it certainly won’t get you job recognition. Shantha Kumar, HR executive at a software firm says “We’ve had several cases where people lied that they were proficient in the use of complex software programs. But when they were hired and asked to work on these very same programs, they drew a blank. This obviously reflects terribly on the appraisal form – for lying and under performing.” Moral of the story? Don’t lie. Being honest and showing who you really are in the application process will keep expectations on both parties reasonable for when you get the job, and set a stronger foundation for future successes.]]>