In Part 1 of this two-part post, we talked about some ways in which job seekers lie during the job search. Here we discuss what is likely to happen if you are dishonest when job hunting.
Getting caught and consequences
Employers don’t want employees who are dishonest; they are a liability. Employers will assume that job applicants are on their best behavior during the job search, and if that includes lying or other deceptive behavior, they can only expect more of the same from the applicant if they are hired. Many employers do background checks and reference checks, which uncover job-search lies. If your dishonesty is discovered prior to a job offer, you will no longer be considered. Dishonesty reveals not just a character defect and lack of qualifications for the job, but also desperation and a lack of confidence; none of these things are what employers want to see in applicants.
Employers want employees who do their own work, during the job search and on the job. This includes writing your own resume and cover letter or other required documents. These documents represent you, so they need to be written by you. If someone else writes them for you, the employer will think that you have essential workplace skills and abilities that you don’t actually have, and they will be factoring in that information when deciding who gets an interview. These abilities can include not just writing skills but also English proficiency, vocabulary, computer skills (including MS Office and in particular, Word skills such as formatting, editing, saving, uploading, and attaching documents), organizational skills and the ability to follow instructions, and persuasive skills.
If you submit someone else’s work as your own, this plagiarism communicates to an employer not only that you can’t be trusted and that you don’t have the technical and job-search skills to create your own documents, but also that you will try to get others to do your work, that you will seek shortcuts and try to take the easy way out when faced with a task, and that you can be expected to give only a minimal effort in any situation - all dealbreakers. It makes you dependent on someone else; each time you want to apply for a job you’ll have to find someone to help you cover up the fact that you can’t create your own documents. Presenting someone else’s writing as your own is even worse when writing is a requirement of the job.
An experienced interviewer will quickly figure out that you didn’t write your documents, and/or that you lied on those documents, if what you are saying in an interview doesn’t match what is in your resume and cover letter, or if you are unable to give further information about something in those documents. In addition to background and reference checks, employers can (and should!) ask behavioral questions during an interview, and require skill checks prior to hire, to determine if you actually have the abilities and experience you say you have.
Even if the lies are not discovered until after you’re hired, many employers have internal rules requiring the dismissal of anyone who is found to have lied during the hiring process. I once advised a woman who had been promoted at her last job after working there for five years. The position she held prior to the promotion didn’t require a Bachelor’s degree, but the promotional position did require one. When applying to the original position she had put on her resume that she had a BA; it wasn’t checked at the time because the degree wasn’t a requirement. Her promotion prompted a review of her resume by Human Resources, they found that she did not have the now-required degree, and she was fired. So, while you may think you’ve gotten away with it, you’ll always have to worry about your lies becoming exposed by a routine fact-check or audit, or someone from your past talking to someone at your current job.
As someone who has been a hiring manager and has been on hiring committees, I can tell you first hand about the mess that is created when someone lies and scams their way into a job. “Fake it until you make it” rarely works in these situations, especially if we are talking about faking skills that are major duties of the job. You might think you’re fooling the people around you, but your supervisor and co-workers will figure out in a hurry that you can’t do what you said you could do. This can result in work not getting done, or being done incorrectly, creating a burden on other staff to do or correct your work, and an understandable and permanent distrust of anything you say. These things cause disruption and hinder working relationships. It also creates extra work for your supervisor, who at the very least now has to watch you extremely closely. You may very well get fired, which is further disruption in the workplace.
Lying during the job search can have far-reaching outcomes, impacting your employability for a very long time. It can cause lasting damage to your reputation which will make it even harder to find the next job, and it can derail your career by causing repeated or long-term unemployment or underemployment. In some situations, lying during the job search can lead to legal consequences.
Employers want to hire people who are qualified, confident in their skills, able to communicate (verbally and in writing) why they should be hired, and honest.
If you are missing required skills for the job search or for the position you want, work on getting those skills
LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com) is great for learning tech skills, and access is free with your BPL card ; other options include the free courses offered by Udemy and Coursera (they have additional content which requires payment). BPL's Adult Learning options include opportunities to improve basic writing skills, prepare for HSE testing, learn English, and develop the skills to transition to further education and jobs - all free of charge.
If you are working on a resume or cover letter and would like feedback from one of our librarians, you can get a free review of your application documents via email or Zoom. (Please note: Our staff will offer suggestions and advice, but will not write resumes or cover letters or alter the documents that are submitted.) You will also find resources that can help you to get started writing your documents from scratch (and much more!) on our Job Search LibGuides page.
Telling the truth is always a better and smarter strategy than deception: apply for jobs that you are well qualified for, present yourself legitimately as a strong candidate for those positions, and focus on what you do have to offer.
Further reading: Dean at MIT Resigns, Ending a 28-Year Lie
Saying you’re still at a job that you’ve really left (5th question on page)
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