Three Common Resume Lies and How You Will Get Caught

Whether or not you have a job as visible as the head coach of Yale's football team or Yahoo's CEO, an alarming rate of people lie on their resumes. There are websites out there dedicated to the art of falsifying information. The statistics are different, depending on who is conducting the study. However, consistently more than 50% of people have admitted to fabricating information on their resume.

Most often, people lie on resumes to make themselves look good - or at least better than the truth! However, with so much detailed information about our private lives now publicly accessible via the internet, there are too many inexpensive ways a company can find out the truth. Let's look at some of the most common lies and see how an employer might discover the true facts about you.

Dates of Employment
It may just be failure to keep good records that keeps you from using the right dates. However, incorrect dates is one of the most common untruths out there. Many people have been unemployed for extended periods of time and want to cover that gap. Although this is one of the most common lies, it is easily verified with reference checks or even a simple check of your resume dates against your LinkedIn profile.

Education
It is perfectly acceptable to list a degree "in progress" or partially completed. However, what is not acceptable is claiming to have completed your degree, when you are in fact 57 credits from completion. Accu-Screen estimates that 16% of degrees are falsified and that 15% of job seekers will also falsify technical training or education. A very simple, inexpensive background check can reveal the truth.

Criminal Records
Job seekers with a criminal history are concerned that their negative law enforcement history will stop companies from making the hiring decision. This fear is grounded in reality, as this can prevent a company from giving you a shot. However, don't completely ruin your chances at landing a new job by lying on your resume or application about this key factor. Your criminal record does show up with the simplest, and most inexpensive background investigation. Therefore, address any convictions ahead of time and tell your (brief) story of what you have learned and how you have changed since your conviction.

Grammar Lessons for Job Seekers

I meet HR managers and recruiters all the time that tell me when they see a resume with spelling or grammatical errors, in their eyes the candidate is no longer considered. If this were the case for all employers, our nation's unemployment rate would be much higher. However, whether you consider yourself a spelling and grammar expert or not, the bottom line is that your resume is a paper representation of you. If it is full of mistakes and errors, in the employers eyes this is how you do your job.

One of the biggest issues I see when looking at resumes is the use of the homophones. Homophones are those tricky words that are pronounced the same, yet can have different spelling and meanings. Below I have gathered together - and clarified the use of - a list of the most common homophones that I see on resumes.

Led / Lead
The word lead is one of the trickiest on the list. What it means depends on how you pronounce the word. Lead (pronounced leed) can mean the act of showing the way, guiding, or directing. The word led is the past tense of the word lead. However, many people often use the word lead (pronounced like led) as the past tense of the verb "to lead," when actually this word refers to a soft metal. They led the team down to the lead mine.

Affect  / Effect
The easiest way to remember the difference is that affect is a verb that means to produce a change while effect is a noun that is refers to the change it produces. Rising gas prices affect everyone. The effect of higher prices is immediate. 

There / Their / They're
There is a location. Their is the possessive form of they. They're is a contraction of the two words they are. Here is a sentence that contains all three words: They're going to walk because their car is over there across the street.

Its / It's
When you want to contract the words it is or it has you use it's. When you are speaking in terms of the possessive you don't use the apostrophe and it is written its. It's cold outside so the dog laid in its bed.

Pique / Peek / Peak
You pique someone's interest or emotions. You quickly or furtively glance when you peek. The peak is the highest level of a mountain, frequency, volume, or intensity. After peeking at the peak of the mountain, my interest in climbing is piqued.

Your / You're
Your is simply the possessive form of you. You're is a contraction of the words you are. You're going to get sicker if you don't take your medicine.

Whose / Who's
This is very similar to its/it's and your/you're. You use whose as the possessive form of whom or who. Who's is a contraction of the words who is. Who's the lady whose family is waiting in the lobby?

Patients / Patience
Patients is the plural word that refers to people under medical care. Patience is the quality of being patient or being willing and able to suppress restlessness or annoyance. The patients were losing patience with the long wait time to see the doctor.

The Dangers of Using a Resume Template

For someone sitting down to write their resume it is natural to want to use a template in order to give themselves a starting place. You can find templates online, in sample books, in resume building software, and even in applications such as Microsoft Word. Although resume templates can help you launch the resume writing process, there are several negative aspects of using these templates that can actually hinder your job search success.

They Make it Harder to Stand Out From the Crowd
If you were competing with three other candidates that used the same resume template, how would you make yourself stand apart? Now expand this scenario to being in a pile with hundreds of candidates. The ones that seem similar to the others are going to be assumed to be "carbon copies" of the others, making them less likely to be read.

Studies show that when the resume is looked at by human eyes (as opposed to an online parsing program) they make a decision about whether or not to read your resume further within the first 10 to 15 seconds. When you use a template program, your resume tends to blend into the crowd and will not captivate the reader's interest.

They Eliminate the Strategic Marketing Aspect
There is no exact science to resume writing. There are no rules that say "write your resume exactly like this." A good resume is approached very strategically.

Where you locate sections (or whether you include them) on the resume depends on their strategic importance in your job search. For example, a template will always put the education section toward the bottom of the resume. If you are in a career transition and your education is one of your key selling factors, it needs to be moved toward the beginning of your resume. This is a change that many templates will not allow.

They Depersonalize the Resume
There is no one else that offers your unique blend of experience, skills, accomplishments, knowledge, and training. Therefore, your resume must be the way you distinguish yourself from other candidates.

Your personality, personal traits, and personal style should be reflected in your resume in a creative, yet professional, manner. What sets you apart from the crowd does not always fit into the confines of a template that is someone else's idea of what a resume should look like.

Test Your Resume IQ

I often tell people that resumes are like beauty. They are very subjective and everyone has a different opinion of what it right and wrong or good and bad. I think one of the reasons that I enjoy writing resumes is that there are no rules. Me being the "rebel" that I am, I enjoy creating a document that works for the individual and does not have to comply with a set of rules.

Although there are no hard and fast resume rules, there are guidelines that you can follow to ensure your resume is as effective as possible. Take this "test" to see how much you know about optimizing your marketability with your resume.

True or False: When writing a resume, more is always better.
False. There is such a thing as too much information. Your resume should seldom be longer than two pages and must only contain the information that is relevant to the job and the employer for which you are applying. Providing too much information will hide the important info and may scare away your potential employer.

True or False: Your resume must contain every job you have held since you graduated high school.
False. A resume is a generally accepted ten year picture of your work history. If you have only been in a professional career field for six years, you don't have to go back ten years. However, no matter if you have 25 years of experience, you should not go back further than ten years to avoid age discrimination.

True or False: Your resume should be generic enough to cover a variety of career fields.
False. There is no such thing as an effective generic resume. If you try to appeal to everyone with your resume, you will end up targeting no one. Pick a target, define your marketable skills in that career field, and highlight your most relevant accomplishments to effectively target a specific career field. This may mean that you need multiple resumes.

True or False: Employers like to know about your interests outside of work.
It depends. I know that is cheating, but whether or not you add your outside interests or volunteerism depends on how relevant they are to the job. If you have been a mechanic volunteering as as forestry worker for the last ten years and you want to work as a forest ranger, then you better include this info on your resume. However, most employers don't care that you like macrame and long walks on the beach.

True or False: A great resume will get you the job.
False. A resume is not designed to get you the job. Its purpose is plain and simply to land an interview. Few employers see a resume and make the decision to hire you without first conducting and interview. However, keep in mind that a poorly written resume can cost you the job opportunity.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share these every weekend so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

© Bellemedia | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

• 5 Daily Rituals to Manage Work Stress: "Try to get up a few minutes earlier than the rest of the household. Upon awakening, take a few deep breaths before beginning your day. Before the TV goes on, or you hit the e-mail, listen to some relaxing music or read an inspirational passage to start your day on a positive note."


• How Your Parents Could Cost You a Promotion: "Find the high-visibility extra duties that get you face time. That face time with the boss is crucial. Go to office parties, even if they're lame. Dress like you already have the job you want. Put your name on everything you do. Volunteer."


• Life's Work 2012: HBR Interviews 10 Intriguing People: "Don't burn bridges, because you just don't know when you're going to need to cross them."


• How Being Obsessed with Football Can Help You Ace Your Next Job Interview: "Work can, however, provide an array of meaningful experiences, even though many employees do not enjoy those in their current job. So, what are the sources of meaningful experiences at work?"


• Why Aren't You Getting Job Interviews: "Hiring managers don't care much that you held a string of jobs; they care what you accomplished there, and your resume needs to show them that." 

Five Resume Reminders, Courtesy of the IRS

There are some things that you just shouldn't do.

I was reminded of this while watching CBS Sunday Morning today. A worker for H&R Block was explaining all of the ways that past clients had tried to lie on their taxes: making up home offices, inventing dependents that didn't exist, and other nefarious yet creative actions.

Not good. Not smart. You would never do something so foolish.

But you are.

Resumes-despite all of the advice dispensed by professional after professional-are still found violating these intractable no-nos. Follow these to keep your application materials from not getting a trashcan audit:

Do not put a photo or birthdate: Employers don't want this information on a resume. At the resume stage of the game it's too personal, with some HR departments fearing that-knowing this information-they could open themselves up to discrimination lawsuits. So keep it off. Note: the situation is a bit different here in Europe, where this practice isn't necessarily frowned upon, but in America keep the photo and birthday off.

Do not include an objective: Objectives boggle my mind. I know what your objective is: it's to get my darn job! Substitute a strong summary of qualifications statement in lieu of an objective to quickly summarize your qualifications and accomplishments.

Do not only list your work locations and dates of employment: Your resume should not simply be a chronology of your work history. Employers are going to want to see how what you have done in your past directly relates (or relates as closely as possible) with the position available. They want to know the details, not just where you worked. On that note, be sure to...

Do not omit your accomplishments: Your job duties ("Sold men's clothing") are different from your accomplishments ("Increased sales 43% during tenure in the men's clothing section"). Highlight your accomplishments in your resume, particularly as they relate to the position being applied for.

Do not lie on your resume: About anything. Ever. Period. And if you have to ask, you probably shouldn't put it on there.

Make a strong case to a future employer and outshine the competition by heeding these "do not dos."

Why Isn’t Your Phone Ringing? Tips to Generate More Activity with Your Resume.

Have you been sending out your resume and are getting frustrated because the phone isn’t ringing? I recently had the opportunity to ask hiring managers what makes them decide not to call a candidate for an interview. You will not get call-backs for every resume you send out. However, if you pay attention to the following problem areas, your phone will ring much more often.

GENERIC RESUMES
One thing that human resources managers feel very strongly about is that you must tailor each resume to the job and the company to which you are applying. This doesn’t mean re-writing your resume each time you apply for a job. It simply means tailoring your resume to meet the needs of the company and the job for which you are applying.

Complete some preliminary research on the company before you send your resume. Find out what their priorities are, who their customer is, and how they can benefit from your skills. It is a proven fact that you will be more successful with 10 focused and targeted resumes than 100 generic resumes.

LACK OF REQUIRED SKILLS
This is a major source of frustration to hiring managers. If you don’t have 75 to 80% of the required qualifications for the job, then applying is a waste of yours and the hiring manager’s time. Remember, there is a difference between required and desired qualifications. Spend your time and energy applying for jobs where you meet much of the required qualifications.

RESUME LACKS VISUAL APPEAL
The purpose of a resume is to entice the hiring manager to pick up the phone and call you for an interview. If you have a resume that is not pleasing to the eye, they will move on to the next person very quickly. Studies show that you get between 10 and 25 seconds of attention for your resume. Here are some tips to make your resume more visually appealing:
• The resume should not be crowded, too little or too much white space will turn people off.
• Spacing should be consistent throughout the document. If you indent your bullet points, indent them all the same.
• Use bullet points. Using paragraphs instead of bullet points makes the reader think you are asking them to read a novel about you.
• Bold key areas such as your name, headings, job titles, and degrees to bring attention to your resume.
• Ensure your resume is organized and easy to follow.

USING JOB DESCRIPTION LANGUAGE
Remember, a resume is not a history of your career. Avoid using job description language such as “Responsible for . . .” or “Duties included. . .” Instead, use action words, accomplishments, and results-oriented statements. Every line of your resume should demonstrate the benefits a company will receive if they hire you.

TYPOS OR MISSPELLED WORDS
Nothing will get your resume passed over faster than typos or misspelled words. Your resume should be a glowing example of the type of work you do. Typos or misspelled words tell an employer you lack attention to detail and perform sloppy work. These are not exactly the best qualities for a potential employee. Remember, spellchecker is not perfect. Read your resume, read it again backwards, and have someone you trust read it a third time before you even consider sending it to potential employers.

5 Common Resume Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Have you been sending out resumes for jobs you are well-qualified for and not getting any response? Usually, when this happens, the fault lies with the resume. Think of your resume as your calling card that you allow to speak for you when you can not be there. Ask yourself, what is your resume saying about you? Make sure your message is loud and clear by avoiding these common issues.

Poorly Organized or Hard to Read Formatting
Your resume gets an average of 10 to 15 seconds of attention from the hiring manager. If it is too difficult to read, is unorganized, crowded, or has font smaller than 10 points, chances are a hiring manager won’t make the effort. Ensure there is plenty of white space on the resume to increase readability. Use formatting such as borders and bolding key areas to lead the eye through the resume.

Speaking in Job Description Language
Once upon a time, a resume was simply a description of your every day duties. In today’s market, this approach will not get you an interview. To ensure your resume is effective, you want to tell about the benefits you have to offer the company and what results you have achieved. Speak in action-oriented words and avoid phrases such as “responsible for” and “duties included.”

Typos or Spelling Errors
One typo, one misspelled word, or one misused word can mean your resume gets put into the “NO” pile. Your resume must be perfect and free of errors. Don’t rely on spell check to catch your errors. Many of the most common errors (using manger instead of manager OR using your instead of you’re) will not be caught by spell check.

Generic Resume
There is no such thing as an effective generic resume. If you take the time to tailor and focus your resume to the individual company and job, you will be more likely to get a call back. In fact, it has been proven that 10 focused resumes will get more calls for interviews than 100 generic resumes. Only include information that is relevant to the position and company for which you are applying. The more irrelevant information you include, the harder it will be for the employer to locate the “good stuff” that is most relevant to them.

Red Flags
Red flags are a danger to a resume. Some examples include large gaps in employment of more than one year, excessive amounts of jobs in a short period of time, lack of dates for your work history, going back more than 10 years in your work experience, and evidence of specific religious or political affiliations. You never want to lie on your resume, however there are ways to camouflage or explain these issues. Check back next week for more information on this subject.