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By
Michelle Reese
Tribune
January 18, 2006
(abridged version)
A
former recruiter recently published a guide that attempts
to convince job seekers that they can easily inflate
credentials on their resumes; seemingly without consequences.
The
author suggests that job seekers lie about job titles,
educational background, and position responsibilities
to get interviews, and eventually employment job offers,
for which they are not qualified. On his Web site
he is quoted as saying: "Once you realize the extent
that people go to in fabricating their resumes you
start to realize that those that don't lie on their
resumes stand to lose jobs to those that do."
But
local career experts tell clients not to go down that
path.
Kathy
Sweeney, Certified Professional Resume Writer and
Credentialed Career Master of Senior Executive Resumes,
said there are many consequences to taking this route,
from losing credibility to losing a job after you're
hired and the truth is discovered.
"If
a company finds out you lied on your application (which
reflects dates and degrees on your resume), they can
fire you. The author of the fake resume Web site forgot
to mention the eventual consequences to the job seekers,"
Sweeney said. "Further, if a candidate is dishonest,
and actually does land a job with a company that does
not conduct background checks, it will eventually
catch up to them during their tenure with the company.
They could end up in a position where they will fail
to meet the expectations of their new employer and
eventually be fired for incompetence."
This
practice not only hurts the lying applicant, but those
who do tell the truth. It may also hurt the company
and other employees in the long run, Sweeney said.
"A
person who does have the actual experience to meet
the job requirements may not be selected because he
or she appears to have less experience than the person
who lied," Sweeney said. "Further, if a company hires
an individual who lied on his resume, and then eventually
has to terminate him, it hurts everyone in the long
run because the costs to hire another individual are
astronomical and could result in lower salaries."
Job
seekers may have the skills and experience for a job,
and not know it. Look at your activities outside of
work: Do you plan events for a youth program? Volunteer
in a nursing home? Write your community newsletter?
All these require skills that can be transferred to
a new job. Applicants should seek out other ways to
add to their experience, and not pad their resumes.
Volunteer: Gain experience through a community or
nonprofit group. o Seek out company opportunities:
It may be in another department where a job seeker
wants to work.
Attend conferences and join associations: Even if
you don't work currently in your desired position,
you can attend a conference that interests you to
gain more knowledge and contacts. By joining an association,
you'll also gain a circle of people to network with
once you're ready to make a leap into the new area.
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