Everyone has been tempted to boost their CV up with small exaggerations.
Perhaps you’re not quite as fluent in French as you claim to be, or don’t ‘love teamwork’ to the extent you say you do – but when does a white lie become too much?
One British mother left social media torn when she asked for advice on stretching the truth for her ‘perfect job’.
‘It’s asking for experience at a certain type of company,’ she revealed on Mumsnet. ‘I do have that experience but only was there for 6 months and left because my boss was hell on earth.’
She then questioned if it would be unreasonable to ‘stretch out’ her time there to a year or 18 months.
One British mother left social media torn when she asked for advice on stretching the truth for her ‘perfect job’. Stock image used
The user, MumOfTwee, added there would be ‘no real way to check unless someone on the hiring panel knows someone who used to work at the other place, but even then it’s three jobs ago so can’t imagine they would check’.
She stressed that her job isn’t one where she’s responsible for the care or livelihood of others, writing: ‘I work in a creative industry so I’m not saving lives or doing anything specialist that would mean exaggerating experience might have any risks.
‘Do people do this all the time?’
Most commenters urged the mother to be honest on her CV, advising that it’s not worth the risk.
‘You’ll get found out, so no, don’t it,’ one warned. ‘Most people don’t lie on their CV.’
Another said it’s ‘much better to be honest’.
‘You might think it’s watertight now but these things have a habit of getting out,’ they continued. ‘Is it worth possibly losing a job you want, and a good reference, for the sake of this lie?
‘If they want this amount of experience to do the job well, then you might be aiming too high based on your current experience, and not be able to fulfil the requirements.
The user, MumOfTwee, also added there would be ‘no real way to check’ the allegation on her CV
Most commenters had urged the mother to be honest on her CV, advising that it’s not worth the risk
‘Again, this will result in a less than satisfactory experience on both sides.’
A third questioned whether the bluff would even prove advantageous.
‘If you have the experience, why do you need to lie about the amount of time,’ they asked. ‘You meet the requirements. I’d not risk getting found out.’
One user appeared more flexible, but recommended not extending the reality too far.
They penned: ‘Stretch it out if it will make the difference in getting your dream job. Keep it realistic though. I’d say almost a year.
‘And what does it really matter in the long run?
One user appeared more flexible, but recommended not extending the reality too far. Others slammed her as ‘morally bankrupt’
‘It’s not like you’re saying you can perform a certain kind of surgery. You’re in the creative sector : get creative xx…
‘Everyone is holier than thou on MN,’ they quipped. ‘If you know you can do the job – go for it.
‘Men would NOT be having this conversation. I can promise you that. I work in a 70/30 ratio of men to women.’
MumOfTwee later added: ‘How would anyone know how long I’ve worked at some random company from 8 years ago?
‘I won’t stand a chance if I say I was only there six months. Do you say don’t do it because its too risky or morally it’s bad? Or both?’
Another Mumsnetter replied that if that’s the case, it may not even be worth listing a job from that far back.
‘I don’t think it would be seen as relevant,’ they explained. ‘Can’t you just list the skills needed? If you’ve done it you’ve done it!’
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