The most common lie was previous employment salary (32.8%), followed by abilities (30.8%) and work experience (30.5%).
Finding the proper employees is difficult for hiring managers. Besides abilities, experiences, and cultural fit, candidates’ honesty is crucial.
In a recent survey by StandOut CV, over half of US respondents admitted to lying to secure their desired job.
A survey of over 2,100 Americans revealed that 64.2% admitted to falsifying information on their resumes, which is an increase from 55% reported last year.
The most common lie was previous employment salary (32.8%), followed by abilities (30.8%) and work experience (30.5%).
Other resume fabrications include:
1. College (29.6%)
2. Job titles (28.4%)
3. Equipment/software expertise (27.4%)
4. Personal info (26.5%)
5. High school data (26.5%)
6. Employer references (25.4%)
Nearly three-quarters of respondents (73.4%) said they would use AI tools to lie on their resume in 2024, and more than half (51.6%) said they would use affordable apps that generate interview answers during video or phone interviews.
Three in five (60%) respondents stated they lied in a job interview, significantly more than the 54.4% who lied on their resumes. This could be discussing project input depth or lying about past work experience. Most (46%) stated they would lie on their next job interview, while 11.9% claimed they wouldn’t.
Who lied most?
The survey found that individuals in the arts and creative industries (79.8%), retail and hospitality workers (76.6%), and education sector (69.8%) were most likely to lie on their resumes. Men were also more likely than women (65.6% vs 63.3%).
Youthful people were more prone to lie on their resumes, according to the study. Millennials (64.9%) and 18-25-year-olds (80.4%) lied most. 57-65-year-olds lied the least (40.5%), followed by seniors (46.9%).
Research reveals candidates may mislead about personal characteristics to prevent age or racial prejudice.
Catch them if you can.
Fascinatingly, not every resume liar gets caught. 18.6% of people who lied were never found, while 81.4% of them were caught either during serious conversations or by telling a white lie.
Most liars were caught before they were caught. During a job interview, 31.5% of individuals were caught lying on their résumé, compared to 23.7% who were caught earlier. After the interview, 25.8% were discovered, followed by 12.7% after being offered the position, and 4.3% after starting.
Overall, 84.1% of people who accepted a job offer after lying indicated they could handle the everyday tasks. This usually signifies a good job interview process to exclude candidates lacking the requisite skills, but it could also suggest individuals who told tiny lies that wouldn’t damage their job performance.
The most prevalent outcome was a job offer withdrawal (35.5%), while 19.9% received a fine or earnings adjustment.
