In today’s slower market, job searching is weighing heavily on many people. As the saying goes, desperate times, call for desperate measures. But, the last thing you want to appear in a job search is desperate. Sometimes, this sense of uncertainty and borderline panic may lead people to stretch the truth a bit on their resume or when asked questions in an interview. We caution you, don’t do it!

If you overstate your experience, education, or activities, you are not being true to yourself, and you are definitely misleading a future potential employer, which will not get the relationship off on the right track. You also do not want to get into a role that does not suit your skills and background because you may very quickly find yourself back on your job search.

Most employers today run background checks, and many verify education and previous employment. Even if they loved you in the interview, if they find a misleading degree or misstated position, your chances of working for that employer, or employers with whom they are closely aligned, will quickly vanish. Don’t be too naive…bad news travels fast, and recruiters and hiring managers know individuals in similar roles in other companies. You are much better off to address your experience and education head on and allow for your references to validate your abilities.

-Allison