Topic: Have you ever lied on a job Application?

I don't mean a huge lie. Just little things. Like say they want you to list your previous employers and you say you worked there longer than you actually did. In some cases telling the honest truth could actually prevent you from getting hired. Some jobs I've worked at lasted for just a few months. If I write that on an application it looks bad. They'll start asking questions about why I quit and then It makes it worse. Obviously you shouldn't lie but the truth can hurt too. You're damned if you do and damned if you don't. Is honesty really the best policy?

Im yet to lie on one however I think that if the truth could make them not hire me and there was no way they could find out I think I might.....only if its a little white lie.

If you aren't lying then you're doing it wrong.

Hm, yeah there is certainly some grey area. I know of an employee who lied about having a previous felony conviction, and was of course fired (a couple years on the job later) after it came out, but most application lies are pretty minor. Many applicants simply overstate their technical abilities. In the past, I was very modest in that area, but I quickly learned that I was far more fluent in programming languages for which I'd listed myself as "competent" than most applicants who rated themselves at an "expert" level.

As for the length of a previous position, I wouldn't worry unless that is also one of your references, in which case you'd best let them know, because the new employer is likely to confirm start and end dates if they call.

i never have, but it's also the reason i've been turned down from dozens of employers.

Perhaps exaggerating things a bit. But actually lying?.... Not really.

"Is honesty really the best policy?"

Yes, it really is. Take responsibility for your decisions and don't lie to cover up something that happened previously.

Of course, that doesn't mean you need to disclose everything. If there is something that you really don't want to discuss with a potential employer, then simply leave it off your resume... but don't lie about stuff like length of employment and starting dates at other companies (especially since those are easy to verify).

@ejamer: That's technically a lie of omission. Which I won't condemn anyone for, since I routinely do just that on my job applications. I was fired from my first job seven years ago, but they specifically told me I didn't have to put it on future applications. So I never have. No reason to let a stupid 14-year-old's mistakes hurt a smarter 21-year-old's chances of employment, right?

No.

Not usually on the application. I might lie in the interview about something minor that is frivolous. Like I might say of course I am a people person ( and in the back of my head knowing I hate 99.9% of the people I come into contact with ). That kind of stuff.

@WiiPS2guy
I know what you mean. I'm not much of a people person either but I have to pretend I am If I wanna get hired anywhere. Social skills are usually a must at any job. That's something I've never been good at.

Not necessarily, although I guess it depends on semantics.

When you write a good resume, it usually doesn't include every detail and experience from your life - just the most relevant details for the job in question. As long as you aren't hiding something that the employer is legally entitled to know about, then a resume consists of information that you voluntarily disclose. It's expected that people will put their best foot forward and not advertise details that aren't related to the job in question.

The thing to worry about is how you can justify that time if asked what you accomplished during that empty space on your resume. If you are young (a student, for example) then most employers won't be concerned.

I only go with white lies for my job history, but my qualifications and personal activities are all completely fabricated. For instance, I have excellent A-levels and do a lot of charity work (protip: I have no qualifications and have never done any charity work).

I'm also my own reference. I always get a glowing recommendation :]

No, and people who lie on their job applications really piss me off (yes, some of you people just pissed me off quite badly), because not only do they often end up in a job they can't actually do very well and become a nuisance to their fellow employees when they fail at basic stuff they claimed they knew, but the rest of us who stay honest don't get employed because we weren't the candidate with 5 A-B grade A-Levels or whatever.

this x99999999. i can't tell you how many people i've dealt with that can't do basic math or follow simple instructions using terminology they should already know

Hey, I've done that also!

Usually, I just fib a bit. Stretching how long I was employed at a business that is no longer around, making the charity work I've done sound more important, that sort of thing.

Better to be pissed off than pissed on.

Nope. I though that was illegal?

If it's any consolation I'm simply a troubled genius and more than capable of performing the menial tasks which have been assigned to me in my various minimum-wage employments :]