The Most Common Lies People Tell On Their Resumes

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Though they have a longstanding place in the corporate world, today resumes are becoming less and less effective. Sure, resumes may look great, and make great promises, but they are rife with embellishments.

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It's no wonder as to why. Did you know that 80% of resumes are intentionally misleading. Misleading about every possible aspect of employment history. The most common lies, in order of appearance, are:

  • Hiding employment gaps

  • Bogus college degrees

  • Experience embellishment

  • Claiming higher salary from previous jobs

  • Raised grade point average

  • Language proficiency

According to Business Insider, 31% of people admit to lying on a resume. Undoubtedly this is an understated number, considering that 70% of recent graduates say they would lie on a resume to get the job they want.

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The traditional hiring method asks you to trust the resume method, but can you know for sure how a candidate will perform after 3 months, 6 months, a year? The facts show that extraordinary candidates are already applying to your company; they're just next to impossible to find amidst the piles of resumes sitting on your desk.

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But what if you could always find these extraordinary people, before reading a resume, and be able to use the resume for what it's good for - listing specific qualifications. Knowing your applicants' inherent traits is vital but you aren't going to get that kind of insight from a piece of paper.

The good news is that leading companies have already discovered the answer to this question.

With the countless ways candidates can lie about their experience and qualifications, hiring managers and recruiters are becoming more savvy in the qualifying process. By using social media and psychometric testing, applicants stand a lesser chance of lying their way into a job. Just a few of the benefits to testing are:

Quickly, resumes are being ousted by other variables; eliminating the lies and getting to the actual inherent traits and abilities of each applicant.

Want to learn more about the new era of hiring? Sign up for the upcoming free eBook "Secret Weapons in the War for Talent: A Step-by-Step Guide to Making Hiring 3.0 and Big Data Win for You" today!

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