I lied on my CV - AMA

[Cvlying]

Following on from a recent thread about cvs. Nc for this.
I have a fabricated cv- not completely but in my 20s what is on my cv isn't what I actually did.
After having children I changed career and couldn't find a job so I invented a job history that was fake. It worked and for the past 12 years I've been doing this career. I no longer put the fake history on cvs as I now have the experience to back it up.
Never got into trouble and always kept track of my lie.
So AMA

Maybe if your dream job had been taken by someone who lied about their qualifications you'd feel differently?

Too many incompetent people in jobs without any or enough real life experiences.

People in management positions who do not know how to and/or do not have the aptitude to manage staff is a massive issue.

This. I think it shows they think dishonesty is ok, can’t really grasp who may have lost out or been hurt by their actions, a lack of empathy.

and yes, if you were in my team and this came to light you’d be out.

Exactly. It absolutely shows a lack of empathy. It’s very selfish.

I think massaging the truth is fairly common on cvs and linked in. I have seen numerous examples of people I know who have embellished their job titles or made it appear they were in more senior roles than they actually were in, or making out they led projects and were responsible for all the outputs. Not saying it is right, but definitely common.

after 10years with the relevant experience, I shouldn’t think there would be any repercussions, particularly if you haven’t directly lied to current employer. Not like a previous employer is going to give a monkeys now!

Where have I said i was proud? I was just being factual.
How often do you talk about jobs over 10 years ago?
My current employment is based on the last jobs in the last 10 years which is all true.

I don't agree with embellishing CVs and I have achieved a lot without having to "massage the truth". However, this is a whole different level of fraudulent behaviour and there could well be serious repercussions if she were found out. Despite this she is dim enough to raise it on Mumsnet. Let's see if the Daily Fail picks it up. Guess that in itself says lots about why she had to lie in the first place.

Surely, you knew the consequences of removing yourself from the workforce for to solely focus on raising your children for ten years?

Why couldn’t you continue working at least part-time to keep your foot in the door like so many of us working women do?
This would have enabled you to have some financial independence and agency of your own, give you the work experience you lied about, would not have left a gap in your NI/State pension contributions, given you a life outside of the kids/home, etc.

If you could go back, would you make the same decision to not work for ten years due to childbirth and raising children up until the age 10/11?

I also can’t believe how many people are outraged by this. I think it’s cheeky but also you were in a difficult position. You had studied intensely in the field and were clearly good enough to do the job. A lot of the time people will recruit based on how they feel about a person, it’s a lot more nuanced than just job history.

I never said I didn't work for 10 years? I did I had a different career which I worked ft for years then maternity leave for and then back to pt.

Not surprising though. OP puts 10 years of false work experience on her CV and gets a job that she shouldn't have been awarded versus other candidates who actually had the experience required.

I’m in a senior leadership role and I’d give a monkeys. It’s shows they are prepared to be dishonest to advantage themselves and that’s not someone I want in my organisation

Why were you not able to stay within the field you worked in before you had children?

Was your DH not able to step up and share childcare and household responsibilities to enable you to remain in that field/career?

Would you be happy for your children to grow up to be liars?

They do. A permanent contract offer was recently rescinded as a temp lied about their CV. The issue came up as a result of one their references being obtained. It was an ‘important’ office role. Not a Surgeon.

Can't believe how pressed some are about this 😂. Good for you OP! Sadly, when perfectly capable women are still being discriminated against for taking a career break to raise their children, sometimes it's what you need to do. I've seen it expressed in threads that some recruiting wouldn't even look past the header of a woman's CV if she'd not worked for some years before. That's what needs to change.

Now that you're experienced and feel competent and secure in your role, have you told your colleagues and those who hired you? What do they say?

I used to work with someone in a similar position to you. They decided to have a complete career change, their whole CV was a lie, they got a good job, learnt how to do it, and progressed well from there. Once they had proved themselves, they told their colleagues they were a fraud and the reaction was apparently, oh well, you're doing a good job now. They didn't get sacked.

I didn't respect them as much after that (apart from their impressive bullshitting skills) and felt my own hard work and honesty had been wasted. I'm trying not to think about the jobs I could have got sooner if I'd just lied like them/you.

She didn't take a break for raising her children - read the OP. She fabricated lies to fraudulently get a job. And don't justify her dishonesty by the fact she is a woman. It doesn't wash.

I couldn't stay in my old career as it didn't pay enough to cover childcare for 2 children we would be paying for me to work.

I list most of the relevant roles I have held going back 30 years if need be, as it is necessary. Doing so has got me to the position that I am in now. I worked bloody hard during those years and I still do. I made many sacrifices along the way to get there, all of which have had an impact on our household/family life.

It is not clear what OP has told current employer. It could be that she lied to 1 or 2employers when moving into current field but hasn’t directly lied in terms of experience in getting current role. In which case, I really cannot see previous employers giving a monkeys - her employment with them has been and gone.

I lied to the first and second employer then after that I had legit references.
If my children lie then I would not be in a position to judge and would understand why. I hope that unlike my parents I would be able to give them some better advise about what the world of work was like.

So I can’t see there being any repercussions from this.

@ScandiNoirNuit you are totally missing the point. It has nothing to do with the chronology of her fake or real jobs. The crux is that she is deceitful, unscrupulous and, as well as fabricating complex lies, has involved the people closest to her to be complicit by writing fake references. I wouldn't employ her in a million years.

Yes. That’s what most of us working Mother’s have had to do during our children’s younger years. Pay childcare that may or may not just about cover the family’s childcare costs. Literally just continue to work to keep our feet in the door!

Did your Husband contribute to your joint childcare costs re. your shared children?