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Original poster

Have you ever lied on your CV? Were you found out?

210 replies

Shirleyphallus · 19/11/2018 21:15

I’m in the process of applying for jobs and am keeping to the letter of the law on qualifications / results etc as I’m terrified of being found out for embellishing it somehow!

Has anyone ever lied on their cv and if so, what was the outcome?

OP posts:
VenusClapTrap · 19/11/2018 21:20

I used to list Maths A-Level along with the other A-levels I took, despite the fact I actually failed it. I didn’t lie about the grade, just didn’t mention any grades.

AtSea1979 · 19/11/2018 21:22

Yes all the time. No never been found out.
Jobs I worked 20 years old have long since gone bust so I fudge the dates so there’s no gaps etc.

CherryPavlova · 19/11/2018 21:23

No. We’d sack anybody who was caught doing so regardless of how long they’d been in post.

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sunshineandshowers21 · 19/11/2018 21:23

i haven’t, but my one of my friends has been lying about her gcse results for years and has never been found out. she’s also in the past put her mother down for a reference as they have different last names and had her pretend to be her previous manager. obviously lying for a job in a shop, office etc is very different to lying about having the qualifications for a professional job where you will definitely found out.

ARRRGGGGHHHHHHH · 19/11/2018 21:23

Yup, to the point where I don't actually remember my real grades anymore! Confused

Kezzie200 · 19/11/2018 21:25

I have known someone to lie. She was my age. Quoted O levels. Then awarded herself an A* for English.

Apart from her CV being far from A* standard, she blew her cover with most of us in the office being past O level students.

I asked her to bring her exam certificates to interview and she arrived without them and she didnt know how to get copies. I asked if she was sure then her grades were accurate. Yes, she replied, she'd never forgotten them.

Oh well, she was perfect in many other ways too.

I do try to base some questions around the CV content, not to catch people out but to expand on experience. Passionate wording is one thing. Lieing is a whole different ball game.

citiesofbismuth · 19/11/2018 21:26

I've 'forgotten about', and therefore omitted, a couple of jobs that I wasn't at very long. I've doctored the start leave dates on jobs either side to conceal this.

I wouldn't lie about qualifications or experience though.

BuffaloCauliflower · 19/11/2018 21:26

I slightly adjust my work history to hide the fact I had a lot of random short term jobs when I was younger due to mental illness. It really doesn’t matter at all.

halfwitpicker · 19/11/2018 21:26

Yeah... Not about grades etc but where I worked etc.

I left out my 2 gap years, for example

BuffaloCauliflower · 19/11/2018 21:27

Also, if you have a degree you don’t need to put any qualification before that really, unless they’re relevant or you want to. I have my A levels, first degree and masters on there. No GCSEs, no one cares if you have a degree and it’s not something like teaching that requires them.

Original poster
Shirleyphallus · 19/11/2018 21:31

No. We’d sack anybody who was caught doing so regardless of how long they’d been in post.

How would you find out though Cherry? Ie a-level grades or something they’d done years ago?

OP posts:
KurriKurri · 19/11/2018 21:33

Someone at my XH's work had lied on his CV - he was sacked. Claimed a higher qualification than the one he actually had.
He went on to do further mad stuff and ended up in prison.

KurriKurri · 19/11/2018 21:34

x posted - the one at my X's work was found out because it became obivous he didn;t have the knowledge and skills he would have done had he got the qualification he claimed. So he was investigated.

JollyAndBright · 19/11/2018 21:36

A close friend of mine (mid 30’s) lists GCSE’s, subjects no grades despite having no GCSEs.
She also embellishes her work history, making temp jobs seem like she worked there several years and also completely fictional jobs for 10+ years ago.

It’s all because she left school before taking her GCSEs when she got pregnant as a teenager, she did a few rubbish jobs here and there but due to unreliable childcare she had a spotty work history, mostly temping and cash in hand jobs through her 20’s.

She’s been in her current role for 2 years, she’s been using the embellished cv for at least 7 years and she’s never been found out.
All office admin/secretarial jobs.

Original poster
Shirleyphallus · 19/11/2018 21:39

Slightly switching grades up I could understand but how do you get away with making up whole jobs?!

OP posts:
CherryPavlova · 19/11/2018 21:41

Exam grades and all qualifications are checked by bringing original certificates to interview. We cross match with photo ID.

I’ve recently been in a tribunal for sacking someone who lied. Their behaviour when asked about their prior experience didn’t quite add up. They exaggerated to other staff and were precious about tasks they considered beneath their qualifications and experience level. It just rang alarm bells so I asked HR to carry out further checks and call all employees listed.

redandwhite1 · 19/11/2018 21:42

I fudged dates, I had a gap so filled it either side!

Original poster
Shirleyphallus · 19/11/2018 21:43

Bringing original certificates?! There is absolutely no way I have any idea where my exam and degree certs are!

OP posts:
BringOnTheScience · 19/11/2018 21:44

Every job I've had has required me to produce the certificates (utilities then teaching).

The only time I'm a little selective is when I'm staffing the stand at a careers fair. I did A levels in Biology, Chemistry and Maths.... never mention that I also did General Studies and failed Maths!

I have 3 A levels. I did Biol, Chem, Maths. Both are true. My CV does not mention the maths.

greendale17 · 19/11/2018 21:45

Every job I have had has wanted original certificates as evidence. I wouldn’t trust someone who didn’t have their original degree certificate

treaclesoda · 19/11/2018 21:46

This blows my mind. I have never ever applied for a job where I wasn't required to list all of my GCSEs, all my A levels, my degree and any other qualifications. And provide the certificates to back them up if I was offered the job. In fact, a couple of times I had to bring the certificates to the interview and hand them over for inspection before the interview was allowed to proceed. I'm in my 40s.

CherryPavlova · 19/11/2018 21:47

I wouldn’t employ anyone without original certificates. If lost, it’s not difficult to get them from exam boards, university or registering body.

treaclesoda · 19/11/2018 21:48

And I've frequently had to fill in forms where I had to list all my dates of work to the very day and with an explanation for any gaps. I was unemployed for three weeks in 1998 and am still having to answer for it.

safariboot · 19/11/2018 21:49

You can get exam certs reissued can't you? Or would that not be acceptable to employers? (Meaning anyone who's had a burglary, flood, fire, etc is effed?)

I will admit, I'll probably leave my "year out" from my CV and just list the job as continuous.

Lovestonap · 19/11/2018 21:49

If I listed every job I've ever had my cv would run to about a million pages. I fudge dates. Ever since getting a degree I didn't bother to put GCSE or A Level results on a CV.

It's fine. I don't lie about qualifications and I give true referees.

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