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

[Shirleyphallus]

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?

*Depends what you mean by lie?

Your CV is to sell you for that job. It’s not actually a truth document. I’ve seen some awful CVs because people insist on putting every job they’ve had on it, going back 15 years and including the job they did for 3 months. I’ve seen details of poor GCSEs when a simple “9 GCSEs achieved” would suffice.

You’ve got to make yourself look good!*

This^

If a prospective employer is asking for proof of your GCSE results over the age of say, 30, and you have higher qualifications then I would wonder the value of the role.

I may have 'ironed out the creases' on my cv in the past where I've had periods of unemployment between temp jobs i.e. stretched the beginning and end dates of the temp jobs. A pp remarked they did the same to 'cover up' a couple of gap years.

I was also given some good advice from an employment agency to sum up a period of years spend living overseas doing a mixture of paid and voluntary roles. In fact, that is the exact sentence.

My CV also doesn't need to go back to the Saturday job I had whilst I was at school because I'm now middle aged.

The jobs that I give referee details for are scrupulously true and correct so, what's the issue ?

I've had random employment agencies wanting the last five years worth of references which I have laboriously supplied then I've never heard from them again. Of if I did it was to turn my application down. I've had jobs that simply want references from the last two jobs I've had and I've got the job. Go figure.

But because the job spec only specified "GCSE English and Mathematics Grades A-C" they'd only accept my GCSE certificate.*

Most arts/humanities degrees won't have required A-C at GCSE Maths, so it's not a given that you'd have this, depending on your degree.

(I have never been asked for this but, for example, if you were going for teacher training you'd need to prove this - I would really struggle TBH though people in the position I'm in - worked using my degree and postgrad for a while, maybe a little bit fed up and looking for a change, have small DCs - might well be looking to train as a teacher so I bet it's not too unusual).

I wish I had the balls to lie on my CV. I got terrible grades for my A-levels but did really well in my BA/MA. I often wonder if they think how did a C/D level student get into uni.

Cs are not bad for a-levels at all! And a D is still (or used to be) a pass at A-level.

Plenty of people get in to uni with C grades

Someone I knew vaguely at university lied about his A-level grades on his application for a graduate job with a blue chip, was asked for his certificates, had some forged.

He got the job.

FetchezLaVache I don’t think the checks mentioned here actually would stop the most determined people, unless the forgeries were ie very poor. But what random Hr person would be up to speed on what ancient certificates looked like for random a level exam boards?

I have never lied on my CV. But just in terms of editing, I only list my degrees and results, nothing before that. I only started uni at 24 and previously worked in an unrelated career. So have literally chopped five years of my CV. I guess it makes me look younger than I am if people assume I started uni at 18, but otherwise there is no lying. Previous work hx is just no longer applicable and will just add to an already long CV.

I work in a highly regulated industry and am a member of a professional institute which sounds similar to the one Cherry is talking about.
I had to prove A levels, maths and English Lang GCSEs and I assume they contacted my uni when I got the job because I hadn’t yet received a certificate. I haven’t had to show anyone anything since then.

Don’t large companies outsource this checking to third parties now? I doubt the people doing these checks know the salaries of the people they are checking for.

Are you quite new to the workplace claudia? (As you mention not having your dgree certificate) I think it’s more understandable for first jobs.

But no, most companies don’t outsource checking

But no, most companies don’t outsource checking

They do in my industry. Most companies have been outsourcing background checks for the last decade or so. Some of the outsourced 'checkers' seem to be particularly unpleasant, boasting on their websites that they can 'catch out' candidates and implying that everyone has something to hide. Maybe it helps sell their services but it seems unnecessarily negative and unpleasant to me.

I’m wondering how the outsourcers check details? How do they legally do it in this age of GDPR?

Yes.

I don't have copies of my o level and cse certificates. My school doesn't exist anymore and I can't remember the exam boards used so wouldn't have a clue how to get copies. Thankfully I've never been asked for them

Some of the outsourcers I’ve seen say they only check the most recent level of education - ie only degree certs and nothing lower than that

When you’ve got 20 years or so work experience it seems crazy and very outdated to be asking for GCSE certs. Especially as the value of exams changes (ie now you can get an A* at a-level)

Most arts/humanities degrees won't have required A-C at GCSE Maths, so it's not a given that you'd have this, depending on your degree

Fair enough but I have a science degree which they knew from my application as well as a Maths A Level

Not new to the job market @caprisunorange
As I said, I hadn’t actually had my graduation ceremony when I started my first job. That’s quite normal. I still do think that most large companies outsource their CV checks.

I’m not sure what the big grin was about, but here is one for the fact I am not new to the job market

I know someone who lied about his degree certification, and was later caught out and sacked as a result. Managed to get another job in the same industry by not lying (he had a 2:i which was the industry standard for graduate jobs - no need to lie that he had a first). Second firm bought out several years later by first firm - who made his sacking a condition of the deal.

BUT twenty odd years later, he's a partner in the same industry, hefty six figure salary plus bonuses. So clearly, the karma bus stopping twice on the same offence has done him no long term damage

(By contrast, I've never lied or spun anything on my cv - though at the same time, I've never been corporate in any way, shape or form)

We’d make it clear on application form (we don’t accept CVs at any level) that we required permission for earlier checks. Not as extreme as positive security vetting but we do run checks.
We’d probably accept someone being upfront and saying they can’t remember the exact date they worked as a waitress at 16 but as someone in their fifties, I can account for my full employment history. I’ve had a good few jobs so it’s not as I feel I’ve ever only worked in one place.
If a company had closed we’d consuhow important it was to validate that particular employment. If everything else checked out, we’d let it pass.
It isn’t difficult to see lies as other stuff tends to not quite add up. If you’ve say, four As at A level in sciences and maths and S level distinctions, it might make someone wonder how you ended up getting a 2:1 degree in American History from UWE. If you’ve claimed A*s in ten GCSEs and your year of birth is 1976, alarm bells would sound.

Christ you use application forms? How 1980! Does anyone want to work where you do?

Sorry Claudia the was because obviously most companies don’t use an external agent to reference check. That’s what they pay a HR team for.

Christ you use application forms? How 1980! Does anyone want to work where you do?

Second this. It all sounds very archaic and mountains of paperwork for the sake of it.

Do you work for a government body perhaps?

If they send you on certain development courses, (ie degree) they ask for copies. You can get copies from the exam boards. It’s very risky lying

Who asks for copies mixedbags? I have literally never been asked. I last supplied by degree certificate about 12 years ago, in a junior job.

I lived on the streets for 3 months so a boss I used to work for covered that time in references. I actually have an interview tomorrow and I just know they are going to be by the book (large company) so I'm hoping he'll do it again. There are all sorts of conclusions people will jump to if I was to be honest. I don't owe them the details of my life.

Not quite the same but I once applied for a job, got an interview and had to cancel due to the dates.

They rang me back three weeks later and asked me to come in. I assumed that they didn’t find anyone and we’re re-interviewing.

Turned out I was in a room full of people for the induction 🙈 I was too shy to tell them they made a mistake so I just signed the contract and started the job.

Lying by omission I suppose.

That’s amazing Hwory!

Diddlysquats I can completely see why you do that

Good luck for your interview @Diddlysquats. Good for you on turning things around for yourself, I really hope you get the job.