What are the chances and potential consequences of faked work experience being discovered?

The name of the pictureThe name of the pictureThe name of the pictureClash Royale CLAN TAG#URR8PPP





.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty margin-bottom:0;







up vote
57
down vote

favorite
4












A friend of mine has been unemployed for nearly 8 months, and is coming to the end of his unemployment benefits. After reading about how difficult it is to find jobs after 6 months of unemployment, I recommended adding a (fake) part-time job in his field of expertise to his resume. My boss is fine with him using our company name, and even offered to provide a reference if needed. We're a small company, and every other employee would be able to deal with a surprise call for my friend,



After thinking on the idea, we're not certain whether we should proceed.



  1. How likely is it to have fake work experience like this found out?

  2. If found out, what would the consequences be to my friend's chances of employment?






share|improve this question




























    up vote
    57
    down vote

    favorite
    4












    A friend of mine has been unemployed for nearly 8 months, and is coming to the end of his unemployment benefits. After reading about how difficult it is to find jobs after 6 months of unemployment, I recommended adding a (fake) part-time job in his field of expertise to his resume. My boss is fine with him using our company name, and even offered to provide a reference if needed. We're a small company, and every other employee would be able to deal with a surprise call for my friend,



    After thinking on the idea, we're not certain whether we should proceed.



    1. How likely is it to have fake work experience like this found out?

    2. If found out, what would the consequences be to my friend's chances of employment?






    share|improve this question
























      up vote
      57
      down vote

      favorite
      4









      up vote
      57
      down vote

      favorite
      4






      4





      A friend of mine has been unemployed for nearly 8 months, and is coming to the end of his unemployment benefits. After reading about how difficult it is to find jobs after 6 months of unemployment, I recommended adding a (fake) part-time job in his field of expertise to his resume. My boss is fine with him using our company name, and even offered to provide a reference if needed. We're a small company, and every other employee would be able to deal with a surprise call for my friend,



      After thinking on the idea, we're not certain whether we should proceed.



      1. How likely is it to have fake work experience like this found out?

      2. If found out, what would the consequences be to my friend's chances of employment?






      share|improve this question














      A friend of mine has been unemployed for nearly 8 months, and is coming to the end of his unemployment benefits. After reading about how difficult it is to find jobs after 6 months of unemployment, I recommended adding a (fake) part-time job in his field of expertise to his resume. My boss is fine with him using our company name, and even offered to provide a reference if needed. We're a small company, and every other employee would be able to deal with a surprise call for my friend,



      After thinking on the idea, we're not certain whether we should proceed.



      1. How likely is it to have fake work experience like this found out?

      2. If found out, what would the consequences be to my friend's chances of employment?








      share|improve this question













      share|improve this question




      share|improve this question








      edited Nov 30 '17 at 16:34









      Dukeling

      8,70132447




      8,70132447










      asked Mar 26 '14 at 3:35









      Fireflight

      409145




      409145




















          11 Answers
          11






          active

          oldest

          votes

















          up vote
          101
          down vote













          Lying on a résumé can have serious consequences for your employment prospects, not just now but in the future. It's pretty normal for companies to check up on previous employment; they may or may not call your boss, and if they call someone who has never heard of your friend they will be exposed. If your boss goes along with this and the company finds out about it, he might be fired.



          Even if your friend gets a job, if the company subsequently finds out he lied on a résumé, they can (and probably will) terminate him. If they terminate him, then anyone calling that company for a reference in the future will (perhaps) be told that he lied on his résumé and was fired.



          There are so many ways this can go wrong.






          share|improve this answer


















          • 36




            Plus, agencies and recruiters tend to hold on to CVs. Once you've sent out a false one, there's very little chance you'll ever be able to make sure they are pulled back in again. It could come back to haunt you many years down the line.
            – Julia Hayward
            Mar 26 '14 at 10:24






          • 12




            Maintaining lies is difficult, that's why they usually are discovered.
            – Jan Doggen
            Mar 26 '14 at 11:10






          • 8




            I've known multiple people who have been sacked because of dishonesty on a resume. Falsification of licensure, education and work history have all been grounds for termination, and every company I've worked for has a standing policy of termination regardless of job performance.
            – Joel Etherton
            Mar 26 '14 at 12:17






          • 4




            While I don't advocate it, to be fair, even if you get busted with a fake job. Employers don't really communicate any information about an employee across employers very often to avoid legal entanglement. Heck, a CTO made it all the way to the top without a real Comp-Sci degree. But I guess that's a slightly different lie. The reality is that while most, like myself, don't lie on their resume, many do, and they often get away with it.
            – Mark Rogers
            Mar 26 '14 at 14:31







          • 4




            @BrianS - Oh hey, yeah the CTO claimed to have a CS degree, but did not. I found a link Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson to stand down after faking computer science degree on his resume
            – Mark Rogers
            Mar 26 '14 at 15:45


















          up vote
          42
          down vote














          How likely is it to have faked work experience like this found out?




          You never know who will be reading your resume. As part of the screening process for new members of a team I was on, each of us was given a candidate's resume. One was from a person who started at my previous company a few weeks before I left. That person claimed more experience and time at that company than they actually had. In fact, they stated that they'd started there around the same time I did!



          I mentioned this to my manager at the time, and that brought their entire work history into question. Suffice it to say that the person didn't get an interview.



          You might not get caught. Or you might. Why risk it?






          share|improve this answer
















          • 31




            I've had a similar story - been given a resume of a person who claimed to have written a webapp that I actually wrote myself. That was funny.
            – sevenseacat
            Mar 28 '14 at 5:32










          • What if I do not fake my duration at the company. But I do fake about my work background. For an example, I wish to switch to Java Development, however I was working in Testing domain. In such case, faking a resume to be a java developer in history might help! What would you suggest in such case?
            – Veer Shrivastav
            Sep 10 '16 at 6:08






          • 1




            @VeerShrivastav, I would suggest you don't do that. Ever. The chances of being caught are high and if you get the job, then you usually can't do it at the expected level and will get fired for cause. Faking experience in any way is simply a bad idea.
            – HLGEM
            Dec 19 '16 at 18:07










          • I can top that. I once was offered a very good C++ person. Which to my knowledge did not know any C++. I checked. I asked him. He was at the time my employee. And no, he was not aware his CV was circulated.
            – TomTom
            Nov 30 '17 at 16:41

















          up vote
          23
          down vote













          @DJClayworth has it - the correct answer is do not, its bad idea. Its way over any boundaries any company that has an ethics policy would accept.



          But, if you decide to go ahead your reputation and career is on the line, as is your boss's and your company's. Your boss should not be going along with it, as he represents the company you work for.... Its also you friends, and if he gets employed, the recruitment agency that put him forward. That is potentially a lot of damage...



          Even asking your boss was a dubious career move.



          Your friend should work part time in your office (or work from home) - even if unpaid - on something. In a couple of months its the truth, no lies, no ethical concerns. He could also do volunteer work for a worthwhile cause - a local charity, school or church.






          share|improve this answer
















          • 2




            In the US, it is not always legal to work unpaid. But +1 for pointing out the potential hit to the boss and his company.
            – thursdaysgeek
            Mar 26 '14 at 15:40











          • @thursdaysgeek You can't volunteer?
            – Basic
            Mar 27 '14 at 16:38






          • 4




            A for-profit company can have unpaid internships under certain circumstances, but no, they can't just accept volunteer workers. "Under the FLSA, employees may not volunteer services to for-profit private sector employers." from dol.gov/elaws/esa/flsa/docs/volunteers.asp
            – thursdaysgeek
            Mar 27 '14 at 16:48










          • OP is in Canada, Whats the law there?
            – mattnz
            Mar 27 '14 at 19:24










          • @mattnz Not a lawyer, but a volunteer worker would not be an employee since they'd have no expectation of wages. Promising to pay any wage at all (like $1) might expose the employer to a claim (initiated by the employee) under the Employment Standards Act that they didn't pay minimum wage. A contract to work for $1 could have the wage portion struck because it would be illegal.
            – Spehro Pefhany
            Nov 24 '15 at 17:12

















          up vote
          22
          down vote














          If found out, what would the consequences be to my friend's chances of
          employment?




          It depends on your friend's employer.



          If caught lying on a job application, your friend could be fired immediately, or the application could be tossed if discovered before he is hired. And your friend's professional reputation could take a severe hit.



          Or not.



          The employer could just laugh. Or the employer could just shrug but your friend could lose a level of trust.



          Here are more reports of consequences: https://www.google.com/#q=dismissed+for+lying+on+resume



          As a manager, it's very important to me that I am able to trust folks on my team. Lying puts a big dent in that trust. Whenever I'm interviewing a candidate, any lie usually means he/she is crossed off the list immediately.



          If you search here at workplace (perhaps for "lying on resume" or such) you'll see that this topic has surfaced many times in the past.



          Personally, I think you gave your friend very poor advice. Not only are you making your friend into a liar, you are making everyone at your company liars as well. Your mileage may vary.






          share|improve this answer


















          • 5




            " like to trust folks on my team. Lying puts a dent in that trust. Whenever I'm interviewing a candidate, any lie usually means he/she is crossed off the list immediately." Agreed. Same here.
            – reirab
            Mar 27 '14 at 20:37


















          up vote
          14
          down vote













          I am a litigation attorney. I prepare, vet and present witnesses, including technical and medical expert witnesses . I also work in the labor and employment area.



          You gave your friend very poor advice. I find it difficult to believe your boss agreed to back up the non-existent job. Your boss has put his own job at risk.



          If a future employer found out, it would be grounds for immediate termination, for cause, for either your friend or your boss. It could impair their ability to get unemployment compensation in the future. It is an action which goes directly to their propensity to tell the truth or lack thereof.



          Should he ever be involved in litigation , either as a party or as an expert witness, a lie on a résumé or curriculum vitae is a death knell to his credibility.



          If I want to verify his background employment, it is very easy to do, legally, with currently available public databases and a phone call. Say I am a future employer in 2 years and I call HR at your current company to confirm his past employment. I can get dates of employment, last salary and, in some states, whether he is eligible for re-hire. I do not go to the person listed as contact on his résumé – I go to HR. HR would have no record of him.



          If he applies for a job that requires a background check and he signs an authorization to release information, it is even easier.



          It will not take very much on-line research to find examples of people who have padded their résumés and been caught. As a fairly recent example, see George O'Leary who lost the coaching slot for Notre Dame football for a résumé "inaccuracy" which lay unexamined for 20 years. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_O%27Leary



          If your friend is concerned about the period of unemployment, he can say he free-lanced – if he did so – as John Doe's Odd Jobs and Computer Clean Up Services or something similar. All that is needed to make that legitimate is to run the antivirus program on his grandmother's computer and rake his parents yard.



          Call him up, tell him you reconsidered and that your first advice was off base.






          share|improve this answer






















          • You can find out an applicant's past salary?? Hmm, I find it strange. Opens so much room for fraud, for people finding out each other's salary on fake pretexts. How sure are you?
            – Ruby
            Jan 11 '15 at 8:41







          • 1




            I am quite sure that I can legally ask for and learn a person's ending salary at a past job and whether they are eligible to be rehired. Maybe I am being particularly dense but I don't see the fraud possibility there. The job applicant would need to know who at his former employer would be called and have agreed in advance about the specific erroneous information to be shared. That is too complicated to be plausible or practical.
            – piquet
            Apr 5 '15 at 2:42


















          up vote
          12
          down vote













          There are a myriad of ways to fake an employment history. By far the simplest would be to state that he worked for a startup which went out of business, hence his need for a job after only 8 months. You could easily just pick a fake name out of a hat (make sure it doesn't exist) or pick the name of one that recently folded which would have zero ways of confirming. It's likely that any company he interviews with won't even quiz him about it.



          Heck, he could just say he founded a company that ultimately wasn't able to get off the ground and went out faster than expected...



          Small businesses go under all the time so it wouldn't even be a blip on the cursory checks that are performed for the vast majority of jobs.



          HOWEVER, there are dragons here.



          If this person ever rises to the point of serious responsibility, such as C level. Then the odds increase that the background he puts on a résumé will be examined in quite a bit more detail; not necessarily by HR but rather by share holders. And not just the résumé he sent to a current employer, but the investigation might likely go through prior ones.



          Scott Thompson made news in 2012 because he apparently lied about having a particular degree. He did have a college degree, just not the one his résumé indicated. This seems like a minor thing as he had obvious tech credentials from previous employment, however it was the lie itself that resulted in his ouster as the CEO of Yahoo.



          So, to answer the questions:




          How likely is it to have faked work experience like this found out?




          Likelihood is commiserate with the level of job he is seeking and the diligence of HR. Entry/non managerial job - unlikely to uncover if it will take more than an hour. Higher than that? It'll come out eventually.



          I think I've only be contacted once about a previous employee. It was a recruiter trying to find someone to say the person was good. Usually HR departments ignore the "who to contact" and simply dial up the company directly asking for their HR department to confirm employment. So unless the HR dept. is also in on this then the likelihood of discovery goes up.




          If found out, what would the consequences be to my friend's chances of
          employment?




          Usually immediate termination/dismissal OR an emphatic demand for resignation. If found out during the interview process, then immediate disqualification from consideration. Beyond that, other effects will depend on how often people in your particular industry talk. It would make an easy story to tell so I'm sure it would be passed around.






          share|improve this answer


















          • 2




            "It's likely that any company he interviews with won't even quiz him about it." I would disagree here, especially depending on industry. When I'm interviewing a candidate (or when I've been interviewed for positions,) most of the discussion has been about previous experience. There's no way that at any engineering job, for instance, they'd not ask about what you were doing at your last job and they'd probably ask some questions you hadn't thought to make answers for ahead of time.
            – reirab
            Mar 27 '14 at 20:35







          • 1




            There are major dangers and dragons to lying on resume. I worked at a manufacturing plant once, way back when those existed in usa, we were getting a contract from a mega-corp, and they ran detailed checks on all of our resumes. Wanted to see if we had ever worked for competition, and help protect against corporate spying, is what they said.
            – Dan Shaffer
            Nov 24 '15 at 17:38

















          up vote
          10
          down vote













          Rather than faking work experience, a better tack would be to make relevant experience. During periods of unemployment, there are usually volunteer projects that can be found which can fill in the gaps. During a period while I was waiting for clearance, for example, I did some freelance programming for Prison Fellowship. I made my own "company" hired myself, and did freelance volunteer projects. It wasn't paid work, but it was real work - and yes, it is on my resume under "Self-Employment"



          Pretty much as long as you are doing something, you can call it experience. Indeed, even if you try your hand at coding a project and launching it into the world, that's self-employment.



          Don't lie - you will be found out. And, you can be fired for lying.



          But you can hire yourself and use that time to fill in the gaps.






          share|improve this answer




















          • Would not it be better to call yourself a President or something?
            – Ruby
            Jan 11 '15 at 8:39

















          up vote
          4
          down vote













          If you are working in a company that is willing to pull strings like that for your friend, why wouldn't you just get him to do some sort of token project? Submit an invoice for no money and call him a consultant. He will have the actual paper trail, something he can put on his resume and no one has to lie about it. The work could just be a make work project but provided the token paper work is in place no one is lying that he 'worked' for your company.






          share|improve this answer



























            up vote
            2
            down vote













            It's really simple, like the others said: DON'T DO IT !



            My father had a friend that worked in a company that handled a part of the finances of other companies (don't know exactly how this works, not very familiar with this field). When he was hired, he lied about graduating from college. They discovered this 7 years later (don't know how) and, even though he had excellent job performance, they fired him.



            It's more likely that this will be discovered than it is to go unnoticed. Even if it's reasonable to believe that, after 8 months of unemployment, he's getting kind of desperate, don't encourage him to do it. If you're a true friend, do anything to stop him from this course of action. Slap him if you have to. Slap him again if he doesn't get it.






            share|improve this answer



























              up vote
              -5
              down vote













              If your boss truly is fine with him using the company name and providing a reference, AND everyone there is 'in on it', then I'm going to be extremely blunt: the risks are severe, but if he's totally out of other options to keep his career from a total stall it may be one evil versus another. Making up experience out of whole cloth (fake company, fake experience, fake pay, fake references, etc.) is incredibly risky but if he has a REAL company with REAL people willing to vouch for him, again, to be blunt, he's in pretty good shape.



              It boils down to the fact that recruiters are people too, and only have so many hours in the day to comply with the truckload of legal and corporate crap piled on them and only so much energy to do it all. The average recruiter is highly unlikely to do much more digging than confirming the company exists and making a few phone calls unless he's applying for a very senior position or handling lots of very sensitive information.



              Bottom line---make up as little as physically possible, and if he's hired, keep in mind that it may be a good idea to apply for somewhere else at a similar or better position WITH A RESUME THAT HAS THE FAKED-UP STUFF LEFT OUT. This should probably be a 'hold over' job for him. The chances of two companies sharing such information are basically zip and if he goes elsewhere with recent experience and a current job, he can likely put this all behind him.






              share|improve this answer
















              • 4




                This does not anything to the many other answers.
                – Jan Doggen
                Dec 23 '14 at 21:42

















              up vote
              -6
              down vote













              I will go against what everyone else is saying.



              The economy is extremely difficult right now, and your friend should do anything it takes to get a real job.
              If that means lying through his teeth, do it.



              I was in the same situation 10 years ago, my industry had a lack of roles available and I was lacking experience.
              Falsified my resume with lies to get a job, friends were my references.
              Never applied for jobs I couldn't do, or something beyond the scope of learning on the job.



              I was desperate for work and nearly broke, within a month doing this I had a good job.
              As long as your lies are well constructed you are fine, HR and recruiters do not care, as long as you have 3 references, no criminal record and pass the drug tests you are good to go.



              Obviously it depends on the level of role as well, anything higher than middle management and there could be more scrutiny on your past.






              share|improve this answer
















              • 2




                Hi Nigel, welcome to The Workplace. I'm wondering about your paragraph, claiming that HR and recruiters don't care that you are lying as long as you have references and pass their tests. Do you have any research or evidence to back this up as it's a rather bold claim? That would be much appreciated, especially regarding our back-it-up-rule.
                – CMW
                Mar 28 '14 at 8:37









              protected by Monica Cellio♦ Jul 12 '15 at 4:21



              Thank you for your interest in this question.
              Because it has attracted low-quality or spam answers that had to be removed, posting an answer now requires 10 reputation on this site (the association bonus does not count).



              Would you like to answer one of these unanswered questions instead?














              11 Answers
              11






              active

              oldest

              votes








              11 Answers
              11






              active

              oldest

              votes









              active

              oldest

              votes






              active

              oldest

              votes








              up vote
              101
              down vote













              Lying on a résumé can have serious consequences for your employment prospects, not just now but in the future. It's pretty normal for companies to check up on previous employment; they may or may not call your boss, and if they call someone who has never heard of your friend they will be exposed. If your boss goes along with this and the company finds out about it, he might be fired.



              Even if your friend gets a job, if the company subsequently finds out he lied on a résumé, they can (and probably will) terminate him. If they terminate him, then anyone calling that company for a reference in the future will (perhaps) be told that he lied on his résumé and was fired.



              There are so many ways this can go wrong.






              share|improve this answer


















              • 36




                Plus, agencies and recruiters tend to hold on to CVs. Once you've sent out a false one, there's very little chance you'll ever be able to make sure they are pulled back in again. It could come back to haunt you many years down the line.
                – Julia Hayward
                Mar 26 '14 at 10:24






              • 12




                Maintaining lies is difficult, that's why they usually are discovered.
                – Jan Doggen
                Mar 26 '14 at 11:10






              • 8




                I've known multiple people who have been sacked because of dishonesty on a resume. Falsification of licensure, education and work history have all been grounds for termination, and every company I've worked for has a standing policy of termination regardless of job performance.
                – Joel Etherton
                Mar 26 '14 at 12:17






              • 4




                While I don't advocate it, to be fair, even if you get busted with a fake job. Employers don't really communicate any information about an employee across employers very often to avoid legal entanglement. Heck, a CTO made it all the way to the top without a real Comp-Sci degree. But I guess that's a slightly different lie. The reality is that while most, like myself, don't lie on their resume, many do, and they often get away with it.
                – Mark Rogers
                Mar 26 '14 at 14:31







              • 4




                @BrianS - Oh hey, yeah the CTO claimed to have a CS degree, but did not. I found a link Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson to stand down after faking computer science degree on his resume
                – Mark Rogers
                Mar 26 '14 at 15:45















              up vote
              101
              down vote













              Lying on a résumé can have serious consequences for your employment prospects, not just now but in the future. It's pretty normal for companies to check up on previous employment; they may or may not call your boss, and if they call someone who has never heard of your friend they will be exposed. If your boss goes along with this and the company finds out about it, he might be fired.



              Even if your friend gets a job, if the company subsequently finds out he lied on a résumé, they can (and probably will) terminate him. If they terminate him, then anyone calling that company for a reference in the future will (perhaps) be told that he lied on his résumé and was fired.



              There are so many ways this can go wrong.






              share|improve this answer


















              • 36




                Plus, agencies and recruiters tend to hold on to CVs. Once you've sent out a false one, there's very little chance you'll ever be able to make sure they are pulled back in again. It could come back to haunt you many years down the line.
                – Julia Hayward
                Mar 26 '14 at 10:24






              • 12




                Maintaining lies is difficult, that's why they usually are discovered.
                – Jan Doggen
                Mar 26 '14 at 11:10






              • 8




                I've known multiple people who have been sacked because of dishonesty on a resume. Falsification of licensure, education and work history have all been grounds for termination, and every company I've worked for has a standing policy of termination regardless of job performance.
                – Joel Etherton
                Mar 26 '14 at 12:17






              • 4




                While I don't advocate it, to be fair, even if you get busted with a fake job. Employers don't really communicate any information about an employee across employers very often to avoid legal entanglement. Heck, a CTO made it all the way to the top without a real Comp-Sci degree. But I guess that's a slightly different lie. The reality is that while most, like myself, don't lie on their resume, many do, and they often get away with it.
                – Mark Rogers
                Mar 26 '14 at 14:31







              • 4




                @BrianS - Oh hey, yeah the CTO claimed to have a CS degree, but did not. I found a link Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson to stand down after faking computer science degree on his resume
                – Mark Rogers
                Mar 26 '14 at 15:45













              up vote
              101
              down vote










              up vote
              101
              down vote









              Lying on a résumé can have serious consequences for your employment prospects, not just now but in the future. It's pretty normal for companies to check up on previous employment; they may or may not call your boss, and if they call someone who has never heard of your friend they will be exposed. If your boss goes along with this and the company finds out about it, he might be fired.



              Even if your friend gets a job, if the company subsequently finds out he lied on a résumé, they can (and probably will) terminate him. If they terminate him, then anyone calling that company for a reference in the future will (perhaps) be told that he lied on his résumé and was fired.



              There are so many ways this can go wrong.






              share|improve this answer














              Lying on a résumé can have serious consequences for your employment prospects, not just now but in the future. It's pretty normal for companies to check up on previous employment; they may or may not call your boss, and if they call someone who has never heard of your friend they will be exposed. If your boss goes along with this and the company finds out about it, he might be fired.



              Even if your friend gets a job, if the company subsequently finds out he lied on a résumé, they can (and probably will) terminate him. If they terminate him, then anyone calling that company for a reference in the future will (perhaps) be told that he lied on his résumé and was fired.



              There are so many ways this can go wrong.







              share|improve this answer














              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer








              edited Nov 24 '15 at 16:21









              cwallenpoole

              42627




              42627










              answered Mar 26 '14 at 3:48









              DJClayworth

              41.5k989147




              41.5k989147







              • 36




                Plus, agencies and recruiters tend to hold on to CVs. Once you've sent out a false one, there's very little chance you'll ever be able to make sure they are pulled back in again. It could come back to haunt you many years down the line.
                – Julia Hayward
                Mar 26 '14 at 10:24






              • 12




                Maintaining lies is difficult, that's why they usually are discovered.
                – Jan Doggen
                Mar 26 '14 at 11:10






              • 8




                I've known multiple people who have been sacked because of dishonesty on a resume. Falsification of licensure, education and work history have all been grounds for termination, and every company I've worked for has a standing policy of termination regardless of job performance.
                – Joel Etherton
                Mar 26 '14 at 12:17






              • 4




                While I don't advocate it, to be fair, even if you get busted with a fake job. Employers don't really communicate any information about an employee across employers very often to avoid legal entanglement. Heck, a CTO made it all the way to the top without a real Comp-Sci degree. But I guess that's a slightly different lie. The reality is that while most, like myself, don't lie on their resume, many do, and they often get away with it.
                – Mark Rogers
                Mar 26 '14 at 14:31







              • 4




                @BrianS - Oh hey, yeah the CTO claimed to have a CS degree, but did not. I found a link Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson to stand down after faking computer science degree on his resume
                – Mark Rogers
                Mar 26 '14 at 15:45













              • 36




                Plus, agencies and recruiters tend to hold on to CVs. Once you've sent out a false one, there's very little chance you'll ever be able to make sure they are pulled back in again. It could come back to haunt you many years down the line.
                – Julia Hayward
                Mar 26 '14 at 10:24






              • 12




                Maintaining lies is difficult, that's why they usually are discovered.
                – Jan Doggen
                Mar 26 '14 at 11:10






              • 8




                I've known multiple people who have been sacked because of dishonesty on a resume. Falsification of licensure, education and work history have all been grounds for termination, and every company I've worked for has a standing policy of termination regardless of job performance.
                – Joel Etherton
                Mar 26 '14 at 12:17






              • 4




                While I don't advocate it, to be fair, even if you get busted with a fake job. Employers don't really communicate any information about an employee across employers very often to avoid legal entanglement. Heck, a CTO made it all the way to the top without a real Comp-Sci degree. But I guess that's a slightly different lie. The reality is that while most, like myself, don't lie on their resume, many do, and they often get away with it.
                – Mark Rogers
                Mar 26 '14 at 14:31







              • 4




                @BrianS - Oh hey, yeah the CTO claimed to have a CS degree, but did not. I found a link Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson to stand down after faking computer science degree on his resume
                – Mark Rogers
                Mar 26 '14 at 15:45








              36




              36




              Plus, agencies and recruiters tend to hold on to CVs. Once you've sent out a false one, there's very little chance you'll ever be able to make sure they are pulled back in again. It could come back to haunt you many years down the line.
              – Julia Hayward
              Mar 26 '14 at 10:24




              Plus, agencies and recruiters tend to hold on to CVs. Once you've sent out a false one, there's very little chance you'll ever be able to make sure they are pulled back in again. It could come back to haunt you many years down the line.
              – Julia Hayward
              Mar 26 '14 at 10:24




              12




              12




              Maintaining lies is difficult, that's why they usually are discovered.
              – Jan Doggen
              Mar 26 '14 at 11:10




              Maintaining lies is difficult, that's why they usually are discovered.
              – Jan Doggen
              Mar 26 '14 at 11:10




              8




              8




              I've known multiple people who have been sacked because of dishonesty on a resume. Falsification of licensure, education and work history have all been grounds for termination, and every company I've worked for has a standing policy of termination regardless of job performance.
              – Joel Etherton
              Mar 26 '14 at 12:17




              I've known multiple people who have been sacked because of dishonesty on a resume. Falsification of licensure, education and work history have all been grounds for termination, and every company I've worked for has a standing policy of termination regardless of job performance.
              – Joel Etherton
              Mar 26 '14 at 12:17




              4




              4




              While I don't advocate it, to be fair, even if you get busted with a fake job. Employers don't really communicate any information about an employee across employers very often to avoid legal entanglement. Heck, a CTO made it all the way to the top without a real Comp-Sci degree. But I guess that's a slightly different lie. The reality is that while most, like myself, don't lie on their resume, many do, and they often get away with it.
              – Mark Rogers
              Mar 26 '14 at 14:31





              While I don't advocate it, to be fair, even if you get busted with a fake job. Employers don't really communicate any information about an employee across employers very often to avoid legal entanglement. Heck, a CTO made it all the way to the top without a real Comp-Sci degree. But I guess that's a slightly different lie. The reality is that while most, like myself, don't lie on their resume, many do, and they often get away with it.
              – Mark Rogers
              Mar 26 '14 at 14:31





              4




              4




              @BrianS - Oh hey, yeah the CTO claimed to have a CS degree, but did not. I found a link Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson to stand down after faking computer science degree on his resume
              – Mark Rogers
              Mar 26 '14 at 15:45





              @BrianS - Oh hey, yeah the CTO claimed to have a CS degree, but did not. I found a link Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson to stand down after faking computer science degree on his resume
              – Mark Rogers
              Mar 26 '14 at 15:45













              up vote
              42
              down vote














              How likely is it to have faked work experience like this found out?




              You never know who will be reading your resume. As part of the screening process for new members of a team I was on, each of us was given a candidate's resume. One was from a person who started at my previous company a few weeks before I left. That person claimed more experience and time at that company than they actually had. In fact, they stated that they'd started there around the same time I did!



              I mentioned this to my manager at the time, and that brought their entire work history into question. Suffice it to say that the person didn't get an interview.



              You might not get caught. Or you might. Why risk it?






              share|improve this answer
















              • 31




                I've had a similar story - been given a resume of a person who claimed to have written a webapp that I actually wrote myself. That was funny.
                – sevenseacat
                Mar 28 '14 at 5:32










              • What if I do not fake my duration at the company. But I do fake about my work background. For an example, I wish to switch to Java Development, however I was working in Testing domain. In such case, faking a resume to be a java developer in history might help! What would you suggest in such case?
                – Veer Shrivastav
                Sep 10 '16 at 6:08






              • 1




                @VeerShrivastav, I would suggest you don't do that. Ever. The chances of being caught are high and if you get the job, then you usually can't do it at the expected level and will get fired for cause. Faking experience in any way is simply a bad idea.
                – HLGEM
                Dec 19 '16 at 18:07










              • I can top that. I once was offered a very good C++ person. Which to my knowledge did not know any C++. I checked. I asked him. He was at the time my employee. And no, he was not aware his CV was circulated.
                – TomTom
                Nov 30 '17 at 16:41














              up vote
              42
              down vote














              How likely is it to have faked work experience like this found out?




              You never know who will be reading your resume. As part of the screening process for new members of a team I was on, each of us was given a candidate's resume. One was from a person who started at my previous company a few weeks before I left. That person claimed more experience and time at that company than they actually had. In fact, they stated that they'd started there around the same time I did!



              I mentioned this to my manager at the time, and that brought their entire work history into question. Suffice it to say that the person didn't get an interview.



              You might not get caught. Or you might. Why risk it?






              share|improve this answer
















              • 31




                I've had a similar story - been given a resume of a person who claimed to have written a webapp that I actually wrote myself. That was funny.
                – sevenseacat
                Mar 28 '14 at 5:32










              • What if I do not fake my duration at the company. But I do fake about my work background. For an example, I wish to switch to Java Development, however I was working in Testing domain. In such case, faking a resume to be a java developer in history might help! What would you suggest in such case?
                – Veer Shrivastav
                Sep 10 '16 at 6:08






              • 1




                @VeerShrivastav, I would suggest you don't do that. Ever. The chances of being caught are high and if you get the job, then you usually can't do it at the expected level and will get fired for cause. Faking experience in any way is simply a bad idea.
                – HLGEM
                Dec 19 '16 at 18:07










              • I can top that. I once was offered a very good C++ person. Which to my knowledge did not know any C++. I checked. I asked him. He was at the time my employee. And no, he was not aware his CV was circulated.
                – TomTom
                Nov 30 '17 at 16:41












              up vote
              42
              down vote










              up vote
              42
              down vote










              How likely is it to have faked work experience like this found out?




              You never know who will be reading your resume. As part of the screening process for new members of a team I was on, each of us was given a candidate's resume. One was from a person who started at my previous company a few weeks before I left. That person claimed more experience and time at that company than they actually had. In fact, they stated that they'd started there around the same time I did!



              I mentioned this to my manager at the time, and that brought their entire work history into question. Suffice it to say that the person didn't get an interview.



              You might not get caught. Or you might. Why risk it?






              share|improve this answer













              How likely is it to have faked work experience like this found out?




              You never know who will be reading your resume. As part of the screening process for new members of a team I was on, each of us was given a candidate's resume. One was from a person who started at my previous company a few weeks before I left. That person claimed more experience and time at that company than they actually had. In fact, they stated that they'd started there around the same time I did!



              I mentioned this to my manager at the time, and that brought their entire work history into question. Suffice it to say that the person didn't get an interview.



              You might not get caught. Or you might. Why risk it?







              share|improve this answer












              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer










              answered Mar 26 '14 at 10:09









              Tom Petersen

              42132




              42132







              • 31




                I've had a similar story - been given a resume of a person who claimed to have written a webapp that I actually wrote myself. That was funny.
                – sevenseacat
                Mar 28 '14 at 5:32










              • What if I do not fake my duration at the company. But I do fake about my work background. For an example, I wish to switch to Java Development, however I was working in Testing domain. In such case, faking a resume to be a java developer in history might help! What would you suggest in such case?
                – Veer Shrivastav
                Sep 10 '16 at 6:08






              • 1




                @VeerShrivastav, I would suggest you don't do that. Ever. The chances of being caught are high and if you get the job, then you usually can't do it at the expected level and will get fired for cause. Faking experience in any way is simply a bad idea.
                – HLGEM
                Dec 19 '16 at 18:07










              • I can top that. I once was offered a very good C++ person. Which to my knowledge did not know any C++. I checked. I asked him. He was at the time my employee. And no, he was not aware his CV was circulated.
                – TomTom
                Nov 30 '17 at 16:41












              • 31




                I've had a similar story - been given a resume of a person who claimed to have written a webapp that I actually wrote myself. That was funny.
                – sevenseacat
                Mar 28 '14 at 5:32










              • What if I do not fake my duration at the company. But I do fake about my work background. For an example, I wish to switch to Java Development, however I was working in Testing domain. In such case, faking a resume to be a java developer in history might help! What would you suggest in such case?
                – Veer Shrivastav
                Sep 10 '16 at 6:08






              • 1




                @VeerShrivastav, I would suggest you don't do that. Ever. The chances of being caught are high and if you get the job, then you usually can't do it at the expected level and will get fired for cause. Faking experience in any way is simply a bad idea.
                – HLGEM
                Dec 19 '16 at 18:07










              • I can top that. I once was offered a very good C++ person. Which to my knowledge did not know any C++. I checked. I asked him. He was at the time my employee. And no, he was not aware his CV was circulated.
                – TomTom
                Nov 30 '17 at 16:41







              31




              31




              I've had a similar story - been given a resume of a person who claimed to have written a webapp that I actually wrote myself. That was funny.
              – sevenseacat
              Mar 28 '14 at 5:32




              I've had a similar story - been given a resume of a person who claimed to have written a webapp that I actually wrote myself. That was funny.
              – sevenseacat
              Mar 28 '14 at 5:32












              What if I do not fake my duration at the company. But I do fake about my work background. For an example, I wish to switch to Java Development, however I was working in Testing domain. In such case, faking a resume to be a java developer in history might help! What would you suggest in such case?
              – Veer Shrivastav
              Sep 10 '16 at 6:08




              What if I do not fake my duration at the company. But I do fake about my work background. For an example, I wish to switch to Java Development, however I was working in Testing domain. In such case, faking a resume to be a java developer in history might help! What would you suggest in such case?
              – Veer Shrivastav
              Sep 10 '16 at 6:08




              1




              1




              @VeerShrivastav, I would suggest you don't do that. Ever. The chances of being caught are high and if you get the job, then you usually can't do it at the expected level and will get fired for cause. Faking experience in any way is simply a bad idea.
              – HLGEM
              Dec 19 '16 at 18:07




              @VeerShrivastav, I would suggest you don't do that. Ever. The chances of being caught are high and if you get the job, then you usually can't do it at the expected level and will get fired for cause. Faking experience in any way is simply a bad idea.
              – HLGEM
              Dec 19 '16 at 18:07












              I can top that. I once was offered a very good C++ person. Which to my knowledge did not know any C++. I checked. I asked him. He was at the time my employee. And no, he was not aware his CV was circulated.
              – TomTom
              Nov 30 '17 at 16:41




              I can top that. I once was offered a very good C++ person. Which to my knowledge did not know any C++. I checked. I asked him. He was at the time my employee. And no, he was not aware his CV was circulated.
              – TomTom
              Nov 30 '17 at 16:41










              up vote
              23
              down vote













              @DJClayworth has it - the correct answer is do not, its bad idea. Its way over any boundaries any company that has an ethics policy would accept.



              But, if you decide to go ahead your reputation and career is on the line, as is your boss's and your company's. Your boss should not be going along with it, as he represents the company you work for.... Its also you friends, and if he gets employed, the recruitment agency that put him forward. That is potentially a lot of damage...



              Even asking your boss was a dubious career move.



              Your friend should work part time in your office (or work from home) - even if unpaid - on something. In a couple of months its the truth, no lies, no ethical concerns. He could also do volunteer work for a worthwhile cause - a local charity, school or church.






              share|improve this answer
















              • 2




                In the US, it is not always legal to work unpaid. But +1 for pointing out the potential hit to the boss and his company.
                – thursdaysgeek
                Mar 26 '14 at 15:40











              • @thursdaysgeek You can't volunteer?
                – Basic
                Mar 27 '14 at 16:38






              • 4




                A for-profit company can have unpaid internships under certain circumstances, but no, they can't just accept volunteer workers. "Under the FLSA, employees may not volunteer services to for-profit private sector employers." from dol.gov/elaws/esa/flsa/docs/volunteers.asp
                – thursdaysgeek
                Mar 27 '14 at 16:48










              • OP is in Canada, Whats the law there?
                – mattnz
                Mar 27 '14 at 19:24










              • @mattnz Not a lawyer, but a volunteer worker would not be an employee since they'd have no expectation of wages. Promising to pay any wage at all (like $1) might expose the employer to a claim (initiated by the employee) under the Employment Standards Act that they didn't pay minimum wage. A contract to work for $1 could have the wage portion struck because it would be illegal.
                – Spehro Pefhany
                Nov 24 '15 at 17:12














              up vote
              23
              down vote













              @DJClayworth has it - the correct answer is do not, its bad idea. Its way over any boundaries any company that has an ethics policy would accept.



              But, if you decide to go ahead your reputation and career is on the line, as is your boss's and your company's. Your boss should not be going along with it, as he represents the company you work for.... Its also you friends, and if he gets employed, the recruitment agency that put him forward. That is potentially a lot of damage...



              Even asking your boss was a dubious career move.



              Your friend should work part time in your office (or work from home) - even if unpaid - on something. In a couple of months its the truth, no lies, no ethical concerns. He could also do volunteer work for a worthwhile cause - a local charity, school or church.






              share|improve this answer
















              • 2




                In the US, it is not always legal to work unpaid. But +1 for pointing out the potential hit to the boss and his company.
                – thursdaysgeek
                Mar 26 '14 at 15:40











              • @thursdaysgeek You can't volunteer?
                – Basic
                Mar 27 '14 at 16:38






              • 4




                A for-profit company can have unpaid internships under certain circumstances, but no, they can't just accept volunteer workers. "Under the FLSA, employees may not volunteer services to for-profit private sector employers." from dol.gov/elaws/esa/flsa/docs/volunteers.asp
                – thursdaysgeek
                Mar 27 '14 at 16:48










              • OP is in Canada, Whats the law there?
                – mattnz
                Mar 27 '14 at 19:24










              • @mattnz Not a lawyer, but a volunteer worker would not be an employee since they'd have no expectation of wages. Promising to pay any wage at all (like $1) might expose the employer to a claim (initiated by the employee) under the Employment Standards Act that they didn't pay minimum wage. A contract to work for $1 could have the wage portion struck because it would be illegal.
                – Spehro Pefhany
                Nov 24 '15 at 17:12












              up vote
              23
              down vote










              up vote
              23
              down vote









              @DJClayworth has it - the correct answer is do not, its bad idea. Its way over any boundaries any company that has an ethics policy would accept.



              But, if you decide to go ahead your reputation and career is on the line, as is your boss's and your company's. Your boss should not be going along with it, as he represents the company you work for.... Its also you friends, and if he gets employed, the recruitment agency that put him forward. That is potentially a lot of damage...



              Even asking your boss was a dubious career move.



              Your friend should work part time in your office (or work from home) - even if unpaid - on something. In a couple of months its the truth, no lies, no ethical concerns. He could also do volunteer work for a worthwhile cause - a local charity, school or church.






              share|improve this answer












              @DJClayworth has it - the correct answer is do not, its bad idea. Its way over any boundaries any company that has an ethics policy would accept.



              But, if you decide to go ahead your reputation and career is on the line, as is your boss's and your company's. Your boss should not be going along with it, as he represents the company you work for.... Its also you friends, and if he gets employed, the recruitment agency that put him forward. That is potentially a lot of damage...



              Even asking your boss was a dubious career move.



              Your friend should work part time in your office (or work from home) - even if unpaid - on something. In a couple of months its the truth, no lies, no ethical concerns. He could also do volunteer work for a worthwhile cause - a local charity, school or church.







              share|improve this answer












              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer










              answered Mar 26 '14 at 4:21









              mattnz

              60137




              60137







              • 2




                In the US, it is not always legal to work unpaid. But +1 for pointing out the potential hit to the boss and his company.
                – thursdaysgeek
                Mar 26 '14 at 15:40











              • @thursdaysgeek You can't volunteer?
                – Basic
                Mar 27 '14 at 16:38






              • 4




                A for-profit company can have unpaid internships under certain circumstances, but no, they can't just accept volunteer workers. "Under the FLSA, employees may not volunteer services to for-profit private sector employers." from dol.gov/elaws/esa/flsa/docs/volunteers.asp
                – thursdaysgeek
                Mar 27 '14 at 16:48










              • OP is in Canada, Whats the law there?
                – mattnz
                Mar 27 '14 at 19:24










              • @mattnz Not a lawyer, but a volunteer worker would not be an employee since they'd have no expectation of wages. Promising to pay any wage at all (like $1) might expose the employer to a claim (initiated by the employee) under the Employment Standards Act that they didn't pay minimum wage. A contract to work for $1 could have the wage portion struck because it would be illegal.
                – Spehro Pefhany
                Nov 24 '15 at 17:12












              • 2




                In the US, it is not always legal to work unpaid. But +1 for pointing out the potential hit to the boss and his company.
                – thursdaysgeek
                Mar 26 '14 at 15:40











              • @thursdaysgeek You can't volunteer?
                – Basic
                Mar 27 '14 at 16:38






              • 4




                A for-profit company can have unpaid internships under certain circumstances, but no, they can't just accept volunteer workers. "Under the FLSA, employees may not volunteer services to for-profit private sector employers." from dol.gov/elaws/esa/flsa/docs/volunteers.asp
                – thursdaysgeek
                Mar 27 '14 at 16:48










              • OP is in Canada, Whats the law there?
                – mattnz
                Mar 27 '14 at 19:24










              • @mattnz Not a lawyer, but a volunteer worker would not be an employee since they'd have no expectation of wages. Promising to pay any wage at all (like $1) might expose the employer to a claim (initiated by the employee) under the Employment Standards Act that they didn't pay minimum wage. A contract to work for $1 could have the wage portion struck because it would be illegal.
                – Spehro Pefhany
                Nov 24 '15 at 17:12







              2




              2




              In the US, it is not always legal to work unpaid. But +1 for pointing out the potential hit to the boss and his company.
              – thursdaysgeek
              Mar 26 '14 at 15:40





              In the US, it is not always legal to work unpaid. But +1 for pointing out the potential hit to the boss and his company.
              – thursdaysgeek
              Mar 26 '14 at 15:40













              @thursdaysgeek You can't volunteer?
              – Basic
              Mar 27 '14 at 16:38




              @thursdaysgeek You can't volunteer?
              – Basic
              Mar 27 '14 at 16:38




              4




              4




              A for-profit company can have unpaid internships under certain circumstances, but no, they can't just accept volunteer workers. "Under the FLSA, employees may not volunteer services to for-profit private sector employers." from dol.gov/elaws/esa/flsa/docs/volunteers.asp
              – thursdaysgeek
              Mar 27 '14 at 16:48




              A for-profit company can have unpaid internships under certain circumstances, but no, they can't just accept volunteer workers. "Under the FLSA, employees may not volunteer services to for-profit private sector employers." from dol.gov/elaws/esa/flsa/docs/volunteers.asp
              – thursdaysgeek
              Mar 27 '14 at 16:48












              OP is in Canada, Whats the law there?
              – mattnz
              Mar 27 '14 at 19:24




              OP is in Canada, Whats the law there?
              – mattnz
              Mar 27 '14 at 19:24












              @mattnz Not a lawyer, but a volunteer worker would not be an employee since they'd have no expectation of wages. Promising to pay any wage at all (like $1) might expose the employer to a claim (initiated by the employee) under the Employment Standards Act that they didn't pay minimum wage. A contract to work for $1 could have the wage portion struck because it would be illegal.
              – Spehro Pefhany
              Nov 24 '15 at 17:12




              @mattnz Not a lawyer, but a volunteer worker would not be an employee since they'd have no expectation of wages. Promising to pay any wage at all (like $1) might expose the employer to a claim (initiated by the employee) under the Employment Standards Act that they didn't pay minimum wage. A contract to work for $1 could have the wage portion struck because it would be illegal.
              – Spehro Pefhany
              Nov 24 '15 at 17:12










              up vote
              22
              down vote














              If found out, what would the consequences be to my friend's chances of
              employment?




              It depends on your friend's employer.



              If caught lying on a job application, your friend could be fired immediately, or the application could be tossed if discovered before he is hired. And your friend's professional reputation could take a severe hit.



              Or not.



              The employer could just laugh. Or the employer could just shrug but your friend could lose a level of trust.



              Here are more reports of consequences: https://www.google.com/#q=dismissed+for+lying+on+resume



              As a manager, it's very important to me that I am able to trust folks on my team. Lying puts a big dent in that trust. Whenever I'm interviewing a candidate, any lie usually means he/she is crossed off the list immediately.



              If you search here at workplace (perhaps for "lying on resume" or such) you'll see that this topic has surfaced many times in the past.



              Personally, I think you gave your friend very poor advice. Not only are you making your friend into a liar, you are making everyone at your company liars as well. Your mileage may vary.






              share|improve this answer


















              • 5




                " like to trust folks on my team. Lying puts a dent in that trust. Whenever I'm interviewing a candidate, any lie usually means he/she is crossed off the list immediately." Agreed. Same here.
                – reirab
                Mar 27 '14 at 20:37















              up vote
              22
              down vote














              If found out, what would the consequences be to my friend's chances of
              employment?




              It depends on your friend's employer.



              If caught lying on a job application, your friend could be fired immediately, or the application could be tossed if discovered before he is hired. And your friend's professional reputation could take a severe hit.



              Or not.



              The employer could just laugh. Or the employer could just shrug but your friend could lose a level of trust.



              Here are more reports of consequences: https://www.google.com/#q=dismissed+for+lying+on+resume



              As a manager, it's very important to me that I am able to trust folks on my team. Lying puts a big dent in that trust. Whenever I'm interviewing a candidate, any lie usually means he/she is crossed off the list immediately.



              If you search here at workplace (perhaps for "lying on resume" or such) you'll see that this topic has surfaced many times in the past.



              Personally, I think you gave your friend very poor advice. Not only are you making your friend into a liar, you are making everyone at your company liars as well. Your mileage may vary.






              share|improve this answer


















              • 5




                " like to trust folks on my team. Lying puts a dent in that trust. Whenever I'm interviewing a candidate, any lie usually means he/she is crossed off the list immediately." Agreed. Same here.
                – reirab
                Mar 27 '14 at 20:37













              up vote
              22
              down vote










              up vote
              22
              down vote










              If found out, what would the consequences be to my friend's chances of
              employment?




              It depends on your friend's employer.



              If caught lying on a job application, your friend could be fired immediately, or the application could be tossed if discovered before he is hired. And your friend's professional reputation could take a severe hit.



              Or not.



              The employer could just laugh. Or the employer could just shrug but your friend could lose a level of trust.



              Here are more reports of consequences: https://www.google.com/#q=dismissed+for+lying+on+resume



              As a manager, it's very important to me that I am able to trust folks on my team. Lying puts a big dent in that trust. Whenever I'm interviewing a candidate, any lie usually means he/she is crossed off the list immediately.



              If you search here at workplace (perhaps for "lying on resume" or such) you'll see that this topic has surfaced many times in the past.



              Personally, I think you gave your friend very poor advice. Not only are you making your friend into a liar, you are making everyone at your company liars as well. Your mileage may vary.






              share|improve this answer















              If found out, what would the consequences be to my friend's chances of
              employment?




              It depends on your friend's employer.



              If caught lying on a job application, your friend could be fired immediately, or the application could be tossed if discovered before he is hired. And your friend's professional reputation could take a severe hit.



              Or not.



              The employer could just laugh. Or the employer could just shrug but your friend could lose a level of trust.



              Here are more reports of consequences: https://www.google.com/#q=dismissed+for+lying+on+resume



              As a manager, it's very important to me that I am able to trust folks on my team. Lying puts a big dent in that trust. Whenever I'm interviewing a candidate, any lie usually means he/she is crossed off the list immediately.



              If you search here at workplace (perhaps for "lying on resume" or such) you'll see that this topic has surfaced many times in the past.



              Personally, I think you gave your friend very poor advice. Not only are you making your friend into a liar, you are making everyone at your company liars as well. Your mileage may vary.







              share|improve this answer














              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer








              edited Dec 18 '16 at 16:58

























              answered Mar 26 '14 at 12:13









              Joe Strazzere

              224k107661930




              224k107661930







              • 5




                " like to trust folks on my team. Lying puts a dent in that trust. Whenever I'm interviewing a candidate, any lie usually means he/she is crossed off the list immediately." Agreed. Same here.
                – reirab
                Mar 27 '14 at 20:37













              • 5




                " like to trust folks on my team. Lying puts a dent in that trust. Whenever I'm interviewing a candidate, any lie usually means he/she is crossed off the list immediately." Agreed. Same here.
                – reirab
                Mar 27 '14 at 20:37








              5




              5




              " like to trust folks on my team. Lying puts a dent in that trust. Whenever I'm interviewing a candidate, any lie usually means he/she is crossed off the list immediately." Agreed. Same here.
              – reirab
              Mar 27 '14 at 20:37





              " like to trust folks on my team. Lying puts a dent in that trust. Whenever I'm interviewing a candidate, any lie usually means he/she is crossed off the list immediately." Agreed. Same here.
              – reirab
              Mar 27 '14 at 20:37











              up vote
              14
              down vote













              I am a litigation attorney. I prepare, vet and present witnesses, including technical and medical expert witnesses . I also work in the labor and employment area.



              You gave your friend very poor advice. I find it difficult to believe your boss agreed to back up the non-existent job. Your boss has put his own job at risk.



              If a future employer found out, it would be grounds for immediate termination, for cause, for either your friend or your boss. It could impair their ability to get unemployment compensation in the future. It is an action which goes directly to their propensity to tell the truth or lack thereof.



              Should he ever be involved in litigation , either as a party or as an expert witness, a lie on a résumé or curriculum vitae is a death knell to his credibility.



              If I want to verify his background employment, it is very easy to do, legally, with currently available public databases and a phone call. Say I am a future employer in 2 years and I call HR at your current company to confirm his past employment. I can get dates of employment, last salary and, in some states, whether he is eligible for re-hire. I do not go to the person listed as contact on his résumé – I go to HR. HR would have no record of him.



              If he applies for a job that requires a background check and he signs an authorization to release information, it is even easier.



              It will not take very much on-line research to find examples of people who have padded their résumés and been caught. As a fairly recent example, see George O'Leary who lost the coaching slot for Notre Dame football for a résumé "inaccuracy" which lay unexamined for 20 years. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_O%27Leary



              If your friend is concerned about the period of unemployment, he can say he free-lanced – if he did so – as John Doe's Odd Jobs and Computer Clean Up Services or something similar. All that is needed to make that legitimate is to run the antivirus program on his grandmother's computer and rake his parents yard.



              Call him up, tell him you reconsidered and that your first advice was off base.






              share|improve this answer






















              • You can find out an applicant's past salary?? Hmm, I find it strange. Opens so much room for fraud, for people finding out each other's salary on fake pretexts. How sure are you?
                – Ruby
                Jan 11 '15 at 8:41







              • 1




                I am quite sure that I can legally ask for and learn a person's ending salary at a past job and whether they are eligible to be rehired. Maybe I am being particularly dense but I don't see the fraud possibility there. The job applicant would need to know who at his former employer would be called and have agreed in advance about the specific erroneous information to be shared. That is too complicated to be plausible or practical.
                – piquet
                Apr 5 '15 at 2:42















              up vote
              14
              down vote













              I am a litigation attorney. I prepare, vet and present witnesses, including technical and medical expert witnesses . I also work in the labor and employment area.



              You gave your friend very poor advice. I find it difficult to believe your boss agreed to back up the non-existent job. Your boss has put his own job at risk.



              If a future employer found out, it would be grounds for immediate termination, for cause, for either your friend or your boss. It could impair their ability to get unemployment compensation in the future. It is an action which goes directly to their propensity to tell the truth or lack thereof.



              Should he ever be involved in litigation , either as a party or as an expert witness, a lie on a résumé or curriculum vitae is a death knell to his credibility.



              If I want to verify his background employment, it is very easy to do, legally, with currently available public databases and a phone call. Say I am a future employer in 2 years and I call HR at your current company to confirm his past employment. I can get dates of employment, last salary and, in some states, whether he is eligible for re-hire. I do not go to the person listed as contact on his résumé – I go to HR. HR would have no record of him.



              If he applies for a job that requires a background check and he signs an authorization to release information, it is even easier.



              It will not take very much on-line research to find examples of people who have padded their résumés and been caught. As a fairly recent example, see George O'Leary who lost the coaching slot for Notre Dame football for a résumé "inaccuracy" which lay unexamined for 20 years. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_O%27Leary



              If your friend is concerned about the period of unemployment, he can say he free-lanced – if he did so – as John Doe's Odd Jobs and Computer Clean Up Services or something similar. All that is needed to make that legitimate is to run the antivirus program on his grandmother's computer and rake his parents yard.



              Call him up, tell him you reconsidered and that your first advice was off base.






              share|improve this answer






















              • You can find out an applicant's past salary?? Hmm, I find it strange. Opens so much room for fraud, for people finding out each other's salary on fake pretexts. How sure are you?
                – Ruby
                Jan 11 '15 at 8:41







              • 1




                I am quite sure that I can legally ask for and learn a person's ending salary at a past job and whether they are eligible to be rehired. Maybe I am being particularly dense but I don't see the fraud possibility there. The job applicant would need to know who at his former employer would be called and have agreed in advance about the specific erroneous information to be shared. That is too complicated to be plausible or practical.
                – piquet
                Apr 5 '15 at 2:42













              up vote
              14
              down vote










              up vote
              14
              down vote









              I am a litigation attorney. I prepare, vet and present witnesses, including technical and medical expert witnesses . I also work in the labor and employment area.



              You gave your friend very poor advice. I find it difficult to believe your boss agreed to back up the non-existent job. Your boss has put his own job at risk.



              If a future employer found out, it would be grounds for immediate termination, for cause, for either your friend or your boss. It could impair their ability to get unemployment compensation in the future. It is an action which goes directly to their propensity to tell the truth or lack thereof.



              Should he ever be involved in litigation , either as a party or as an expert witness, a lie on a résumé or curriculum vitae is a death knell to his credibility.



              If I want to verify his background employment, it is very easy to do, legally, with currently available public databases and a phone call. Say I am a future employer in 2 years and I call HR at your current company to confirm his past employment. I can get dates of employment, last salary and, in some states, whether he is eligible for re-hire. I do not go to the person listed as contact on his résumé – I go to HR. HR would have no record of him.



              If he applies for a job that requires a background check and he signs an authorization to release information, it is even easier.



              It will not take very much on-line research to find examples of people who have padded their résumés and been caught. As a fairly recent example, see George O'Leary who lost the coaching slot for Notre Dame football for a résumé "inaccuracy" which lay unexamined for 20 years. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_O%27Leary



              If your friend is concerned about the period of unemployment, he can say he free-lanced – if he did so – as John Doe's Odd Jobs and Computer Clean Up Services or something similar. All that is needed to make that legitimate is to run the antivirus program on his grandmother's computer and rake his parents yard.



              Call him up, tell him you reconsidered and that your first advice was off base.






              share|improve this answer














              I am a litigation attorney. I prepare, vet and present witnesses, including technical and medical expert witnesses . I also work in the labor and employment area.



              You gave your friend very poor advice. I find it difficult to believe your boss agreed to back up the non-existent job. Your boss has put his own job at risk.



              If a future employer found out, it would be grounds for immediate termination, for cause, for either your friend or your boss. It could impair their ability to get unemployment compensation in the future. It is an action which goes directly to their propensity to tell the truth or lack thereof.



              Should he ever be involved in litigation , either as a party or as an expert witness, a lie on a résumé or curriculum vitae is a death knell to his credibility.



              If I want to verify his background employment, it is very easy to do, legally, with currently available public databases and a phone call. Say I am a future employer in 2 years and I call HR at your current company to confirm his past employment. I can get dates of employment, last salary and, in some states, whether he is eligible for re-hire. I do not go to the person listed as contact on his résumé – I go to HR. HR would have no record of him.



              If he applies for a job that requires a background check and he signs an authorization to release information, it is even easier.



              It will not take very much on-line research to find examples of people who have padded their résumés and been caught. As a fairly recent example, see George O'Leary who lost the coaching slot for Notre Dame football for a résumé "inaccuracy" which lay unexamined for 20 years. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_O%27Leary



              If your friend is concerned about the period of unemployment, he can say he free-lanced – if he did so – as John Doe's Odd Jobs and Computer Clean Up Services or something similar. All that is needed to make that legitimate is to run the antivirus program on his grandmother's computer and rake his parents yard.



              Call him up, tell him you reconsidered and that your first advice was off base.







              share|improve this answer














              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer








              edited Nov 24 '15 at 16:55









              cwallenpoole

              42627




              42627










              answered Jul 8 '14 at 18:32









              piquet

              47345




              47345











              • You can find out an applicant's past salary?? Hmm, I find it strange. Opens so much room for fraud, for people finding out each other's salary on fake pretexts. How sure are you?
                – Ruby
                Jan 11 '15 at 8:41







              • 1




                I am quite sure that I can legally ask for and learn a person's ending salary at a past job and whether they are eligible to be rehired. Maybe I am being particularly dense but I don't see the fraud possibility there. The job applicant would need to know who at his former employer would be called and have agreed in advance about the specific erroneous information to be shared. That is too complicated to be plausible or practical.
                – piquet
                Apr 5 '15 at 2:42

















              • You can find out an applicant's past salary?? Hmm, I find it strange. Opens so much room for fraud, for people finding out each other's salary on fake pretexts. How sure are you?
                – Ruby
                Jan 11 '15 at 8:41







              • 1




                I am quite sure that I can legally ask for and learn a person's ending salary at a past job and whether they are eligible to be rehired. Maybe I am being particularly dense but I don't see the fraud possibility there. The job applicant would need to know who at his former employer would be called and have agreed in advance about the specific erroneous information to be shared. That is too complicated to be plausible or practical.
                – piquet
                Apr 5 '15 at 2:42
















              You can find out an applicant's past salary?? Hmm, I find it strange. Opens so much room for fraud, for people finding out each other's salary on fake pretexts. How sure are you?
              – Ruby
              Jan 11 '15 at 8:41





              You can find out an applicant's past salary?? Hmm, I find it strange. Opens so much room for fraud, for people finding out each other's salary on fake pretexts. How sure are you?
              – Ruby
              Jan 11 '15 at 8:41





              1




              1




              I am quite sure that I can legally ask for and learn a person's ending salary at a past job and whether they are eligible to be rehired. Maybe I am being particularly dense but I don't see the fraud possibility there. The job applicant would need to know who at his former employer would be called and have agreed in advance about the specific erroneous information to be shared. That is too complicated to be plausible or practical.
              – piquet
              Apr 5 '15 at 2:42





              I am quite sure that I can legally ask for and learn a person's ending salary at a past job and whether they are eligible to be rehired. Maybe I am being particularly dense but I don't see the fraud possibility there. The job applicant would need to know who at his former employer would be called and have agreed in advance about the specific erroneous information to be shared. That is too complicated to be plausible or practical.
              – piquet
              Apr 5 '15 at 2:42











              up vote
              12
              down vote













              There are a myriad of ways to fake an employment history. By far the simplest would be to state that he worked for a startup which went out of business, hence his need for a job after only 8 months. You could easily just pick a fake name out of a hat (make sure it doesn't exist) or pick the name of one that recently folded which would have zero ways of confirming. It's likely that any company he interviews with won't even quiz him about it.



              Heck, he could just say he founded a company that ultimately wasn't able to get off the ground and went out faster than expected...



              Small businesses go under all the time so it wouldn't even be a blip on the cursory checks that are performed for the vast majority of jobs.



              HOWEVER, there are dragons here.



              If this person ever rises to the point of serious responsibility, such as C level. Then the odds increase that the background he puts on a résumé will be examined in quite a bit more detail; not necessarily by HR but rather by share holders. And not just the résumé he sent to a current employer, but the investigation might likely go through prior ones.



              Scott Thompson made news in 2012 because he apparently lied about having a particular degree. He did have a college degree, just not the one his résumé indicated. This seems like a minor thing as he had obvious tech credentials from previous employment, however it was the lie itself that resulted in his ouster as the CEO of Yahoo.



              So, to answer the questions:




              How likely is it to have faked work experience like this found out?




              Likelihood is commiserate with the level of job he is seeking and the diligence of HR. Entry/non managerial job - unlikely to uncover if it will take more than an hour. Higher than that? It'll come out eventually.



              I think I've only be contacted once about a previous employee. It was a recruiter trying to find someone to say the person was good. Usually HR departments ignore the "who to contact" and simply dial up the company directly asking for their HR department to confirm employment. So unless the HR dept. is also in on this then the likelihood of discovery goes up.




              If found out, what would the consequences be to my friend's chances of
              employment?




              Usually immediate termination/dismissal OR an emphatic demand for resignation. If found out during the interview process, then immediate disqualification from consideration. Beyond that, other effects will depend on how often people in your particular industry talk. It would make an easy story to tell so I'm sure it would be passed around.






              share|improve this answer


















              • 2




                "It's likely that any company he interviews with won't even quiz him about it." I would disagree here, especially depending on industry. When I'm interviewing a candidate (or when I've been interviewed for positions,) most of the discussion has been about previous experience. There's no way that at any engineering job, for instance, they'd not ask about what you were doing at your last job and they'd probably ask some questions you hadn't thought to make answers for ahead of time.
                – reirab
                Mar 27 '14 at 20:35







              • 1




                There are major dangers and dragons to lying on resume. I worked at a manufacturing plant once, way back when those existed in usa, we were getting a contract from a mega-corp, and they ran detailed checks on all of our resumes. Wanted to see if we had ever worked for competition, and help protect against corporate spying, is what they said.
                – Dan Shaffer
                Nov 24 '15 at 17:38














              up vote
              12
              down vote













              There are a myriad of ways to fake an employment history. By far the simplest would be to state that he worked for a startup which went out of business, hence his need for a job after only 8 months. You could easily just pick a fake name out of a hat (make sure it doesn't exist) or pick the name of one that recently folded which would have zero ways of confirming. It's likely that any company he interviews with won't even quiz him about it.



              Heck, he could just say he founded a company that ultimately wasn't able to get off the ground and went out faster than expected...



              Small businesses go under all the time so it wouldn't even be a blip on the cursory checks that are performed for the vast majority of jobs.



              HOWEVER, there are dragons here.



              If this person ever rises to the point of serious responsibility, such as C level. Then the odds increase that the background he puts on a résumé will be examined in quite a bit more detail; not necessarily by HR but rather by share holders. And not just the résumé he sent to a current employer, but the investigation might likely go through prior ones.



              Scott Thompson made news in 2012 because he apparently lied about having a particular degree. He did have a college degree, just not the one his résumé indicated. This seems like a minor thing as he had obvious tech credentials from previous employment, however it was the lie itself that resulted in his ouster as the CEO of Yahoo.



              So, to answer the questions:




              How likely is it to have faked work experience like this found out?




              Likelihood is commiserate with the level of job he is seeking and the diligence of HR. Entry/non managerial job - unlikely to uncover if it will take more than an hour. Higher than that? It'll come out eventually.



              I think I've only be contacted once about a previous employee. It was a recruiter trying to find someone to say the person was good. Usually HR departments ignore the "who to contact" and simply dial up the company directly asking for their HR department to confirm employment. So unless the HR dept. is also in on this then the likelihood of discovery goes up.




              If found out, what would the consequences be to my friend's chances of
              employment?




              Usually immediate termination/dismissal OR an emphatic demand for resignation. If found out during the interview process, then immediate disqualification from consideration. Beyond that, other effects will depend on how often people in your particular industry talk. It would make an easy story to tell so I'm sure it would be passed around.






              share|improve this answer


















              • 2




                "It's likely that any company he interviews with won't even quiz him about it." I would disagree here, especially depending on industry. When I'm interviewing a candidate (or when I've been interviewed for positions,) most of the discussion has been about previous experience. There's no way that at any engineering job, for instance, they'd not ask about what you were doing at your last job and they'd probably ask some questions you hadn't thought to make answers for ahead of time.
                – reirab
                Mar 27 '14 at 20:35







              • 1




                There are major dangers and dragons to lying on resume. I worked at a manufacturing plant once, way back when those existed in usa, we were getting a contract from a mega-corp, and they ran detailed checks on all of our resumes. Wanted to see if we had ever worked for competition, and help protect against corporate spying, is what they said.
                – Dan Shaffer
                Nov 24 '15 at 17:38












              up vote
              12
              down vote










              up vote
              12
              down vote









              There are a myriad of ways to fake an employment history. By far the simplest would be to state that he worked for a startup which went out of business, hence his need for a job after only 8 months. You could easily just pick a fake name out of a hat (make sure it doesn't exist) or pick the name of one that recently folded which would have zero ways of confirming. It's likely that any company he interviews with won't even quiz him about it.



              Heck, he could just say he founded a company that ultimately wasn't able to get off the ground and went out faster than expected...



              Small businesses go under all the time so it wouldn't even be a blip on the cursory checks that are performed for the vast majority of jobs.



              HOWEVER, there are dragons here.



              If this person ever rises to the point of serious responsibility, such as C level. Then the odds increase that the background he puts on a résumé will be examined in quite a bit more detail; not necessarily by HR but rather by share holders. And not just the résumé he sent to a current employer, but the investigation might likely go through prior ones.



              Scott Thompson made news in 2012 because he apparently lied about having a particular degree. He did have a college degree, just not the one his résumé indicated. This seems like a minor thing as he had obvious tech credentials from previous employment, however it was the lie itself that resulted in his ouster as the CEO of Yahoo.



              So, to answer the questions:




              How likely is it to have faked work experience like this found out?




              Likelihood is commiserate with the level of job he is seeking and the diligence of HR. Entry/non managerial job - unlikely to uncover if it will take more than an hour. Higher than that? It'll come out eventually.



              I think I've only be contacted once about a previous employee. It was a recruiter trying to find someone to say the person was good. Usually HR departments ignore the "who to contact" and simply dial up the company directly asking for their HR department to confirm employment. So unless the HR dept. is also in on this then the likelihood of discovery goes up.




              If found out, what would the consequences be to my friend's chances of
              employment?




              Usually immediate termination/dismissal OR an emphatic demand for resignation. If found out during the interview process, then immediate disqualification from consideration. Beyond that, other effects will depend on how often people in your particular industry talk. It would make an easy story to tell so I'm sure it would be passed around.






              share|improve this answer














              There are a myriad of ways to fake an employment history. By far the simplest would be to state that he worked for a startup which went out of business, hence his need for a job after only 8 months. You could easily just pick a fake name out of a hat (make sure it doesn't exist) or pick the name of one that recently folded which would have zero ways of confirming. It's likely that any company he interviews with won't even quiz him about it.



              Heck, he could just say he founded a company that ultimately wasn't able to get off the ground and went out faster than expected...



              Small businesses go under all the time so it wouldn't even be a blip on the cursory checks that are performed for the vast majority of jobs.



              HOWEVER, there are dragons here.



              If this person ever rises to the point of serious responsibility, such as C level. Then the odds increase that the background he puts on a résumé will be examined in quite a bit more detail; not necessarily by HR but rather by share holders. And not just the résumé he sent to a current employer, but the investigation might likely go through prior ones.



              Scott Thompson made news in 2012 because he apparently lied about having a particular degree. He did have a college degree, just not the one his résumé indicated. This seems like a minor thing as he had obvious tech credentials from previous employment, however it was the lie itself that resulted in his ouster as the CEO of Yahoo.



              So, to answer the questions:




              How likely is it to have faked work experience like this found out?




              Likelihood is commiserate with the level of job he is seeking and the diligence of HR. Entry/non managerial job - unlikely to uncover if it will take more than an hour. Higher than that? It'll come out eventually.



              I think I've only be contacted once about a previous employee. It was a recruiter trying to find someone to say the person was good. Usually HR departments ignore the "who to contact" and simply dial up the company directly asking for their HR department to confirm employment. So unless the HR dept. is also in on this then the likelihood of discovery goes up.




              If found out, what would the consequences be to my friend's chances of
              employment?




              Usually immediate termination/dismissal OR an emphatic demand for resignation. If found out during the interview process, then immediate disqualification from consideration. Beyond that, other effects will depend on how often people in your particular industry talk. It would make an easy story to tell so I'm sure it would be passed around.







              share|improve this answer














              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer








              edited Nov 24 '15 at 16:22









              cwallenpoole

              42627




              42627










              answered Mar 26 '14 at 19:45









              NotMe

              20.9k55695




              20.9k55695







              • 2




                "It's likely that any company he interviews with won't even quiz him about it." I would disagree here, especially depending on industry. When I'm interviewing a candidate (or when I've been interviewed for positions,) most of the discussion has been about previous experience. There's no way that at any engineering job, for instance, they'd not ask about what you were doing at your last job and they'd probably ask some questions you hadn't thought to make answers for ahead of time.
                – reirab
                Mar 27 '14 at 20:35







              • 1




                There are major dangers and dragons to lying on resume. I worked at a manufacturing plant once, way back when those existed in usa, we were getting a contract from a mega-corp, and they ran detailed checks on all of our resumes. Wanted to see if we had ever worked for competition, and help protect against corporate spying, is what they said.
                – Dan Shaffer
                Nov 24 '15 at 17:38












              • 2




                "It's likely that any company he interviews with won't even quiz him about it." I would disagree here, especially depending on industry. When I'm interviewing a candidate (or when I've been interviewed for positions,) most of the discussion has been about previous experience. There's no way that at any engineering job, for instance, they'd not ask about what you were doing at your last job and they'd probably ask some questions you hadn't thought to make answers for ahead of time.
                – reirab
                Mar 27 '14 at 20:35







              • 1




                There are major dangers and dragons to lying on resume. I worked at a manufacturing plant once, way back when those existed in usa, we were getting a contract from a mega-corp, and they ran detailed checks on all of our resumes. Wanted to see if we had ever worked for competition, and help protect against corporate spying, is what they said.
                – Dan Shaffer
                Nov 24 '15 at 17:38







              2




              2




              "It's likely that any company he interviews with won't even quiz him about it." I would disagree here, especially depending on industry. When I'm interviewing a candidate (or when I've been interviewed for positions,) most of the discussion has been about previous experience. There's no way that at any engineering job, for instance, they'd not ask about what you were doing at your last job and they'd probably ask some questions you hadn't thought to make answers for ahead of time.
              – reirab
              Mar 27 '14 at 20:35





              "It's likely that any company he interviews with won't even quiz him about it." I would disagree here, especially depending on industry. When I'm interviewing a candidate (or when I've been interviewed for positions,) most of the discussion has been about previous experience. There's no way that at any engineering job, for instance, they'd not ask about what you were doing at your last job and they'd probably ask some questions you hadn't thought to make answers for ahead of time.
              – reirab
              Mar 27 '14 at 20:35





              1




              1




              There are major dangers and dragons to lying on resume. I worked at a manufacturing plant once, way back when those existed in usa, we were getting a contract from a mega-corp, and they ran detailed checks on all of our resumes. Wanted to see if we had ever worked for competition, and help protect against corporate spying, is what they said.
              – Dan Shaffer
              Nov 24 '15 at 17:38




              There are major dangers and dragons to lying on resume. I worked at a manufacturing plant once, way back when those existed in usa, we were getting a contract from a mega-corp, and they ran detailed checks on all of our resumes. Wanted to see if we had ever worked for competition, and help protect against corporate spying, is what they said.
              – Dan Shaffer
              Nov 24 '15 at 17:38










              up vote
              10
              down vote













              Rather than faking work experience, a better tack would be to make relevant experience. During periods of unemployment, there are usually volunteer projects that can be found which can fill in the gaps. During a period while I was waiting for clearance, for example, I did some freelance programming for Prison Fellowship. I made my own "company" hired myself, and did freelance volunteer projects. It wasn't paid work, but it was real work - and yes, it is on my resume under "Self-Employment"



              Pretty much as long as you are doing something, you can call it experience. Indeed, even if you try your hand at coding a project and launching it into the world, that's self-employment.



              Don't lie - you will be found out. And, you can be fired for lying.



              But you can hire yourself and use that time to fill in the gaps.






              share|improve this answer




















              • Would not it be better to call yourself a President or something?
                – Ruby
                Jan 11 '15 at 8:39














              up vote
              10
              down vote













              Rather than faking work experience, a better tack would be to make relevant experience. During periods of unemployment, there are usually volunteer projects that can be found which can fill in the gaps. During a period while I was waiting for clearance, for example, I did some freelance programming for Prison Fellowship. I made my own "company" hired myself, and did freelance volunteer projects. It wasn't paid work, but it was real work - and yes, it is on my resume under "Self-Employment"



              Pretty much as long as you are doing something, you can call it experience. Indeed, even if you try your hand at coding a project and launching it into the world, that's self-employment.



              Don't lie - you will be found out. And, you can be fired for lying.



              But you can hire yourself and use that time to fill in the gaps.






              share|improve this answer




















              • Would not it be better to call yourself a President or something?
                – Ruby
                Jan 11 '15 at 8:39












              up vote
              10
              down vote










              up vote
              10
              down vote









              Rather than faking work experience, a better tack would be to make relevant experience. During periods of unemployment, there are usually volunteer projects that can be found which can fill in the gaps. During a period while I was waiting for clearance, for example, I did some freelance programming for Prison Fellowship. I made my own "company" hired myself, and did freelance volunteer projects. It wasn't paid work, but it was real work - and yes, it is on my resume under "Self-Employment"



              Pretty much as long as you are doing something, you can call it experience. Indeed, even if you try your hand at coding a project and launching it into the world, that's self-employment.



              Don't lie - you will be found out. And, you can be fired for lying.



              But you can hire yourself and use that time to fill in the gaps.






              share|improve this answer












              Rather than faking work experience, a better tack would be to make relevant experience. During periods of unemployment, there are usually volunteer projects that can be found which can fill in the gaps. During a period while I was waiting for clearance, for example, I did some freelance programming for Prison Fellowship. I made my own "company" hired myself, and did freelance volunteer projects. It wasn't paid work, but it was real work - and yes, it is on my resume under "Self-Employment"



              Pretty much as long as you are doing something, you can call it experience. Indeed, even if you try your hand at coding a project and launching it into the world, that's self-employment.



              Don't lie - you will be found out. And, you can be fired for lying.



              But you can hire yourself and use that time to fill in the gaps.







              share|improve this answer












              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer










              answered Mar 27 '14 at 1:26









              Affable Geek

              1,61811525




              1,61811525











              • Would not it be better to call yourself a President or something?
                – Ruby
                Jan 11 '15 at 8:39
















              • Would not it be better to call yourself a President or something?
                – Ruby
                Jan 11 '15 at 8:39















              Would not it be better to call yourself a President or something?
              – Ruby
              Jan 11 '15 at 8:39




              Would not it be better to call yourself a President or something?
              – Ruby
              Jan 11 '15 at 8:39










              up vote
              4
              down vote













              If you are working in a company that is willing to pull strings like that for your friend, why wouldn't you just get him to do some sort of token project? Submit an invoice for no money and call him a consultant. He will have the actual paper trail, something he can put on his resume and no one has to lie about it. The work could just be a make work project but provided the token paper work is in place no one is lying that he 'worked' for your company.






              share|improve this answer
























                up vote
                4
                down vote













                If you are working in a company that is willing to pull strings like that for your friend, why wouldn't you just get him to do some sort of token project? Submit an invoice for no money and call him a consultant. He will have the actual paper trail, something he can put on his resume and no one has to lie about it. The work could just be a make work project but provided the token paper work is in place no one is lying that he 'worked' for your company.






                share|improve this answer






















                  up vote
                  4
                  down vote










                  up vote
                  4
                  down vote









                  If you are working in a company that is willing to pull strings like that for your friend, why wouldn't you just get him to do some sort of token project? Submit an invoice for no money and call him a consultant. He will have the actual paper trail, something he can put on his resume and no one has to lie about it. The work could just be a make work project but provided the token paper work is in place no one is lying that he 'worked' for your company.






                  share|improve this answer












                  If you are working in a company that is willing to pull strings like that for your friend, why wouldn't you just get him to do some sort of token project? Submit an invoice for no money and call him a consultant. He will have the actual paper trail, something he can put on his resume and no one has to lie about it. The work could just be a make work project but provided the token paper work is in place no one is lying that he 'worked' for your company.







                  share|improve this answer












                  share|improve this answer



                  share|improve this answer










                  answered Mar 29 '14 at 14:58









                  GenericJam

                  24114




                  24114




















                      up vote
                      2
                      down vote













                      It's really simple, like the others said: DON'T DO IT !



                      My father had a friend that worked in a company that handled a part of the finances of other companies (don't know exactly how this works, not very familiar with this field). When he was hired, he lied about graduating from college. They discovered this 7 years later (don't know how) and, even though he had excellent job performance, they fired him.



                      It's more likely that this will be discovered than it is to go unnoticed. Even if it's reasonable to believe that, after 8 months of unemployment, he's getting kind of desperate, don't encourage him to do it. If you're a true friend, do anything to stop him from this course of action. Slap him if you have to. Slap him again if he doesn't get it.






                      share|improve this answer
























                        up vote
                        2
                        down vote













                        It's really simple, like the others said: DON'T DO IT !



                        My father had a friend that worked in a company that handled a part of the finances of other companies (don't know exactly how this works, not very familiar with this field). When he was hired, he lied about graduating from college. They discovered this 7 years later (don't know how) and, even though he had excellent job performance, they fired him.



                        It's more likely that this will be discovered than it is to go unnoticed. Even if it's reasonable to believe that, after 8 months of unemployment, he's getting kind of desperate, don't encourage him to do it. If you're a true friend, do anything to stop him from this course of action. Slap him if you have to. Slap him again if he doesn't get it.






                        share|improve this answer






















                          up vote
                          2
                          down vote










                          up vote
                          2
                          down vote









                          It's really simple, like the others said: DON'T DO IT !



                          My father had a friend that worked in a company that handled a part of the finances of other companies (don't know exactly how this works, not very familiar with this field). When he was hired, he lied about graduating from college. They discovered this 7 years later (don't know how) and, even though he had excellent job performance, they fired him.



                          It's more likely that this will be discovered than it is to go unnoticed. Even if it's reasonable to believe that, after 8 months of unemployment, he's getting kind of desperate, don't encourage him to do it. If you're a true friend, do anything to stop him from this course of action. Slap him if you have to. Slap him again if he doesn't get it.






                          share|improve this answer












                          It's really simple, like the others said: DON'T DO IT !



                          My father had a friend that worked in a company that handled a part of the finances of other companies (don't know exactly how this works, not very familiar with this field). When he was hired, he lied about graduating from college. They discovered this 7 years later (don't know how) and, even though he had excellent job performance, they fired him.



                          It's more likely that this will be discovered than it is to go unnoticed. Even if it's reasonable to believe that, after 8 months of unemployment, he's getting kind of desperate, don't encourage him to do it. If you're a true friend, do anything to stop him from this course of action. Slap him if you have to. Slap him again if he doesn't get it.







                          share|improve this answer












                          share|improve this answer



                          share|improve this answer










                          answered Mar 26 '14 at 12:35









                          Radu Murzea

                          1,49511023




                          1,49511023




















                              up vote
                              -5
                              down vote













                              If your boss truly is fine with him using the company name and providing a reference, AND everyone there is 'in on it', then I'm going to be extremely blunt: the risks are severe, but if he's totally out of other options to keep his career from a total stall it may be one evil versus another. Making up experience out of whole cloth (fake company, fake experience, fake pay, fake references, etc.) is incredibly risky but if he has a REAL company with REAL people willing to vouch for him, again, to be blunt, he's in pretty good shape.



                              It boils down to the fact that recruiters are people too, and only have so many hours in the day to comply with the truckload of legal and corporate crap piled on them and only so much energy to do it all. The average recruiter is highly unlikely to do much more digging than confirming the company exists and making a few phone calls unless he's applying for a very senior position or handling lots of very sensitive information.



                              Bottom line---make up as little as physically possible, and if he's hired, keep in mind that it may be a good idea to apply for somewhere else at a similar or better position WITH A RESUME THAT HAS THE FAKED-UP STUFF LEFT OUT. This should probably be a 'hold over' job for him. The chances of two companies sharing such information are basically zip and if he goes elsewhere with recent experience and a current job, he can likely put this all behind him.






                              share|improve this answer
















                              • 4




                                This does not anything to the many other answers.
                                – Jan Doggen
                                Dec 23 '14 at 21:42














                              up vote
                              -5
                              down vote













                              If your boss truly is fine with him using the company name and providing a reference, AND everyone there is 'in on it', then I'm going to be extremely blunt: the risks are severe, but if he's totally out of other options to keep his career from a total stall it may be one evil versus another. Making up experience out of whole cloth (fake company, fake experience, fake pay, fake references, etc.) is incredibly risky but if he has a REAL company with REAL people willing to vouch for him, again, to be blunt, he's in pretty good shape.



                              It boils down to the fact that recruiters are people too, and only have so many hours in the day to comply with the truckload of legal and corporate crap piled on them and only so much energy to do it all. The average recruiter is highly unlikely to do much more digging than confirming the company exists and making a few phone calls unless he's applying for a very senior position or handling lots of very sensitive information.



                              Bottom line---make up as little as physically possible, and if he's hired, keep in mind that it may be a good idea to apply for somewhere else at a similar or better position WITH A RESUME THAT HAS THE FAKED-UP STUFF LEFT OUT. This should probably be a 'hold over' job for him. The chances of two companies sharing such information are basically zip and if he goes elsewhere with recent experience and a current job, he can likely put this all behind him.






                              share|improve this answer
















                              • 4




                                This does not anything to the many other answers.
                                – Jan Doggen
                                Dec 23 '14 at 21:42












                              up vote
                              -5
                              down vote










                              up vote
                              -5
                              down vote









                              If your boss truly is fine with him using the company name and providing a reference, AND everyone there is 'in on it', then I'm going to be extremely blunt: the risks are severe, but if he's totally out of other options to keep his career from a total stall it may be one evil versus another. Making up experience out of whole cloth (fake company, fake experience, fake pay, fake references, etc.) is incredibly risky but if he has a REAL company with REAL people willing to vouch for him, again, to be blunt, he's in pretty good shape.



                              It boils down to the fact that recruiters are people too, and only have so many hours in the day to comply with the truckload of legal and corporate crap piled on them and only so much energy to do it all. The average recruiter is highly unlikely to do much more digging than confirming the company exists and making a few phone calls unless he's applying for a very senior position or handling lots of very sensitive information.



                              Bottom line---make up as little as physically possible, and if he's hired, keep in mind that it may be a good idea to apply for somewhere else at a similar or better position WITH A RESUME THAT HAS THE FAKED-UP STUFF LEFT OUT. This should probably be a 'hold over' job for him. The chances of two companies sharing such information are basically zip and if he goes elsewhere with recent experience and a current job, he can likely put this all behind him.






                              share|improve this answer












                              If your boss truly is fine with him using the company name and providing a reference, AND everyone there is 'in on it', then I'm going to be extremely blunt: the risks are severe, but if he's totally out of other options to keep his career from a total stall it may be one evil versus another. Making up experience out of whole cloth (fake company, fake experience, fake pay, fake references, etc.) is incredibly risky but if he has a REAL company with REAL people willing to vouch for him, again, to be blunt, he's in pretty good shape.



                              It boils down to the fact that recruiters are people too, and only have so many hours in the day to comply with the truckload of legal and corporate crap piled on them and only so much energy to do it all. The average recruiter is highly unlikely to do much more digging than confirming the company exists and making a few phone calls unless he's applying for a very senior position or handling lots of very sensitive information.



                              Bottom line---make up as little as physically possible, and if he's hired, keep in mind that it may be a good idea to apply for somewhere else at a similar or better position WITH A RESUME THAT HAS THE FAKED-UP STUFF LEFT OUT. This should probably be a 'hold over' job for him. The chances of two companies sharing such information are basically zip and if he goes elsewhere with recent experience and a current job, he can likely put this all behind him.







                              share|improve this answer












                              share|improve this answer



                              share|improve this answer










                              answered Dec 23 '14 at 20:44









                              Nonny Moose

                              9




                              9







                              • 4




                                This does not anything to the many other answers.
                                – Jan Doggen
                                Dec 23 '14 at 21:42












                              • 4




                                This does not anything to the many other answers.
                                – Jan Doggen
                                Dec 23 '14 at 21:42







                              4




                              4




                              This does not anything to the many other answers.
                              – Jan Doggen
                              Dec 23 '14 at 21:42




                              This does not anything to the many other answers.
                              – Jan Doggen
                              Dec 23 '14 at 21:42










                              up vote
                              -6
                              down vote













                              I will go against what everyone else is saying.



                              The economy is extremely difficult right now, and your friend should do anything it takes to get a real job.
                              If that means lying through his teeth, do it.



                              I was in the same situation 10 years ago, my industry had a lack of roles available and I was lacking experience.
                              Falsified my resume with lies to get a job, friends were my references.
                              Never applied for jobs I couldn't do, or something beyond the scope of learning on the job.



                              I was desperate for work and nearly broke, within a month doing this I had a good job.
                              As long as your lies are well constructed you are fine, HR and recruiters do not care, as long as you have 3 references, no criminal record and pass the drug tests you are good to go.



                              Obviously it depends on the level of role as well, anything higher than middle management and there could be more scrutiny on your past.






                              share|improve this answer
















                              • 2




                                Hi Nigel, welcome to The Workplace. I'm wondering about your paragraph, claiming that HR and recruiters don't care that you are lying as long as you have references and pass their tests. Do you have any research or evidence to back this up as it's a rather bold claim? That would be much appreciated, especially regarding our back-it-up-rule.
                                – CMW
                                Mar 28 '14 at 8:37














                              up vote
                              -6
                              down vote













                              I will go against what everyone else is saying.



                              The economy is extremely difficult right now, and your friend should do anything it takes to get a real job.
                              If that means lying through his teeth, do it.



                              I was in the same situation 10 years ago, my industry had a lack of roles available and I was lacking experience.
                              Falsified my resume with lies to get a job, friends were my references.
                              Never applied for jobs I couldn't do, or something beyond the scope of learning on the job.



                              I was desperate for work and nearly broke, within a month doing this I had a good job.
                              As long as your lies are well constructed you are fine, HR and recruiters do not care, as long as you have 3 references, no criminal record and pass the drug tests you are good to go.



                              Obviously it depends on the level of role as well, anything higher than middle management and there could be more scrutiny on your past.






                              share|improve this answer
















                              • 2




                                Hi Nigel, welcome to The Workplace. I'm wondering about your paragraph, claiming that HR and recruiters don't care that you are lying as long as you have references and pass their tests. Do you have any research or evidence to back this up as it's a rather bold claim? That would be much appreciated, especially regarding our back-it-up-rule.
                                – CMW
                                Mar 28 '14 at 8:37












                              up vote
                              -6
                              down vote










                              up vote
                              -6
                              down vote









                              I will go against what everyone else is saying.



                              The economy is extremely difficult right now, and your friend should do anything it takes to get a real job.
                              If that means lying through his teeth, do it.



                              I was in the same situation 10 years ago, my industry had a lack of roles available and I was lacking experience.
                              Falsified my resume with lies to get a job, friends were my references.
                              Never applied for jobs I couldn't do, or something beyond the scope of learning on the job.



                              I was desperate for work and nearly broke, within a month doing this I had a good job.
                              As long as your lies are well constructed you are fine, HR and recruiters do not care, as long as you have 3 references, no criminal record and pass the drug tests you are good to go.



                              Obviously it depends on the level of role as well, anything higher than middle management and there could be more scrutiny on your past.






                              share|improve this answer












                              I will go against what everyone else is saying.



                              The economy is extremely difficult right now, and your friend should do anything it takes to get a real job.
                              If that means lying through his teeth, do it.



                              I was in the same situation 10 years ago, my industry had a lack of roles available and I was lacking experience.
                              Falsified my resume with lies to get a job, friends were my references.
                              Never applied for jobs I couldn't do, or something beyond the scope of learning on the job.



                              I was desperate for work and nearly broke, within a month doing this I had a good job.
                              As long as your lies are well constructed you are fine, HR and recruiters do not care, as long as you have 3 references, no criminal record and pass the drug tests you are good to go.



                              Obviously it depends on the level of role as well, anything higher than middle management and there could be more scrutiny on your past.







                              share|improve this answer












                              share|improve this answer



                              share|improve this answer










                              answered Mar 27 '14 at 23:58









                              NigelIncognito

                              25




                              25







                              • 2




                                Hi Nigel, welcome to The Workplace. I'm wondering about your paragraph, claiming that HR and recruiters don't care that you are lying as long as you have references and pass their tests. Do you have any research or evidence to back this up as it's a rather bold claim? That would be much appreciated, especially regarding our back-it-up-rule.
                                – CMW
                                Mar 28 '14 at 8:37












                              • 2




                                Hi Nigel, welcome to The Workplace. I'm wondering about your paragraph, claiming that HR and recruiters don't care that you are lying as long as you have references and pass their tests. Do you have any research or evidence to back this up as it's a rather bold claim? That would be much appreciated, especially regarding our back-it-up-rule.
                                – CMW
                                Mar 28 '14 at 8:37







                              2




                              2




                              Hi Nigel, welcome to The Workplace. I'm wondering about your paragraph, claiming that HR and recruiters don't care that you are lying as long as you have references and pass their tests. Do you have any research or evidence to back this up as it's a rather bold claim? That would be much appreciated, especially regarding our back-it-up-rule.
                              – CMW
                              Mar 28 '14 at 8:37




                              Hi Nigel, welcome to The Workplace. I'm wondering about your paragraph, claiming that HR and recruiters don't care that you are lying as long as you have references and pass their tests. Do you have any research or evidence to back this up as it's a rather bold claim? That would be much appreciated, especially regarding our back-it-up-rule.
                              – CMW
                              Mar 28 '14 at 8:37





                              protected by Monica Cellio♦ Jul 12 '15 at 4:21



                              Thank you for your interest in this question.
                              Because it has attracted low-quality or spam answers that had to be removed, posting an answer now requires 10 reputation on this site (the association bonus does not count).



                              Would you like to answer one of these unanswered questions instead?


                              Comments

                              Popular posts from this blog

                              What does second last employer means? [closed]

                              Installing NextGIS Connect into QGIS 3?

                              One-line joke