A survey conducted by HireScores.com of 1,277 people currently in employment has revealed that a whopping 69% of them had lied at some stage of the recruitment process, in either their current or a previous job role.

The high number of people that admitted lying, were then asked to explain what they had lied about, with the top 2 offenders being:

-36% admitted to lying about their referee, many using a friend or family member as their fake reference.
-Nearly 1 in 3 lied about their reasons for leaving last employment- because they had not left work on good terms.

The sample were then asked whether they had been inclined to 'bend the truth' on their CVs also, to which 9 out of 10 people admitted that something on their CV was embellished or simply untrue.

The top 2 things to lie about on your CV were:

-Hobbies and Achievements: 50% had lied about hobbies and achievements, including ability to play instruments, extent of language skills, and embellished gym or sporting activity.
-Educational Qualifications: 25% of people had amended their qualifications to higher grades than they had actually achieved.

Why lie, and is it worth it?

Of the reasons given in the survey, many believed that the white lie was so minor that it was unlikely to be checked- such as altering a qualification here and there.

But what happens if they do check??

There are three scenarios here:

1) They don't check, it doesn't mean much, it never becomes an issue.

2) They do check, they think it is a BIG issue, you end up in disciplinary or worse, fired for your misleading information.

3) They don't check, but assign you tasks that you must attempt with a lot more difficulty than if you had never said you could do them. Talking to a french customer, being invited to play tennis at the weekend, asking to solve a maths equation etc...

Whether you embellish something minor, or go all out on a compulsive lying spree- is it really necessary in the first place; regardless of the repercussions?

My advice is to just be honest. Yes it is the standard, party, goody-two-shoes answer, but it is also logical, sensible and risk-free. Most people lie about something minor, which begs the question, why lie at all? If its something so pointless, leave it off- or ask yourself why you can't/don't do the thing you want to say you can. Maybe it's a hobby you could take up, a vocation you could learn? If it is a qualification you feel let down by, you could always take a course. Or, just don't worry- if you can tick every other box, then you may just succeed on your own merit, without the guilt factor involved in your little lie- which invariably leads to a complicated web of the darned things.

Yes, the job market is competitive- but this is even more reason not to ruin your chances, by getting into trouble over something you needn't have done in the first place.

Happy Job Hunting.