How Far Can I Stretch the Truth on My Resume?

There’s a sudden deluge of liars these days, which is exactly why we need to make sure we do everything we can to not join that embarrassing group. Elizabeth Holmes and Sam Bankman-Fried squandered hundreds of millions of dollars, and now congressman George Santos has squandered his reputation by lying about nearly everything in his life in exchange for a political victory. The Wall Street Journal said, “The New York representative-elect effectively committed election fraud and took advantage of voters’ trust.”

And yet, I still see people “stretching the truth” on their resume, their website, and their biography.

Years ago I stopped looking at Google as a search engine and starting thinking about it terms of reputation management. The river of information that flows into Google is staggering, and you never know what may turn up.

Lie about that DUI you got in college? It will probably show up.
Lie about your past job? It’s not hard to confirm the details.
Fudge a little about your qualifications? It’s easier than ever to find out the truth.

An executive recruiter once told me that the first thing he does before he brings anyone in for an interview is to Google him or her.

In the age of digital technology it’s getting more and more difficult to get away with a lie.

Right now these spectacular flame-outs should be a sober reminder that it’s simply not worth it to stretch the truth.

So don’t.