Friday, June 22, 2012

Recent headlines have brought renewed focus to the issue of resume padding. According to a recent survey by FindLaw.com, 8 percent of Americans admit to embellishing or exaggerating information on their resume.

As some recent corporate scandals have highlighted, the consequences of resume padding can be severe. More than a quarter of the people who admitted padding their resumes — 27 percent — said they subsequently lost their job when the false information was later discovered. An additional 3 percent said they were not offered a job after their resume padding was uncovered.

Resume padding involves presenting false or misleading information about one's education, work experience, professional credentials, job skills or other important personal data.

"With the Internet, employers now have more means to verify information on a resume," explains Stephanie Rahlfs, an attorney and editor with FindLaw.com. "Even connections with other people via social media such as Facebook and LinkedIn can reveal inconsistencies with the information that you are presenting to employers. In this age of social networking, people need to be careful not only that their information is truthful and accurate, but also that they are not saying one thing to one person or company, and something different to someone else — whether it's an employer, prospective employer, friend, family member or acquaintance."

Source: FindLaw.com

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