Amid fierce competition for every single job, where do you draw the line between embellishing and lying on your resume?

John O’Connor, Career Pro of NC, Inc.

A November 2008 review by the Wall Street Journal examined the careers and resumes of 358 senior-level executives and directors at 53 publicly traded companies. The result: At least seven top executives at America’s largest companies invented academic degrees they didn’t have.

“Inflated academic credentials in the nation’s executive suites may be more common than generally thought,” wrote the author Keith J. Winstein in the November 2008 issue of The Wall Street Journal. But is it really a problem? And amid the heavy competition for a jobs, where‘s the line between putting your best foot forward and outright lying?

In times when competition for a single job is high, it’s easy to entertain the thought of embellishing a resume. But it’s still true: Regardless of the job-market climate and regardless of the level of the candidate’s experience, personal integrity matters, and it counts on a resume.

Resumes do not have to provide every conceivable fact to the potential employer. You can leave out dates, certain past employment and material details. The truth is you can lie. Yes, you can. But you do it at your own peril. Attorneys who represent employers find this is as good a reason as any to prove you wrong in court.

Courts are holding that material misrepresentations on an employment application and resume constitute just cause to:

• terminate an employment contract
• reduce or deny benefits, including disability benefits

If you are an excellent résumé writer, you will counsel someone who may feel desperate enough to lie to not do so. Each and every certified professional résumé writer and career coach I know encourages clients to tell us the truth so we can coach and create proper documents and search strategies for them. In fact, it’s hard to coach someone on a lie anyway. Most career professionals and the clients they serve agree that a résumé needs to be a marketing tool, a persuasive document that does not need (even in the case of federal résumés) to dump information on the reader just to be truthful.

It wears well to use credible, reliable facts and achievements to build the case for our career-transition clients. That’s what we do, in the most inventive ways. Clients pay us for that keen and uniquely individualized perspective. But it’s not what we do that gets clients into trouble. They get into trouble by permitting themselves to lie to us and ultimately to potential employers.

People lie to their professional resume writers — and if they then populate these lies on LinkedIn and other professional, bio-driven sites, they are creating even more problems and fuel for attorneys. Falsification has had a nice run on the Internet. Many people use the same techniques as an identity thief. The Internet provides a fountain of information, resources, databases to hack into, mock degrees and everything else for someone who wants to do this wrong right.

How big a problem is resume fraud?

It has been reported that 90 percent of the personnel directors surveyed by the SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) reported finding resume untruths ranging from past salaries to personal identification.

Further, it costs companies and organizations billions of dollars to hire new candidates every year. These candidate costs can often average $5,000 or more to find, hire and properly onboard a new employee. Looking at the big picture, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners estimates that occupational fraud and abuse costs organizations more than $600 billion annually, or roughly 6 percent of gross revenues.

Educational backgrounds seem to be the most fertile ground for fraud. It gets easy to make false scholastic claims; changing areas of concentration; and adding majors, minors and degrees never obtained. Usually fraud comes through in changes in employment dates, salary manipulation, job titles and duties, and omitting negative records that may come up on background checks.

Although it’s not their job, career coaches and outplacement specialists continue to advocate honesty in their practices, to teach and even educate clients how they can creatively and imaginatively promote, but not falsify, their backgrounds to earn new positions, promotions and job assignments.

Recruiters look for incongruities and evidence that demonstrate the candidate does not have the background to match her qualifications. But even with strong recruiters, background checks and previous employer verifications, many clients squeak through. Time becomes a factor, and companies sometimes figure out that they can prove resume fraud later if they need to so it’s to their advantage perhaps not to invest company time and money until they must.

Let’s turn the tables a bit: Have you done a background check, employment verification and criminal records history on every babysitter who has ever worked for you? Wouldn’t you like to know who will be watching your kids? Should you do this? Are your kids worth it? But the answer is probably no, isn’t it? It’s human nature to take the easy way out of situations, and unfortunately it’s people who handle hiring.

So there you have it - tell the truth, whether it be on your resume, your job application, or who broke the window with the baseball. Very few people have a blemish-free past or the perfect credentials for the perfect job.

It is far better to know how to face the blemishes of your career head-on than simply to cover them up with lies. Good resume writers and career coaches can help job seekers gain perspective on imperfections and imaginatively present your past, thus eliminating the need to lie. Tell the truth in securing new work opportunities. You will face enough challenges and worries once you have the job. Don’t take short cuts to get there; take the higher road.

We recently received this question…

In today’s market, why would an employer want to pay recruiter fees with the supply of skilled people being so high?

Here was our answer…

Employers may be experts in their niche, but many are not experts at recruiting or finding great employees. Unemployment nationwide is around 5.5%, so it is still difficult for employers to find great employees.

Recruiting requires dedicated people, software, processes, unique tools, and constant training. Most employers are not sophisticated or forward thinking when it comes to recruiting. Therefore, they hire outside or third party recruiters.

While you are searching for great employers, find out if they use outside recruiters or have a dedicated recruiting staff as outlined above. If they do, I would consider them a progressive employer that is strategic thinking and prepared to compete. Otherwise, they will have limited capabilities to recruit and screen-out under-performers. This is important because you will not want to work for an employer with bad leadership and under-performing peers. The result for you will be looking for another job in a year or two.

Read it again. Understanding an employers recruiting methods should be used as a screening mechanism for you to find great employers. It is very important for you to know that you will be working with great people.

Here are more reasons employers use recruiters in ANY economy.

• Employers lack the dedicated resources to have an ongoing recruiting campaign (candidate pipeline), whether they are hiring or not.

• Recruiters provide unbiased third-party input.

• Some employers want confidentiality because they are replacing an employee.

• Most of the time recruiters can find great candidates faster because they are tapped into the marketplace.

• Recruiters may consult with an employer to help them fine-tune a job opening.

• Many employers like a recruiter to help with negotiating compensation.

• The investment may seem costly for an employer, but it is even more costly for an employer to settle for average performers.

Is you resume in the hands of hundreds of recruiters? Read this blog post on why you NEED to get your resume in front of as many recruiters as possible: http://www.resumespiderblog.com/2008/07/09/i-dont-want-to-use-recruiters-in-my-job-search/

At Resume Spider, we hear the following statement often… “I don’t want to use recruiters in my job search!”

My question to you, the job seeker, is why?

It is like you are telling me, “I want to get to the finish line first, as long as I don’t have to run!”

I am not a recruiter, so here is my unbiased response towards this statement…

Get people to work for you for free. Duplicate your time and effort by using MANY recruiters that specialize in your discipline and have connections to decision makers. Furthermore, if you get your resume into the hands of enough recruiters, you will find the ones that have opportunities right now.

Here are more reasons not to eliminate recruiters from your job search…

• Many employers only work with recruiters, which means you will never get access to those jobs unless a recruiter has your resume.
• Executive Search/Recruiting Firms maintain the largest network of un-advertised jobs. This is an obvious reason to get connected to this network and work it aggressively.
• Recruiters are hired by the employer to find the best person for the job and are rewarded financially when this happens. As a result, recruiters are always interviewing great candidates. A common misconception for many job seekers is they believe that recruiters work for them. Knowing this, you need to get yourself in front of hundreds of recruiting professionals. Take advantage of ResumeSpider’s economy-of-scale to make the numbers game work for in your favor. We have thousands of active Executive Search/Recruiting Firms in our network waiting for your resume.
• Recruiting is done nationally, so do not limit yourself to the recruiters in your area. Jobs in your town are constantly filled by recruiters from other cities. But do not worry. Our technology will connect you to any recruiter that has jobs in your area.
• If you have special skills in high demand or have a remarkable work history, some recruiters will proactively market you to potential employers. Remember, recruiters are only paid if a successful hire is made. ResumeSpider’s targeted distribution allows you to get your credentials to the right group of recruiters.
• If you are employed and confidentiality is a concern, recruiters will discretely provide access to opportunities.

I hope this makes sense!

The following article was written by Kimberly Schneiderman of City Career Services… 

Working with recruiters often feels like a guessing game. It is nerve-wracking for job seekers to learn the process as they go. They wonder how to make time to scout, screen and interview recruiters during the workday. Perhaps you can relate. Sometimes it seems like your search is at a stand still - even with so many moving pieces. Maybe you have other roadblocks that freeze your progress - trying to sell yourself, remembering ‘everything’ you have ever done in your career, explaining a bad situation and why you left, or writing a simple thank you note that hits the right points.

Well, it is time to take a deep breath. While we cannot change the time required for an effective job search, there are some tips for working with recruiters to get the most out of your time. This article will provide some insights from recruiters points of view. How they look at the whole process, what they really think when you ask for a 7 a.m. interview and what you can do to make your partnership successful.

Taking the Screening Call

When actively searching, the first rule of thumb is to avoid answering your cell phone unless you are in the perfect position to talk. As many job seekers have figured out, answering your phone while walking past your manager’s desk does not work well. You end up sounding disorganized and unprepared to the recruiter - and your manager.

Take advantage of caller ID and let calls from unknown people go to voice mail. Only return calls to recruiters when you are in a position to speak freely. Lynn Diegel, Executive Vice President of a market research firm and former hiring manager, says, “Don’t go to Starbucks. That constantly running blender in the background is a distraction.” She suggests calling from your car (your parked car!) or finding another quiet place to return her call. And, don’t worry about calling back within five minutes - simply getting back to the recruiter by the end of the next business day is perfectly acceptable.

Scheduling the Interview

Every recruiter interviewed for this story gave the same piece of advice: give the recruiter blocks of time when you will be available to interview. John Ferrel, a recruiter at The Heiden Group, advises “My job is to drive the interview process. The candidate needs to give me windows of time that work for them to schedule these meetings. When someone can offer consistent blocks of available time from week to week, it makes my job easier.” And those early morning hours? No problem - recruiters agree that whenever possible they will work with your availability, whether it be 7 a.m. or 6 p.m.

What if you have a lot of freedom and can interview anytime? “Don’t be too available - it doesn’t give me any structure in trying to set up an interview,” says Ferrel. “Stick to offering blocks.”

Travel a lot? Not to worry. “I’ll wait for someone to return from a business trip without an issue, especially if their resume is interesting,” says Bernie Siegel, a former recruiter and current President of the International Coach Federation of New York City. Lynn Diegel agrees wholeheartedly, but on the flip-side advises that candidates should not claim to be in ‘all-day meetings’ constantly. She wants the potential employee to be low-maintenance. Scheduling multiple managers and candidates is already difficult enough without having to battle the unavailable job seeker.

Whatever your entry point, you need to be realistic and respectful of employers’ and recruiters’ time. Knowing the demand level for your particular skill set and expertise can also help you. Professionals in mid-level positions with widely-available skills can expect less flexibility, but those coming from senior-level positions and specialty fields may experience a bit more freedom. Based on that, you can gauge employers’ potential flexibility and willingness to accommodate your needs in the interview process.

Selling Yourself

Just because a recruiter has contacted you does not mean you should stop marketing yourself. “Help me sell you to the employer; help me build a best-case scenario for your candidacy,” requests Ferrel. “Articulate why the position is a good fit for you. Pull out a story about your sales experience, your best engineering qualifications, or the projects you have managed.”

Tony Shea of The Heiden Group advises, “Sales candidates should be able to discuss their statistical achievements. Performance, quotas, numbers, commissions.” In general, candidates need to be ready and willing to discuss their resumes in a succinct, concise manner.

Putting together several pertinent S.T.A.R. stories will help you communicate your accomplishments and selling points to a recruiter. S.T.A.R. is a story-telling strategy which stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result. The strategy helps you stay on track when describing an accomplishment and drives you from the beginning to end of a story. For example: “[Situation] At XYZ Company we had a line of widgets to market in a new territory. [Task] These same widgets were very well received in other territories, so our job was to educate buyers in the market and show the value of placing these widgets on their store shelves. [Action] I went store-to-store with samples of the widgets and requested meetings with the store buyers. Since my product was easy to demonstrate, I was often able to meet with the buyer right away. [Result] Results were impressive. Buyers liked the product and would place orders immediately. Ultimately, I achieved 85% integration into the market and reached $650,000 in sales in just three months.”

Take time to re-familiarize yourself with your career. Put together S.T.A.R. stories for each position and be able to talk about your value and your takeaways from each job over the years. If you have maintained a strong network, you can reach out to your former co-workers and managers to discuss past projects and company successes.

Discussing Personal Roadblocks

Some candidates feel very open when working with recruiting firms - as if they can divulge things to the recruiter that they would not in an employer-candidate interview scenario. There is some flexibility and openness in the recruiter-candidate relationship, but do not assume you can discuss anything.

Shea and Ferrel have been told about candidates’ divorce struggles, potential cross-country moves, and other deeply personal issues. “It’s an interview process, not a personal declaration. Keep the information you present pertinent to the job - focus on the job skills.” Shea says. However, divulging something personal that affects a job requirement is essential. For example, if driving is a requirement of a position (like outside sales in a suburban market) and you do not have a drivers’ license, you need to tell the recruiter upfront. This said, you do not have to go into the reasons behind that fact.

Sending Thank You Notes and Email Etiquette

“Yes, thank you notes are required,” expresses Diegel. “Simply make a few connections between your experience and my needs. And, don’t assume I’ll remember you - a quick reminder of when you interviewed and something we discussed is great to jog my memory.”

Thank you notes should be sent within 24 hours of the interview. Remember to collect business cards from each person you meet so you can send individual notes to everyone. Your note does not have to be long - just acknowledge your appreciation of their time and point out a skill, talent, or experience that makes you the ideal candidate for the position. While recruiters and employers will always have their personal preferences, both email and regular mail are widely accepted for thank you notes.

One thing that does not waiver from the employer’s point of view is your professional presentation, especially with email. Follow appropriate grammar rules and do not get creative with spelling or punctuation. It is not a text message - make a good impression in every note you send throughout the job search process. And, always include your phone number with your full name on your signature line.

Following each of the above tips can help you in the interview process. Recruiters and employers actually want you to be right candidate for a job - it means they can stop their search - but you need to do your part to get in front of them and market yourself. Good luck! 

**This was written by Kimberly Schneiderman of City Career Services.  Read more of her job search tips at www.citycareerservices.com.