Before you exaggerate on your resume, consider these 4 things
You finally found your dream job and you fit all of the qualifications … except for one: Photoshop. Does blurring out chin acne in a selfie count as “proficient”?
We’ve all felt the instinct to exaggerate on our resumes. Maybe you wrote that you were a “team manager” when you actually just led a few meetings while your boss was out sick or said you “ran” the company’s social media during your internship instead of merely suggesting a few meme formats for the Twitter account. And while some embellishments may seem beneficial, they could hurt you in the long run. Here are some guidelines to consider before adding those little white lies to your CV.
Don’t embellish, explain
When you feel the urge to exaggerate your role, think instead about the things you did accomplish and how to effectively frame that value. Focus on outcomes and specifics. For example, if you organized a THON fundraiser, did you reach your donation goal? How many people attended the event?
Related: When two candidates are equally qualified, this is key for landing the job
"Everybody's gonna exaggerate. Just be able to talk about all the things that you've written,” recruiter Amelia Sax says. “Every single detail, you should be able to speak on. I used to practice in front of a mirror every time I had an interview. … I would find little things [on my resume] either to cut because it was just fat or because I had exaggerated and didn't have that much to back it up with."
Prepare for follow-ups
Keirsten Greggs, founder and CEO of recruiting consulting and career coaching firm TRAP Recruiter, echoes that it’s only okay to exaggerate if it’s based in truth and you have the evidence to back it up.
Related: Get interview ready in 5 easy steps
"They're going to ask [about it], especially if it's something extraordinary. They're going to ask you in the interview, so you want to be able to speak to the things that you're saying.”
Strengthen your adjectives and get specific
Instead of saying you were the creative lead on an Advertising Club project when you were really more of a behind-the-scenes collaborator, focus on amplifying your actions in that role. Writing that you “co-created campaign moodboards” is more clear and compelling than something like “helped put together images for ads.”
A lie is a lie
If your sole use of spreadsheets is to tally up who owes what at brunch, don’t say you're an expert at Excel. That would be a flat-out lie. You can say you’re a fast learner and eager to take on new skills. A flattering truth! Even if you did get the spreadsheet job, you’d fail to meet expectations if you lied about your abilities.
Related: How to build a LinkedIn profile when you’ve never had a job
Founder and principal consultant at HRecruit Kristina Minyard advises job applicants to “stick to the facts.” If you’re writing something on your resume, “it needs to be a factual thing that you can do or that you have done or that has happened,” she says. If you lie and you’re selected for the job, your performance could suffer, and your career progression will follow.
“There's really no need to overinflate your resume, then you're changing the expectations of your work output. And when you start that job, and you can't meet that overinflated version of yourself that you presented, they're going to be like, ‘We have a problem.’”
View the original article at Chegg Life and signup for the Chegg Life Newsletter
Related...