According to research from these people, 50% of us have lied on our CV. Now I know I have been telling the truth, so that means the person next to me must be lying. Probably.
So what exactly are people fibbing about? The survey is generally about serious attempts to mislead recruiters, such as falsifying your qualifications - converting an HND into a BA, for example. But I think if we included smaller "white lies" the list would be very long indeed.
Three main categories of fib spring to my mind:
Employment history: Can two weeks' work experience be fudged into looking like a real job? If you're a little loose about your dates, just maybe.
Personality: Yes, I'm sure you are an "enthusiastic, motivated self-starter". I am too.
Hobbies: For "I love to travel" read "I went on holiday last year and would like to go again". And if you really think about it, "voluntary work" can be stretched to cover giving your nan a lift to the shops. Meanwhile, any fool with a Lovefilm subscription can have a "a keen interest in contemporary cinema", and of course for "socialising" you must always, always, read "boozing".
So what have I missed? Have you ever read a blatant porky-pie on a CV? And will you own up to writing one?
