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Dressed up your resume details? Here's how it could cut your career short

By Preeti Kulkarni, ET Bureau | 6 Jul, 2015, 08.00AM IST

 If you assume that organizations simply archive resumes without ascertaining its veracity, think again. For every Tom, Dick or Harry who gets away with suppressing or dressing up CV details, there is a Johnny who gets caught.

Minefield of frauds

"We come across several cases of candidates being sacked over false information provided. I know of a candidate who had lost his job in 2010, but withheld this information in his CV. Soon, his new employer found out and

and he was asked to go," says Sunil Goel, Founder and MD, Global Hunt, an HR consultancy firm.

Then there are the very serious offences. "Just in order to get a raise, candidates forge their last drawn salary figure. There have been instances where telephonic interviews were rigged, and candidates asked qualified personnel to give interviews on their behalf," says Moorthy K. Uppaluri, CEO of HR consulting firm Randstad India. 

Be prepared to be caught

Your misadventures with your CVs can land you in a soup, even if not in jail. "Typically, companies terminate contracts of employees found to have lied about their qualifications, experience etc," says GoelJail terms are reserved for more serious offences.

"There have been cases when companies have reported the matter to the authorities," adds Goel. Employers are increasingly adopting sophisticated tools to check frauds. They may insist on video interviews to eliminate the chances of experts impersonating candidates. There are also multiple tracking sources available today for verifying and scrutinizing CVs. Social media has emerged as a powerful tool to validate information. Basic details like age, school and college attended and employers can be easily verified by going through the candidates' profiles on Facebook and LinkedIN. 


The Internet never forgets and concealed blemishes can be dug out at will. Don't assume that companies won't carry out investigations once you join. If you do not have the expertise or skills mentioned in your CV, you are bound to be unequal to tasks assigned to you, exposing your falsifications. "Post hiring, job performance can lead to a follow-up investigation. In case of dishonesty, it is often accountable for legal action and may lead to termination," adds Uppaluri.

Transparency is best

How do you insulate yourself against criminal action, loss of job and face? By being transparent. "Even if you have lost your job, say so. Rarely do companies treat it as a disqualifier these days," says Goel.

 Likewise, you are better off letting go of jobs that insist on minimum qualifications or marks instead of fudging the information and risking long-term damage to your future prospects.