Dear Jobs Guru: ‘I’m pondering of faking a greater CV to cease employers ghosting me’
Reader Eleise is sick and tired of getting ghosted whenever she applies for a job – and now she’s thinking of lying to potential employers. Our Jobs Guru James Innes is here with some advice
When you keep getting ignored, it might look tempting to get a bit creative(Image: Getty Images)
I’ve been applying for jobs for a while now and getting nowhere fast. Ghosted most of them time, hardly any interviews – and the whole thing is really starting to do my head in.
If I’m honest, I’m now feeling tempted to make my CV sound a bit bigger than it really is – not inventing an entire fake career or anything totally bonkers, but perhaps making my responsibilities sound a bit grander than they actually are.
Part of me knows that’s risky, but another part of me keeps thinking, “Well, if I don’t get past the first hurdle, what choice do I have?” Is this a terrible idea?
Eleise, Aberdeen
Ermmm… Short answer, Eleise? Yes! It’s a terrible idea!
I say that straight away because this it’s one of those ideas I recognise can feel oddly sensible when you are fed up, running out of patience and starting to think the whole system is stacked against you. But it’s not a good move.
There’s a difference between presenting yourself well – and puffing yourself up beyond the truth. The first is vital. The second can come back and bite you rather hard somewhere rather tender.
And I’m not referring to some dramatic, tribunal-worthy way either. Sometimes it’s much simpler than that. You get the interview, somebody asks a perfectly ordinary follow-up question, and suddenly you are having to wriggle.
Or you get the job, and people realise fairly quickly that your CV was selling a version of you that, well, only really exists on paper. That is NOT a happy place to be.
Now, should you make your CV as strong as it can be? Yes, absolutely; of course you should. Should you avoid underselling yourself? Yes. Should you describe your work in the best possible light? Yes.
But, once you start crossing the line into things you can’t really stand up in front of another human being and defend, well, then you are on some very dangerous ground.
Top Tip:
Don’t ask yourself, “Can I get away with this?” Ask yourself, “Could I say this out loud in an interview and not squirm?” If the answer is no – then leave it out!
Spotlight On: The Truth
This temptation to start bending the truth can easily creep in when you’re looking for a new job but getting nowhere fast.
After a while, it is very easy to look at the honest version of your CV and start thinking, “Maybe honesty is my problem?!” But, trust me, it isn’t! The CV may be too flat, too timid or too vague – but it can’t be too truthful.
There is quite a lot of room between being painfully modest and being downright misleading, though. That’s the bit you might need to work on. But if you have to bend the truth to get through the front door, life could rapidly become rather difficult once you are inside…
Get a head start in your job hunt with James’ new book, The Job You’ve Always Wanted – out now from Pearson at £16.99.
Our Jobs Guru, James Innes, is a best-selling careers author and founder of the world’s leading group of professional CV and resume writers .
