First, we must state that embellishments are not uncommon on a résumé. Surveys show that 25%–33% of résumés are embellished. Studies such as those by Resume Builder and FlexJobs report that roughly one in four (24% to 27%) to one in three (33%) job applicants explicitly admit to intentionally including inaccurate or false information on their résumé. Finding those embellishments is why GroupOne Background Screening is in business.
The most common résumé embellishments involve exaggerating skill sets, inflating job responsibilities and tweaking employment dates.
According to recruitment and HR surveys from sources like CareerBuilder, the top areas where people stretch the truth include:
- Embellished skill sets (57%): Listing software, languages or technical tools a candidate has only basic familiarity with rather than professional fluency.
- Exaggerated responsibilities (55%): Claiming ownership of major projects, leadership duties or high-level tasks that were actually handled by team members or supervisors.
- Dates of employment (42%): Stretching start or end dates to cover up employment gaps or making a short stint look like a longer tenure.
- Job titles (34%): Inflating a title to sound more senior—such as upgrading a “Coordinator” to a “Manager.”
- Academic degrees (33%): Claiming a degree that was never finished, listing an unearned major or inventing a fake diploma.
- Companies worked for (26%): Listing prestigious or recognizable companies falsely or misrepresenting freelance/contract work as direct employment.
- Accolades and awards (18%): Inventing or exaggerating sales numbers, performance bonuses or company awards.
Opinions on Reddit differ regarding how widespread or excusable these tweaks are, with many job seekers feeling pressured by high competition and unrealistic expectations, though recruiters warn that background and reference checks catch these discrepancies rather frequently.
Putting the brightest shine on documents sent to potential employers isn’t exactly new, but the numbers of people resorting to fiction to achieve that objective is. More than 21 percent of the 600 full-time U.S. employees surveyed by job resource platform resume.io admitted to having exaggerated professional experience on their résumés. That figure rose to nearly 40 percent among people who’d been actively looking for work in the last year.
But don’t worry. Catching embellishments on a résumé is relatively easy. Through strenuous background checks, GroupOne can routinely verify employment dates, past job titles and academic degrees. Reference checks with former supervisors are also important. And it’s always a good idea to ask candidates pointed questions about their skill sets. Such questions will quickly expose inflated or fabricated proficiencies.