During my career as a recruiter I have not always been the interviewer, but sometimes the interviewee. Bank in 2009, with the recession in full swing, I, along with millions of other job seekers, was looking for a job due to layoff. Competition was strong and jobs were scarce. A cloud of despair hung in the air. Fortunately, after submitting dozens of resumes, I landed a group interview for a recruiting position at a private university; a position he had never held but was eager to try. During the group interview we were told that only the best two candidates would make it to the final interview. I waited impatiently for the news… and luckily I was one of those candidates! I felt very safe; after all, I am a recruiter and these were great odds! He knew what to do and what not to do in an interview. I knew what questions they would ask me and I knew how to answer them. I knew how to sell myself and my skill set. He just knew, though inexperienced, that he had this position on the stock market!

Well my luck ran out. I got a “thanks, but no thanks” from the Principal’s office. I was devastated! How could this happen? Then, like many job seekers who face rejection, I began to question my ability, I began to beat myself up. Then the unexpected happened: while I was wallowing in self-pity, I received a call from the Director himself, offering me the position! That? How could this be? Well, I can tell you that I didn’t ask a lot of questions at the time, but I accepted the offer immediately and set a start date.

After several months on the job, I finally found the courage to ask the Director what changed his mind about my candidacy. it was simple he explained that the number one candidate falsified his resume, specifically regarding his education. The candidate claimed that he had a college degree, when in reality he had never graduated. The university promptly denied his application, and since I was the number two candidate (according to the Director, due to lack of experience), I was offered the position.

I’m sure you can guess the moral of this story. Honesty is definitely the best policy, not only in your personal life, but also in your professional life. As in the previous story, the decision to be honest or not can determine the direction of your career. Whether you’re writing a resume, filling out a job application, or being invited for an interview, telling the truth about your professional and academic career is just as important as your interview experience and techniques. A professional resume leaves a lasting impression. It is, after all, the determining factor in whether or not you will be invited to continue the interview process. If you embellish the truth, omit important information, or just lie on your resume, it will catch up with you! Nine times out of ten, you will not only be asked to submit a resume, but also fill out an application; this application must be signed and dated by you, stating that the information is correct. You have now created a discrepancy (ie if you are telling the truth on the application) between the application and your resume. Automatically, a red flag has been created regarding his candidacy. Questions about your character will arise and your reputation could be at stake.

Dishonesty on an application could be even worse! In this case, you could be putting yourself in legal jeopardy and there could be penalties for perjury. All job applications require your signature and date. The paragraph before the signature box will usually say something like this:

I hereby affirm that the information provided in this application is true and complete. I also agree that any information or omissions may disqualify me from consideration for employment or continued employment.

By signing and dating a document, you certify that the information in the document is true. By lying on an application, you could ruin your chances of being employed by the company, or worse, getting fired after you’ve already been offered the job. These counterfeits, in some cases (such as the healthcare industry and law enforcement), could be punishable by law.

Finally, if you are invited to a phone interview or an in-person interview, tell the truth! There is no question in an interview that you need to sell yourself; however, don’t embellish your skills and don’t overdo it. If you do, you risk tarnishing your character again. Another important factor to keep in mind is that there is a good chance that you will be expected to show off your skill set. For example, in a sales interview, candidates will be asked to role-play, “selling” to the interviewer. It will become apparent during this role play if, in fact, you have oversold your sales capacity. Additionally, if you are a technical candidate, you may be asked to complete a technical exercise at home or, even more intense, complete a technical exercise during the interview. It will be pretty obvious (and probably very embarrassing for you) if you’ve been dishonest about your skill level.

Even if you are able to convince the hiring manager of your made-up skills and you are eventually hired, it will quickly become apparent that you were insincere about your skills. At this point, you may be fired. At the very least, the hiring manager and his new colleagues will no doubt think less of you and it will be more difficult for them to trust you in the future.

As you can see, even one little white lie (or one big one) regarding your academic career, or embellishment regarding your professional skill set can affect the direction of your career. Remember, this is a small world, and within your industry, an even smaller world! You never know who a hiring manager might be talking to about you. Its veracity may not only affect this position, but could also affect future opportunities. Don’t waste an opportunity for something as easy as telling the truth. Honesty is definitely the best policy!