Watch CBS News

Lying On Your Resume

By Amy Feldman

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Doesn't everyone who sends out a resume embellish it just a little? What's your obligation to be precisely truthful?

California Republicans are suing a Democratic candidate for Congress — claiming that astronaut José Hernandez shouldn't be allowed to list "astronaut" under his name on the ballot, not because he wasn't one - Hernandez actually flew on the shuttle Discovery in 2009. But the lawsuit claims that "astronaut is not a title one carries for life."

Many people who don't want to admit they've lost a job or have a gap in the resume list their employment dates for longer than they were - but a word to the wise: Most companies have policies that list lying on a resume or job application to be grounds for immediate termination. Most companies don't require you list the day you left one job and the day you started your next so often stating the years of employment are sufficient. But, where applications do require specific dates of employment, overestimating length of employment can be considered a lie of omission and with all the background check services out there, that can and do highlight resume misrepresentations, it wouldn't take a rocket scientist to find out if you haven't been truthful.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.