We've all been here unless you're a trust fund baby, in which case, fuck you. Photo via Flickr user Kathryn Decker
You need experience to get experience. That's the catch-22 many people face when they first attempt to enter the workforce—it's like needing a pair of scissors to open a package of scissors. A study from CareerBuilder last year found that 56 percent of hiring managers caught job applicants lying about something on their résumés.
Wondering what kinds of lies those might be, VICE reached out to young people to find out what they're bullshitting about on their résumés and how it worked out for them professionally.
Kayla, 28
Lie: I lied about past experience, taking computer program courses, graduating high school, and my references.
Can you tell me a bit more detail about what exactly lied about?
Depending on the job I'm applying for, I will absolutely tailor my past experience in places that I have worked to make it seem like I've done exactly what the same job description is that I'm applying for. I've lied about places I've worked at in the past. Usually it wasn't far-fetched—it's not like I lied about being a pilot or something and applied to Air Canada.
I would totally fudge up my references and ask people who were friends or family members to pretend to be people who worked for those companies. Any kind of computer program I really had no experience in, I would say I had taken courses and I was at the intermediate level, like Microsoft Access, but really I didn't even know what the freaking program looked like if I was asked to find it on a computer. Educational stuff I've definitely lied about (I didn't graduate high school).
But here's how I justified it in my mind: Technically speaking, I think every year of your life past high school age, you gain like three credits, and it's just considered life experience. I figured I gained whatever credits I hadn't earned in high school through actual life.
Would you do it again at this point in your career?
I probably wouldn't do it again at this point simply because I lied on my résumé for entry-level positions, but now that I actually achieved those jobs and have the actual experience, I no longer need to do so. I work in post-secondary education at a college doing student services and administration.
Did anyone find out about any of the lies on your résumé?
No. I've been working in this industry for about five years.
Do you have any tips for people who are thinking about lying on their résumé being someone who's done it successfully?
Basically when you're going to lie on your résumé, you need to make sure that you can immediately make it seem like you do actually have all of that experience. So if I lied on my résumé about a particular computer program, if I actually receive the position, I would be enrolled in courses the day of the offer of employment. You kind of have to live up to what the lie on your résumé is. You can't just lie and expect to get away with it forever because eventually your cover is going to be totally blown.
When you need experience to get a job but you need a job for experience
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