78 per cent of job-seekers are not truthful when it comes to salary & achievements; 6 most common lies told by candidates

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

candidates lie to get themselves noticed or bag their dream job? According to several hiring experts, many candidates do lie. Sometime it is a white lie — about a career milestone, workplace achievements. Some may be deliberately shady about the time they spent as an employee or as an intern in their previous company. Others may embellish their resume with half-truths. Many job candidates are not ready to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth when it comes to their resume.

A 2020 survey conducted by reference checking company Checkster revealed that at least 78 per cent of candidates lied about their background on resumes and during the interview. The results were shared by the magazineCNBC's Make It. Here are some of the most common lies told by job hopefuls: 60 per cent of candidates tell a white lie about a skill — such as Excel, PowerPoint, or a new language. Some may exaggerate just how technologically aware they are. 50 per cent admitted they lied about the duration of their tenure at their previous workplace, to avoid resume gaps. 41 per cent said that they often lied about holding a director-level position when they were senior managers at best. 39 per cent lied about graduating from a prestigious university. A further 39 per cent graduates from online universities have pretended they had studied in traditional colleges. 33 per cent faked career achievements. This one's a no brainer! 49 per cent claimed to have a higher college GPA than their actual grades. At the end of the day, background checking is the only viable tool, employers have at their disposal when it comes to verifying the authenticity of a candidate.