With unemployment still high, some job candidates are tempted to tell fibs on their resumes in the hopes of increasing their chances of getting hired while avoiding getting caught.  But promoting a candidate who isn’t exactly what he presents himself to be can create serious trust issues between recruiters and employers.  So how can a recruiter sniff out some of the most common resume lies?  Below are a few tips:

They Didn’t Really Go To An Ivy League School

For attorneys trying to get placed with top firms, fibbing about which school they went to is tempting, especially if their real school is lower-tier.  Sometimes a recruiter can do a quick search on the internet to find out if the job candidate really attended a certain school. For example, if their resume says they went to Harvard and their Facebook page says something else, then they’re probably not telling the truth.

Inflating Job Responsibilities

Some job candidates stretch the truth regarding what type of duties and responsibilities they had at previous jobs.  Recruiters might want to question a resume where the job title doesn’t really match the responsibilities listed, or where the job duties don’t match the firm.  For example, if a job candidate claims to have worked on bankruptcy cases at a firm which doesn’t specialize in bankruptcy, you know that they’re probably not telling the truth.

Inflating Salaries

Everyone wants to get a raise; but some job candidates inflate their previous salaries in an effort to convince employers that they’re worth the price.  One telltale sign that a salary is inflated is when the job title does not match the salary given.  For example, there probably aren’t many inexperienced law clerks who earn six-figures.