Have you lied on a resume to get that dream job or simply to improve your finances? A new study by StandOut CV says 57% of Americans are prepared to lie in 2023 because of rising costs and inflation. Also, more than half, 55%, say they have lied at least once; meaning 43.5 million Americans got a job in 2022 by being less than truthful.

StandOut CV spoke to Mark Sadaka, Principal Attorney and Founder of Sadaka Law, based in New Jersey and New York.

Sadaka says, "An employee faking a job reference will immediately be rejected. In some cases, the company may even blacklist them. This means that they can never apply for any job position at the company again." He adds, "Employees can be made to pay back their salary. However, it's more common to just fire them."

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Sadaka also states that, "Faking a resume is considered fraud. Thus, it is a criminal activity in most states. This means that the company could file a complaint against you. But because it's a minor offense, there are a lot of ifs and buts attached to it."

Who's more likely to lie? Men with nearly 60% saying they have lied on a resume compared to 50.6% of women. Also, 1 in 6 (16.9%) people have used fake job reference services and 2 in 5 (41%) have lied about their college degree. Interestingly, fake college degree certificates and transcripts can be had for an average cost of $270, notes StandOut CV.

The most common thing people had lied about was their previous work experience (55.4%). Here is everything else people lie about on their resumes:

  • Job skills (43.1%)
  • College degree (41%)
  • References (40.3%)
  • Personal details (39.5%)
  • High school details (39.2%)
  • Salary/pay (33.6%)
  • Equipment/software skills (33.5%)

When it came to consequences, the most common response was that they got fired/had an offer withdrawn (54.9%), police were involved (14.5%), and others received a fine (13.4%). However, 15.9% of respondents say that even though they had been caught, no action was taken against them.

Overall 88.4% of people who accepted a job offer after lying, say that they could still complete the daily tasks of the job with no problems.

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