Job Seeker Fibs, Embellishments, Fabrications and Outright Lies

StyleCareers.com conducted a survey of fashion industry recruiters and hiring managers regarding background checks and corresponding candidate fibs/embellishments/fabrications/lies.  This post deals with the latter.

Why is this important? The Internet has given recruiters unprecedented access to job seeker information. Checking, for example, a candidate’s salary history or education credentials can be done quickly and cheaply through a variety of websites. Knowing what information is evaluated during background checks can help job seekers better prepare for the recruitment process.

What did we find? A surprisingly, high number of recruiters claim that fashion industry job seekers LIE during the recruitment/hiring process. The most common lie (by a wide margin) concerns compensation. Dates of employment and job titles were the second and third most commonly lied about items.

Our recommendation? Don’t lie. You don’t want to take a chance that a small fib or embellishment will keep you from getting a job.

Here are the results from the fibs/embellishments/fabrications/lies portion of the survey:

1.  What are the top 2 fibs/embellishments/fabrications/lies made by job seekers during the recruitment process?

2.  On a scale of 1-5 with 1 being the least serious and 5 being the most serious (worst), how would you rate the seriousness of this fib/embellishment/fabrication/lie?

3.  As a recruiter, do you allow for minor fibs/embellishments/fabrications/lies from job applicants?