The costs of lying on your resume

WASHINGTON — It brought down former Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson, celebrity chef Robert Irvine and cost basketball coach Steve Masiello a multi-million deal.

If you lie on your resume, chances are you will be caught. But it’s not a rare occurrence, according to a new study of hiring managers conducted online for employment website CareerBuilder.

Fifty-eight percent of those surveyed say they’ve caught lies on resumes; one- third of them say they’ve seen an increase in resume embellishments. For example, job seekers overstate their skill sets and responsibilities.

CareerBuilder’s Rosemary Haefner says lying on a resume destroys any trust that would be important in a professional relationship.

Upon finding the lie, 51 percent of the managers said the candidates wouldn’t be considered for the job.

Forty percent of the managers say it depends on what the lie is about; seven percent said they’d be willing to overlook a lie if they liked the person.

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