Why do people cheat or lie? Do they think they can get ahead? Do they think they are not good enough? In life, we all know cheating and lying hurts everyone, even the “winners” who cheated or lied to get there. The same is true during the hiring process.
In a recent conversation with a gentleman that was unemployed, he was sharing some terribly bad advice he had been given by an unemployment office. He was told to fill his resume with keywords/buzzwords that were in the job descriptions using white text. By using the white text, it wouldn’t be seen or even noticed by the reader because it would match the background of the resume. HR systems will then parse the resume pulling keywords (even those in white text) from it and making him appear to be a good fit for a broader range of roles. This would make him more likely to get calls for interviews. I couldn’t believe this advice came from an unemployment office!
Do not risk closing the door on you future by cheating the system or lying! With experience as both a hiring manager and a recruiter, I can tell you that if a resume came across my desk and someone was less than honest about their experiences, I would not give them a second thought. They would be blacklisted from my database as someone I could not trust and therefore could not work with in the future.
As a job seeker, we know the market is competitive. We also know there are biases in hiring that are unfair. But one thing is certain, if you end up getting hired at a company because you lied or were not completely honest about your experiences, you and/or your employer will pay for it in the end. You may even lose out on the role that was the right fit for you by saying yes to one that wasn’t the right fit.
At TalentID, we strongly believe that a role must be a fit for both the job seeker and the employer. If it is not a fit for one, it is not a fit for the other. Our goal is to create lifelong partnerships with both our candidates and employers and you can’t have that without honesty and trust.
If you need help filling a role in the digital marketing or emerging technology space, contact us! If you need help finding a job, we are happy to schedule a consultation with you.