In the immortal words of Chris Rock, people lie all the time (though according to him, there's some debate as to whether it's men or the finer gender that does it more often). To most people, lawyers are some of the most notorious practitioners of this pastime, but I think they're just getting a bad rap. Sure a lot of lawyers can often stretch the truth, usually to the benefit of both them and their client(s), but so does everyone else. Whether it's using that old student ID to get a discount at the movie or telling your date that you are a doctor and not the guy who walks around Chuck E. Cheese in a rat costume, lying is just a part of life.
So is it really a surprise that people lie on their resumes? No, in that according to a recent survey only 18 percent of job seekers do so. Specifically, 18 percent lie about their skill sets and 7 percent lie about past job experience, but who's counting? I know, I know, I am…
What's even more surprising, at least to me anyway, is that employers are actually turned off by it. I would think it's almost expected at this point. I mean, take a look at your resume. Chances are it's not totally truthful. Are you really a world-class tennis player? I am because I'm amazing and also very employable. *Wink Wink* But you're probably not because you're not an innovator or as great of a team leader as I am.
Haha, just kidding O great LegalMatch employer gods! I'm your ever-faithful disciple, as long as you continue signing my checks.
Anyway, apparently lying on your resume can really turn an employer off. Seriously, it does make sense. You probably wouldn't want to hire someone who is dishonest regardless of the task they're handling, right? The article above gives some handy tips on what not to fib about on your resume, such as saying you speaking languages that you don't or lying about your job title.
Being caught in a lie by someone you know is really embarrassing, which is all the more reason why you don't want to be put in that same situation with some person you just met whom you're trying to solicit employment from. Talk about wanting to a crawl in a hole and die.
Similarly, though to some it may sound counterintuitive to want hire a lawyer who doesn't lie, it really is quite important. You may think that a deceitful attorney will be better able to represent you in a legal action; however that's really not the case. Take a step back and think about it. Though it might be true that an attorney who lies would likely be willing to forge documents or do other unethical things in your favor, it's probably also likely that the same lawyer would also lie about what he or she is doing (or more likely, not doing) to representing you.
So remember, don't lie on your resume, and make sure the company you keep does the same.
