Applicants May Fudge Credentials, But These Are 15 Resume Doozies

By Eric B. Meyer

CareerBuilder has released the 2015 edition of its Biggest Resume Blunders Survey.

You know, about that seventh bullet — I was positive that I’d changed my email address before submitting that resume to NASA.

Oh well; their loss.

Here’s the full CareerBuilder list:

Applicant claimed to be a former CEO of the company to which they were applying.
Applicant claimed to be fluent in two languages – one of which was pig Latin.
Applicant wrote “whorehouse” instead of “warehouse” when listing work history.
Applicant’s personal website linked to a porn site.
Applicant introduced himself [in the cover letter] by saying “Hey you.”
Applicant vying for a customer service position gave “didn’t like dealing with angry customers” as the reason for leaving her last job.
User name of applicant’s email address was “2poopy4mypants.”
Applicant claimed to be a Nobel Prize winner.
Applicant claimed to have worked in a jail when they were really in there serving time.
Applicant who claimed to be HVAC certified later asked the hiring manager what “HVAC” meant.
Applicant said to have gotten fired “on accident.”
Applicant claimed to have attended a college that didn’t exist.
Applicant for a driver position claimed to have 10 years of experience but had only had a driver’s license for four years.
Applicant listed as a reference an employer from whom they had embezzled money and had an arrest warrant out for the applicant.
Applicant’s stated job history had him in three different companies and three different cities simultaneously.

Embellishing your resume CAN backfire

uThe national online survey was conducted on behalf of CareerBuilder by Harris Poll between May 14 and June 3, 2015, and included more than 2,000 full-time, U.S. hiring and human resources managers across industries and company sizes.

As Rosemary Haefner, chief human resources officer at CareerBuilder, said about the survey results:

Job seekers have the unenviable challenge of grabbing – and holding – a hiring manager’s attention long enough to make a strong impression. Embellishing your resume to achieve this, however, can ultimately backfire. Most hiring managers are willing to consider candidates who do not meet 100 percent of the qualifications. Job seekers can increase their chances for consideration by proving past achievements that exemplify an ability to learn, enthusiasm and cultural fit.”

This was originally published on Eric B. Meyer’s blog, The Employer Handbook.