New Study: 63% of Job Applicants Admit to Lying on CV!

Career Climbers / 12th March 2020

Employers are aware that some job applicants will exaggerate their professional experience and even add outright lies to their CV in an attempt to secure their dream jobs. However, the extent of this phenomenon might be bigger than they think.

Savoystewart.co.uk surveyed 3,126 individuals across a range of sectors who were either in, or looking for, full-time employment – 63% of respondents admitted to lying on their CV at some stage in their professional career.

Below is a breakdown of the survey results:

Most applicants lie about their past work experience – over 50% of respondents said they did this for at least one job application.
Education is the least lied about CV feature (less than 10% of respondents).

How did the liars fare?

Applicants who lied about their work experience and skillset were the most successful. Shockingly, only a small percentage of these candidates were found out (8% and 10% respectively). 

Lying about your education is the attribute most likely to be discovered by employers – 12% of those who made up educational qualifications were found out.

Industries with most CV lies: 

Marketing and hospitality employers should be extra careful when vetting their applicants; a whopping 67% of marketing applicants and 60% of hospitality job seekers admitted to lying on or embellishing their CV when applying for jobs.

Men vs. Women: Who lies most?

Men – 48% of male respondents admitted to lying on their CV.

Women – only 15% of women admitted to lying in order to improve their chances of getting a job.