Why Your Resume Needs to Be Accurate

It seems like the most obvious declaration about a resume: the information within it needs to be accurate. But many resumes are not accurate. Should I say some resume authors stretch the truth? Granted, the truth has shades of gray. (For instance, one's years of experience. Your title may be administrative assistant but you may very well be filling the role of a project manager or even a tech support rep. So, how do you document that on a resume?) But, the greater issue is the employer's use of extensive background checks. I have been getting reports back from my clients that their references have told them (the job seekers) that an employer contacted the references even before calling the job seekers for a telephone interview. Employers are conducting more behind-the-scenes checks on job applicants than ever before. Facebook checks included! If your resume is inaccurate, you may disqualify yourself even before your horse gets out of the gait. And I'm not talking the Kentucky Derby here!

I am sent hundreds of resumes to review every few weeks. Most of them are accurate from what I can tell. But I have seen fraudulent resumes. Most of the time I can tell by the way the resume owner writes. If he claims he is a college graduate and he cannot write a simple subject-verb-object sentence (e.g., My car runs well.) correctly, I usually look much closer at his resume. I check dates. I will go to a Web search engine and verify if the company he said he worked at was truly located in Atlanta and it was in business when he said he worked there. But his lack of correct grammar isn't the only red flag of resume fraud. After all, some people just can't write. I look at the timeline of his resume. And, if he uses a functional format instead of a chronological format, I will check the resume more thoroughly. Functional formats are easier to hide employment gaps. Resumes are often called 'personal marketing' documents. But they enter into the legal sphere since they are assumed to be accurate and truthful. So, ensure that the information that can be verified is indeed accurate.

As I have suggested earlier in this article, some resume information is subjective. Years of experience possesses gray zones. One's skills' proficiencies is another gray area unless the employer specifically defines what they mean by an "advanced level of MS Excel proficiency." In addition, let's say you know how to do a few simple tasks in PhotoShop (e.g., resize a photo, rename a photo, etc.). Should you include it in your skills even though you really couldn't be a full-blown graphic designer.  Well, be honest. You clearly have a basic familiarity with the program. So, you could say you have a "Familiarity with PhotoShop," which suggests (at least to me) that you know something about it but in a limited way.

Recently, I have seen an example of where a resume owner thought she was being accurate but only caused confusion. In her work history, she said the following:

Digital World & Blankenship & Associates, Atlanta, GA (2005--Present)
Accounting Coordinator & Executive Assistant to President & CEO

• Accounts Payable responsibility for main and subsidiary companies
• Achieved monthly payment reductions with vendors by coordinating payment plans to decrease budgeting
• Organize and maintain daily calendar, schedule, coordinate, execute company travel 

The confusion arose because which role went to which company? Did she hold the same roles for both? Was she an Accounting Coordinator at Digital World and an Executive Assistant at Blankenship & Associates, or vice versa?  I contacted her for a clarification and she said the following:

"Yes, they are owned by the same people so I was doing work for both. I would also like to mention that I did accounting work for all sister companies including the main street cookie company, ox lumber company and ike macy's bookstore."

Well, she didn't answer my original question for starters. But it also indicated that she wasn't entirely sure how to communicate her employment accurately. It seems like she worked for a holding company perhaps or at least one company that had a number of different businesses. So, I contacted her again and asked her, "Who pays you? What company name is on your paycheck?" Her response clarified the matter and resulted in the following:

Accounting Coordinator, Digital World,  Atlanta, GA (2005--Present)
Summary: perform accounting and executive assistant duties for the company and her sister business including Blankenship & Associates, Main Street Cookie Company, Ox Lumber Company and Ike Macy's Bookstore. Duties include the following:

•  Accounts Payable responsibility for main and subsidiary companies
• Achieved monthly payment reductions with vendors by coordinating payment plans to decrease budgeting
• Organize and maintain daily calendar, schedule, coordinate, execute company travel