CV writing – faking it?!
A large percentage of people seem to think it’s permissible to tell a few small porkies when writing their CV. Many think it’s acceptable because “everyone else does it”. But I would always strongly caution anyone against telling anything but the truth on their CV. Any inaccuracies on a CV can give an employer grounds to dismiss an employee immediately for ‘gross misconduct’ – and employers do have ways of checking up on you.
Whether or not you tell the ‘whole’ truth, though, is another matter entirely. You are under no obligation to include every detail of your life history within your CV and any information which could be perceived negatively should, generally, be omitted or excluded. Examples include being fired from a previous job. Clearly you should always put as positive a spin as possible on the contents of your CV but it’s a fine line – and only you can really be the judge of what is and is not acceptable.
To take an example, if you achieved a poor degree classification then leaving this classification out and focussing within the CV on the content of your degree course can draw the employer’s attention onto more positive material.
Managing Director, The CV Centre
Author: The CV Book, The Interview Book & Brilliant Cover Letters