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by smithian 5508 days ago
Yes. I am currently hiring and have a candidate that is actually perfect for the job. I will not hire him. Why? Because on his resume he claimed ownership for some very impressive projects, and in the interview it became clear that he was in a very junior role in those projects. As my dad taught me, "Do not lie, cheat, steal, or associate with those who do"

It would be better to be honest about your experience, and if you feel you are lacking in some area, get some experience in the area you need while you are looking for a job.

1 comments

I wouldn't lie about my role in a project. I'd consider that to be different to be honest.

In this particular example, I was looking for reactions for general skills as opposed to to specific roles within a project. My apologies, I should've been clear about that.

A lie is a lie is a lie, no matter how small.
Everyone lies. You lie - I guarantee it. There is such a thing as acceptable lying. You probably lie every day. If you have kids then you certainly lie constantly about small things.

The question is, for any individual, what do you consider an acceptable lie? What are your limits?

For me, lying on a resume is not acceptable. For others clearly it is fine.

A lie is a lie is a lie, in context, means that a small lie (i.e. claiming to know bash even though you never used any of the nontrivial features of bash) is not acceptable.

When you start hiring people, you will quickly realize how many people claim expertise, or even awareness, of languages / systems that they dont know about. e.g. everyone who has used awk '{print $1}' claims to be an awk expert. And its kinda sad that people see such small things as acceptable.