Can you be totally honest on a resume and expect a call from a employer?

MAJ David Vermillion — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 18:20:32 -0500

Just as ORR/EERs are inflated, do you think resumes are as inflated? If so, who has the advantage for promotion or hire?

Response by SFC George Smith made Nov 29 at 2016 6:22 PM

SFC George Smith — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 18:22:14 -0500

you have to sell your self... Just like a Used car salesman... give it all you have

Response by MAJ Rene De La Rosa made Nov 29 at 2016 6:22 PM

MAJ Rene De La Rosa — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 18:22:45 -0500

Ahhh, the ultimate question. The bottom line is if you can produce for your new employer i.e. are you excellent in your job? Do you need hand-holding? Are you finally, INDISPENSABLE to the your new employer? This is what it comes down to. You can try to pad the resume, but they will eventually find out if your are a lemon.

Response by SMSgt Thor Merich made Nov 29 at 2016 6:29 PM

SMSgt Thor Merich — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 18:29:07 -0500

Inflated may be too strong of a word. Resumes need to sell the person. Certain points need to be emphasized, depending on the position. I tailor each resume for the job I am applying for. Certain skills may be more important for one job than another.

Folks who have humble resumes are going to get passed over by those whose resumes are more dynamic.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 29 at 2016 6:40 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 18:40:12 -0500

Good question Sir. In my case I was totally honest on mine. I showed my resume to all of my references and asked them is there anything on here you would/could not agree with. They all told me (5) that I would be hard pressed getting the job I wanted because of how strong it is(my resume). Fast forward to jump hunting/interview times. 3 apps, 1 interview, and 2 call backs telling me I was over qualified for the job, and I landed the job I was happy with, with 25% more pay than I was expecting.
Honesty is your best policy.

Response by SPC Erich Guenther made Nov 29 at 2016 7:21 PM

SPC Erich Guenther — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 19:21:44 -0500

Yes most are inflated but you should be honest. The main reason is to be honest, especially on the IT side is they will find out very soon where you lied. Additionally, the employer will call job references and if their version of events does not jibe with yours (ouch). Now, there are some that lie prolifically and never get fired (unfortunate). However, honesty is always the best policy. If you do not have a skill the employer brings up the best answer is always, "I don't know that currently but I would sure like to learn it".

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 29 at 2016 8:06 PM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 20:06:44 -0500

MAJ David Vermillion Sir, my resume was always accurate and nothing was listed that was not true. My last 33 years were spent working on the Space Shuttle program. Every year, I would update my resume to keep it current.

Response by LTC Peter Hartman made Nov 29 at 2016 9:17 PM

LTC Peter Hartman — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 21:17:22 -0500

If you have the credentials for the job you are seeking- yes. If you don't people will know soon enough. My career field is pretty small, so word gets around.

Response by SPC Kevin Ford made Nov 29 at 2016 9:28 PM

SPC Kevin Ford — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 21:28:34 -0500

I've never needed to pad my resume. Do good work, pay attention to your brand, make yourself in demand.

Response by SSG Jeremy Sharp made Nov 30 at 2016 12:45 AM

SSG Jeremy Sharp — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 00:45:26 -0500

Absolutely, if you are a performer rather than a talker your honest resume should be enough to land you an interview at which time you then sell the hot commodity, your experience and dedication.

Response by Cpl Justin Goolsby made Nov 30 at 2016 8:14 AM

Cpl Justin Goolsby — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 08:14:37 -0500

Honestly, I don't know. I am the type of person who is totally honest on a resume. I'm not the type to inflate or exaggerate, because I either know how to do something or I don't. That being said though, I will arrange my resume to put me in a more favorable position. If the job I'm applying for is looking for a data analyst, I'll emphasize my data analyst experience. If they're looking for a record keeper, I'll emphasize my record keeping experience.

I'm still being totally honest on my resume, but I am trying to market myself to the position they want.

I honestly don't know if there is an advantage from being honest or inflating your credentials. Most jobs I've attained is because I knew someone on the inside. Personally I think that helps most of all. If you've got someone who can vouch for your skills working at the place you are applying, that works a lot better than providing personal references.

Response by SFC William Stephens A. Jr., 3 MSM, JSCM made Nov 30 at 2016 9:37 AM

SFC William Stephens A. Jr., 3 MSM, JSCM — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 09:37:55 -0500

I've been pretty honest with my resume but I don't even think it is that, A lot of us when we transition from the military we are killers or we are focused on our job and never written a resume before so it is kind of hard for us to fit in to the civilian sector, fitting in is the key, Many jobs that you apply for on US.JOBs.com you have to make a CERT and they say a computer is reviewing your resume, bull crap, a specialist that knows nothing about you and knows little about the job from and HR department is scanning your resumes and looking for how well it is written and for key words, Now I don't think taping and pasting the job description in to your resume is writing a resume, everything in my resume is something I learned or have developed over the years. Some of us are to military with our resumes and it always good to have as many people on the outside of the military to look at your resume. now some retired officers or successful enlisted are great as well because they made in the civilian sector. Your battle buddy is not helping you in this one. AS well as a resume you must have a supporting document called "COVER LETTER" because without this supporting document most employers are not even going to look at your resume. TRUST ME. now getting out of the military it not going to fall on you lap it's going to take a good 3 to 5 years to get that good demanding job, not at a fast food job or working in a department store, unless you want that, but do you really want after being in the Military all that time or having the Sergeant or officer braking orders at you all the time, you want to be successful more then that slug that is still in or who went no where in their career, not because you can't write a resume. That why people like us here on RP are on here to help each other be successful in the sector military or civilian, start planning now before it is too late.

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Nov 30 at 2016 10:09 AM

CAPT Kevin B. — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 10:09:26 -0500

Interesting question Dave. I was a senior hiring manager for years on the Fed side. We got to be fairly good at sniffing out problem resumes. We mostly hired at the white collar professional level but did have some clerical/admin hires too. Interview question responses frequently pointed out padding on the capability and experience side. What tends to be a bigger tell is if there is a bust between spoken and written language. That happens more frequently as applicants frequently have some ghost writing help. We had rare cases of say hiring a scientist or engineer and later finding out they lied on their resume. They were terminated quickly. So in our experience, accurate non padded resumes that are written by the applicant are the best way to go. If you get the interview, it's a confirmation process vs. a defensive one. Applicants who don't get the job can be told clearly where they sat in the pack and can then decide if they want to close the gap.

Response by SGT Dave Tracy made Nov 30 at 2016 10:13 AM

SGT Dave Tracy — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 10:13:37 -0500

I never felt the need to lie. Besides, it gets kind of hard to have to remember all the nuanced details of the fibs told; the truth is always easy to recall. I may use a couple $3 college words in my various descriptions, but not to such an extent that it distorts what I did/who I am. Today's lies won't help in the long run anyway.

Of course, all that said, that may explain the current trajectory of my career! LOL.

Response by MSG Brad Sand made Nov 30 at 2016 11:40 AM

MSG Brad Sand — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 11:40:31 -0500

Short answer is Yes.
Too many people think that the resume is tool for getting a job, it is not, it is a tool for getting an interview. DO NOT LIE on your resume BUT define 'inflated'? For that matter, define 'honest' let alone totally honest? If you think you are a fit for the position applying for, make sure your resume shows why...if not, don't waste everyone's time. I think on your resume, it is best to show your accomplishments in the most favorable light and with as much detail as needed to get you to the next level.

Response by Lt Col Jim Coe made Nov 30 at 2016 12:23 PM

Lt Col Jim Coe — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 12:23:55 -0500

Yes. This doesn't mean that you don't emphasize the positive aspects of your education and experience and perhaps downplay the less-than-stellar events in your life. As a Project Manager and later as a Government hiring manager, I always carefully read the resumes of the candidates I considered for interview. My interviews always asked questions that allowed candidates to verify their resumes. Additionally, in the private sector our HR department verified education, current employment, and military service before the resume ever hit my desk. The Army Civilian Personnel people did check military service (requesting copy of form 214) and would ask for copy of college transcripts if education was a critical consideration in hiring.

As a 22-year veteran of the Air Force, I had learned to write fluff into OERs and NCOERs as needed to make my good ratees sound wonderful. It is a sad comment on the system that having a rater who can write well and with a bit of creativity was a benefit to one's career. (When my rater was a military magazine editor, my OERs were works of literary art.) Senior officers and promotion boards well understood what the lack of glowing adjectives in an OER really meant in those days--the ratee was probably on the upper edge of below average, but not worth wasting the effort to write a "referral" OER. Later on as a civilian with hiring responsibility, I was able to spot the fluff in a resume pretty clearly. If I found what looked like cut-and-paste from OERs or civilian performance reports in a resume, I generally discarded the applicant as lazy at best and dishonest at worst. (We actually received a resume for a GS14 position that was entirely made up of copy-paste from the applicant's performance reports. He didn't even bother to delete the performance report headings from the text.) The resumes I found most valuable were those that clearly showed the applicant's responsibilities and accomplishment in short, clear prose. If your military job was to instruct students on technical skills, then also tell me how many you instructed, how many passed, how you compared to your peers, and if your manager rewarded you for your accomplishments.

The greatest thing about telling the truth on a resume is you don't have to remember what you wrote in the resume to answer questions in the interview. I've had a few interviews where the applicant's statements didn't match the resume in major areas of consideration. It was pretty obvious that they had lied about their experience. They didn't get the job.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 30 at 2016 4:18 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 16:18:48 -0500

A resume should show your skills and qualifications is a positive light, however you don't want your resume to paint an inaccurate picture either. Getting hired and then let go again in a month or two is worse than not having been hired at all.

Response by SP5 Charles Betts made Dec 1 at 2016 9:58 AM

SP5 Charles Betts — Thu, 01 Dec 2016 09:58:07 -0500

I have found that i can not..... Once i explain my qualifications and skills... They look at my injury list and i get pushed aside whether it would affect the job or not...

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 1 at 2016 4:51 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 01 Dec 2016 16:51:44 -0500

Hi, Major Vermillion.

Unless someone is applying for a job for which they are not otherwise qualified, there is no reason to inflate a resume. You either get an interview or not, and if you don't it's because someone else was better suited for the position or more in line with the demands of the organization. Padding a resume will not account for either obstacle.

Now, if you represent yourself accurately on a resume with accomplishments, you'll include specific impacts to your organization. For instance, you streamlined a system to decrease database redundancies by 75%. But that's not padding or inflating. That's just accurately describing your accomplishments.