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Nearly half of Americans have lied when applying for jobs

Nearly half of Americans have lied when applying for jobs

March 2025

by Jason Walsh

From experience to disability status, its buyer-beware with many applicants

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As the saying goes: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice? You’re hired!

At least that’s the takeaway from a recent survey by job-finding company Resume Builder, which found that nearly half of Americans admit they’ve lied in the hiring process.

The survey was conducted in January and posed questions about honesty, or lack thereof, among job seekers to 2,000 respondents. According to the results, 44% of Americans said they’d lied to companies they’d been applying to.

All told, 24% have lied on their resume, 19% in an interview and 6% on their cover letter. The most common lies are about skills and abilities, years of experience, responsibilities in previous positions, and lengths of positions held, according to Resume Builder. Additionally, 9% have lied about their disability status, 7% about their race and ethnicity, and 6% about their veteran status.

Men are more likely than women to lie on their resumes, 30% vs. 20%. The most likely age demographic to lie on resumes is millennials, at 29%. Only 13% of boomers report having lied on a resume.

Stacie Haller, chief career advisor at Resume Builder, places part of the blame on “modern hiring processes,” which drive job seekers to misrepresent themselves.

“This behavior is compounded by societal shifts, where dishonesty is increasingly normalized,” Haller says. “For some, it has become a perceived necessity to compete in today’s job market.”

She says human resources departments can lessen the urge to lie by eliminating information requirements, such as “years of experience,” when they don’t relate to whether someone will be successful in the position. “Improvements on the hiring side can reduce the perceived need of job seekers to lie during the process,” Haller says.

Unfortunately, telling some whoppers tends to pay off for most of the liars. Four in 10 say they’ve landed a job as a result of their prevaricating. The majority say lying has helped them succeed professionally, including obtaining a higher salary. Only 12% reported ever facing any repercussions for their actions.