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I'm currently working as a contractor as a software engineer for a technology firm for the past 3 months for which I have faked my resume. This happened due to some unavoidable circumstances, so please don't be judgmental about this. I understand that this is very unethical and I had sleepless nights doing this painfully obvious thing.

Now, I'm planning on applying for a full time position, with a genuine resume. Is there any way the future employer will know about the fake experience that I presented on my resume? If yes, how can they validate this information? What are my options to make sure that I achieve my career goals before it's too late?

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  • If they happen to have your fake resume they will know. Even if you didn't send it to them directly they might have it. Its not clear what your actual question is.
    – Donald
    Jul 10, 2014 at 11:09
  • Was the faked resume only ever sent directly to the firm you are currently working for? Or did you distribute it more widely (other job applications, recruitment firms, etc.)?
    – Carson63000
    Jul 11, 2014 at 7:44
  • Yes...it does perform background checks. Even though I put in a genuine resume, will they find out through my current employer that I faked it?
    – anon
    Jul 13, 2014 at 19:57

3 Answers 3

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They may find out, they may not. Padding, "careful editing", or outright lying on resumes seems to be more and more commonplace... I have gotten recruiting companies ask to manipulate my resume, and I always pull the plug on working with those groups. I wouldn't have been totally surprised to find out that some of them "doctored" my resume without my knowledge.

If you ever apply for a position with this same company, they may compare past and current resumes and notice the discrepancy. If that happens, explain why you faked it, and why you never intend to go down that road again.

I honestly have no idea if a future employer (that is not this company) could ever see that faked version of your resume, unless that resume is posted someplace online and you don't have the accesses to edit it.

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  • Good point, in a lot of tech fields the same group of people end up together at different jobs. If they are peers they may not see your resume but if they are interviewers or managers at both places they may have access to your resume.
    – kleineg
    Jul 10, 2014 at 14:19
  • Sadly, because "fudging" stuff on resumes is getting so much more common, so is people discovering these mistakes. Some are even proud after the fact, because they genuinely are good employees, but used deception to get their foot in the door. :/ With that though it's also become less and less of a big deal. By all means if someone sees both your fake and your real one, you're almost certainly not getting the job, but typically your peers will only make a stink if they don't like you. (which is in itself a problem)
    – Eric J Fisher
    Jul 10, 2014 at 18:41
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I guess it is good that you are feeling remorse. (Not judging. I have my own list of stupid stuff I've done) Not to validate your "fake" résumé - but I've interviewed 1000's of engineers and it is not that uncommon unfortunately.

Are you applying for a full time position with the company that you are subcontracting with? If it is a different company, provide them with an accurate résumé. You do need to make sure all online versions of your résumé are now correct plus any online profiles (linkedin etc) as good recruiters will check all of this for consistency in their processes. Dates and skills that don't match or whatever, are big red flags when selecting for interviews or offers.

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Somewhere along the line you have realised that whilst it was easy to manipulate your CV information, the future could well be a life of agony, of worry that you will be challenged about it.

You have already realised that the truth has a shining value of it's own - far more precious than any falsehoods and far more dependable for any employer.

But now you are worried about losing your reputation and your business contacts.

Well, the truth is that an employer quickly looks at a CV - then it is more than likely forgotten about in your first few days of employment. Also a recruiter has many people like you looking for jobs. More than likely they will not dwell upon a changed resume, rather than looking at your genuine self in a new light.

I think that the answer is to write the truth right now with as little as possible padding. Replace these falsehoods with your own dynamism, your sincerity and willingness to work for the good of the company. This means a committed CV which truly shows your personality and attitudes.

Your CV is your Bible - it is your mirror of your future and should in time be filled with true and genuine work experience. But for now, swallow your pride and make a new shining CV which may be humble but will hold the attention of your recruiter and your employer.

You then recover and start work with nothing to fear now - or in the future.

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