Mentioning technologies you have little experience with in your CV

Question

I recently went through the interview process for the position of software engineer. I did pretty good at all the interviews and now got a fairly good job offer, but I am very bothered about a few "exaggerations" I have made in my CV, namely:

• I have mentioned that I have experience with a few technologies that this company is using. Whilst this is completely true, my experience is rather modest (i.e. a few months at most) and I have not mentioned that. However I have provided a full description of all the projects that I have worked on along with the technology stack used, so they still have an overall impression. For the most important technologies used I have listed how many years of experience I have with them.
• I have slightly exaggerated my experience with some technologies they use - i.e. with one of the technologies I have about 4.5 months of experience which I have rounded to "about 1/2 year" and with another one I have 2 years and 10 months which I have rounded to "about 3 years"
• the biggest thing is that I have mentioned as a skill particular framework that is extremely large and I have only used an extremely limited part of it only for a couple of months. I have not mentioned this framework anywhere in the descriptions of the projects I have worked on and was never asked about it in the interview process. I only mentioned it because I was so not acquainted with it that I thought I have actually used everything from it :(.

Does it make sense to mention technologies you have little experience with in your CV (in a way similar to LinkedIn skills)? Is this a lie? Should I be worried / refuse the offer because of this?

Answer 1

Sometimes, even just a couple of months of experience is enough, especially if you're working with multiple tools, languages, and technologies. It shows that you're willing and interested in learning more. Keep in mind that with new technologies, half a year's experience may constitute relative expertise!

The right team will be ready to use what you have and help you build on it. Remember that you can ask your hiring manager what their priorities are and then bone up on the technologies before you start and while you're in the on-boarding process.

Answer 2

From what you wrote in your post, it doesn't seem like you over-exaggerated to your detriment. If you received an offer, then you're good to go.

Your last point may be an issue, but you can mitigate this by working hard to increase your knowledge of the framework.

Most importantly, be confident in your skill set, as well as your potential employer's ability to identify your strengths. You seem to know you have a lot to learn, so don't be afraid (and don't frighten your employer) by what you don't know. Instead, take solace in the fact that you have a solid base, and the ability to grow. Seize this opportunity to bring value to your life.

Remember, you are not an imposter. Cheers!

Answer 3

Well, i solve this problem by making separate lists of skills for >10 years, >5 year, >1 y experience and hobbyist/seldom used.

Answer 4

I often do technical interviews for various roles. I read CVs and covering letters in detail before I interview a candidate. If I think I've spotted an anomaly, then I'll ask about it. Of course if you say you are knowledgeable about "X" on your CV and I ask about "X" finding that you are not knowledgeable, then you won't get a job offer.

If I and the other interviewers missed that your knowledge in "X" is minimal but you are assigned to a role that requires genuine experience in "X" then it is likely that you will be found out before the end of a probationary period, with inevitable consequences.

If you are lucky and assigned to something else that only needs a peripheral knowledge of "X", then you may get away with it.

Ethically, you may have stopped the organisation from hiring somebody who did have the required skill set. That means the company and the other candidate suffer from your economy with the truth.