Stretching truth common in CVs

By VICKI WATERHOUSE
Have you ever exaggerated on your CV?
Perhaps you have claimed you can speak fluent French when all you can say is a few words such as bonjour and croissant.
Or did you boast you can act when the truth is that you have not been on a stage since the school nativity play?
An international survey conducted by recruitment agency Robert Half International has found that New Zealand job applicants are among the worst in the world in exaggerating their skills and experience on their CVs.
Lesley Potts, director of Tauranga-based recruitment agency Iris Group, said most CVs the agency received were truthful.
However, she said the agency was still careful in case there was any false information.
Ms Potts said people sometimes left out information intentionally or fabricated the extent of their skills in particular areas.
"You name it, people do it," she said. "You can't completely trust people blindly, you'd be a fool."
Tauranga City Council chief executive Stephen Town said the longer you have been looking at CVs the better you get at reading between the lines.
"I think it always depends on how they're written and what language is used," he said.
Mr Town said applicants were much more likely to stretch the truth than to write lies.
"I don't think people make blatant false statements in their CV.
"I give people the benefit of the doubt that what they're saying is the truth."
Taylor Graham Recruitment Specialists managing consultant Les Dimond said he had seen many CVs in which applicants had stretched the truth. "A fairly good percentage of people would do it, maybe 30 to 40 per cent. People do understand that it is a sales device."
- with NZPA