Tell The Truth -- Really
Don't Let Them Talk You Into Lying:

The Truth Well Told Is More Powerful 

By ArLyne Diamond, Ph.D.

You've seen him operate, haven't you? The guy who pretends to like everything you like, who rarely expresses an opinion of his own, and who, chameleon-like, tries to fit in with any crowd he happens to find himself in. He thinks he is fooling everyone, but he rarely fools anyone for more than a day or two. Ayn Rand called him Ellsworth Toohey; I'd call him Mr. Brownnose.

When you get right down to it, this guy's a liar. And you, the recent graduate who's entering a whole new world, may be encouraged to lie as well. Some may advise you to “go along to get along” on the job or to pretend to be just like the people you think are going to interview you. Others actually will tell you to lie on your resume.

My advice each step of the way is: Tell the truth. You're better off in the long run.

If you lie, not only will you lose the respect of those you are trying to fool, you will lose all self-respect. You may achieve your short-range goals, but the price you pay will be huge. Expect to be found out, to loathe yourself and even to lose your job. If you don't actually lose it, you probably will find yourself being passed over, again and again, for promotions. Leaders are not followers.

Resist the temptation to lie on your resume, in your cover letter, during your follow-up phone calls, in your interview and on the job, even though some career counselors might recommend it.

The resume

Let's start with the resume. Don't exaggerate, and don't create talents, skills or experiences you don't have in order to impress people. Look through all your life activities and discover your skills and experience. These are the assets you will bring to your new job. Express them creatively.

Even if you've never worked full time, you can write an outstanding resume to market yourself. You may not have a long work history, but you do have skills and experience. You probably have acquired them in courses you've taken, part-time jobs you've held and the volunteer work you've done in your community.

If you have been active in your community and volunteered for various organizations, you have had the added value of learning how to be a team player and a leader. You also may have done some public speaking, run meetings, motivated volunteers and headed committees. These are all valuable management skills. Consider these things when writing your resume. Organize it without showing an employment history or even a chronology. Instead, highlight the skills and experience that are right for the job you're seeking. Marketing yourself means being persuasive: Arrange the information to convince your potential employer you have what it needs. Be sure to use strong active verbs.

The cover letter

Continue telling the truth in the cover letter. Don't exaggerate. Don't embroider. Just briefly introduce yourself and say why you're contacting this particular person. Say something like:

Dear Mr. Smith:

The above is an excerpt from The Last Job Search Guide You'll Ever Need: How to Find and Get the Job or Internship of Your Dreams, which is available for sale for $19.85 in our bookstore or $27.00 at Amazon.com but for free to those who subscriber to our free career newsletter. This hot new book contains job search secrets of the most experienced, most knowledgeable and most respected career experts. Learn career planning, job hunting tools and tactics, interviewing, cover letter and resume writing (lots of samples!), networking, and how to find an internship. Written by 149 career experts. To receive a free copy, subscribe to our free career newsletter.

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