What Can You Lie About in a Resume?

Hey guys,

In today’s article, I’m going to talk about what it’s okay to lie about in a resume, and where you absolutely shouldn’t.

I’m Alex, a UK Chartered Engineer, European Engineer, and Certified Career Coach for Engineers.

So let’s go step by step and answer the key questions.

First, should you lie about your work experience, for example, add a few extra years, say that you were working during university, or cover up gaps in your employment history?

Maybe you spent a year looking for a new job, had health issues, or left for business, but things didn’t work out and you returned to employment.

If you live in a country where this is easy to check, where there are official work record books, I would not recommend lying. But if you’re applying abroad and it’s difficult or even impossible to verify, especially if that gap was a long time ago, say five or ten years ago, then yes, technically you can do it, but of course it’s at your own risk.

What about lying about your skills or knowledge of certain software?

If you have zero experience in some software, then no, don’t lie. But if you have some experience, it depends on what the job requires.

If the job requires you to be a professional in AutoCAD and most of your work will revolve around it, then again, no, because they will find out right away and you may be fired. But if the job only occasionally involves using AutoCAD, for example drawing something simple once or twice a month, and you have basic knowledge, then yes, you can list it and improve your skills quickly once you’re hired.

By the way, if you want to know what key skills are required in different engineering professions and how to build a strong resume, use the EngineerNow platform.

Next question, should you lie about your job title?

This is where things get interesting, and where most people make mistakes when writing their resumes. This is all about positioning yourself correctly for the role you’re applying for.

You can, and often should, slightly adjust your job title. I don’t consider that lying. It’s very common that the title in your contract or employment record doesn’t match what you actually do.

In that case, you can absolutely write a clearer and more accurate job title based on your real responsibilities.

Translating Job Titles into English

When it comes to translating your job title into English for an international resume, there’s even more flexibility, because it’s very hard for a foreign company to verify.

And here you should tailor your title to match what is expected in the global market.

One important tip, don’t use standard translators or general translation services for this. They often don’t understand the technical or industry-specific context.

For example, if your official title is something like “Lead Specialist for Reservoir Development and Reserves Forecasting”, you don’t need to translate it word for word. A much better version in English would be “Lead Reservoir Engineer”. Then, in the job description, you can explain your responsibilities in more detail.

If a company asks during background checks why your resume title doesn’t match your official job title, you can simply say that you adjusted the title to better reflect what you actually did. If it’s an international company, you can explain that the title in your language doesn’t translate directly, and you used standard naming conventions to represent your job function.

Let’s talk about education, including courses and training programs.

Should you write degrees you don’t actually have?

The answer is simple, absolutely not. You will most likely be asked to provide your diploma and possibly certificates for any courses you’ve listed.

In my experience, I’ve never been asked to show certificates for most short courses, but I was asked to provide proof of my Chartered Engineer status and my CMRP certification, Certified Maintenance and Reliability Professional.

You definitely should not lie about those.

If you want to learn how to obtain these certifications or build an international engineering career, or if you want personal advice, there’s a link down below.

I’ve already talked about lying about the years of experience. But what about the actual responsibilities? Is it okay to lie there?

In general, you can and should enhance how you describe your responsibilities.

For example, many people start their job descriptions with the phrase “Participated in”. That’s a weak phrase that I always recommend avoiding. It doesn’t show your level of involvement or expertise.

Anyone can say they “participated”, from a student to a senior engineer with twenty years of experience. It’s vague and unimpressive.

You might have just attended a meeting, or you could have led the entire project. That’s why your job descriptions need to be measurable and impactful.

Instead of simply writing that you worked at a plant or facility, describe your role there and mention the scale. For example, indicate production capacity in numbers. That gives the reader a clear understanding of the size and complexity of the operation you were part of.

Now let’s talk about achievements, especially those with numbers.

This is where most people struggle.

Let’s say you write: “Developed a new technology that saved the company $2 million.” That sounds great, but how do you calculate it?

Here is where you can add a little flexibility. I’m not telling you to invent numbers, but yes, it’s acceptable to estimate. No one is going to verify the exact number. The most important thing is to show the technical value and impact of what you did.

However, there is one very important condition.

You must have a strong explanation ready for the interview. Because they will ask. They may say: “Can you explain how you calculated the $2 million?” or “What assumptions did you use for that calculation?”

So if you include a figure like that, be ready to explain how you arrived at it.

Now let’s move on to languages, especially English.

For example, if your level is Pre-Intermediate, can you write Upper-Intermediate or Fluent?

Here is the rule I use. You can safely list your level one step higher.

So if you are Pre-Intermediate, you can write Intermediate. If you are Upper-Intermediate, you can write Fluent. That’s what I personally do.

But if your real level is Elementary or Beginner, do not try to claim Intermediate or above. It will become obvious very quickly.

Next, references.

If you include references in your resume, these should always be real people. Do not use fake names.

Even more importantly, inform them in advance. Let them know someone might call and ask about you, and make sure they are comfortable with that and ready to give a recommendation.

Because companies really do call references.

One last thing, and this is important.

Trust is easy to lose. A single lie in your resume can make an employer doubt everything you have written. It may trigger additional questions during the interview and put your entire application at risk.

That is why you must know every single word, number, and detail in your resume and be able to explain it clearly and confidently.

Remember that during the hiring process experienced recruiters and hiring managers review hundreds of resumes and quickly recognize common resume lies. Over time they see patterns across many candidates applying for similar jobs, and it becomes easy to spot inconsistencies in the information provided. That’s why anything you include in your resume must be something you can confidently defend during the interview, ideally with examples from real projects, situations, or results you achieved. If your story is clear, logical, and supported with examples, employers are far more likely to trust you and focus on your value rather than questioning the credibility of your resume.