What would be considered lying on a resume/interview? Advice.

[newtohobby]

Lets says he's a mechanic for a company for 12 years.

He puts on her resume that he's been a mechanic for 12 years. But during those 12 years - he was off work as a mechanic for 5 years because he couldn't do the work and had to retrain. Although all of this, he's still employed with the company but eventually had to quit.

So is it lying if you put on your resume and tell people that you've been a mechanic for 12 years

or

Should you tell people that you've been employed at the company for 12 years and employed as a mechanic for 7 years and off for 5 years because he couldn't do the work.

 

[iwilllickyoufohours]

Mechanic, Acme Automotive
2013-2015

Duties included:
-this
-that
-the other thing


Education
Automotive training
-new stuff
-other stuff
-stuff I didn't know



You don't normally specify how the period of time at that job was split up. If probed they should be honest but the above should be sufficient imo

 

[fuji]

Lets says he's a mechanic for a company for 12 years.

He puts on her resume that he's been a mechanic for 12 years. But during those 12 years - he was off work as a mechanic for 5 years because he couldn't do the work and had to retrain. Although all of this, he's still employed with the company but eventually had to quit.

So is it lying if you put on your resume and tell people that you've been a mechanic for 12 years

or

Should you tell people that you've been employed at the company for 12 years and employed as a mechanic for 7 years and off for 5 years because he couldn't do the work.

You sure as hell shouldn't say mechanic for 12 years, that is just blatantly lying.

You also don't put couldn't do the work.

Presumably the first five were as some sort of assistant or apprentice or something? If so

"Xyz co, mechanics apprentice 2003 to 2007
Xyz co, mechanic 2008 to present"

That is a nice story, shows personal development.

If not an assistant, were you being paid? If you were being paid you had a title. If you weren't being paid you weren't employed.

 

[TeeJay]

Should you tell people that you've been employed at the company for 12 years and employed as a mechanic for 7 years and off for 5 years because he couldn't do the work.

"Couldn't do the work" can be a whole slew of things

If he was a mechanic for 12 years but had 7 years off for various things (eg injury) it is not a lie
Likewise a female mechanic who takes multiple years off for maternity

So long as he is on payroll (even if underemployed & shift never calls him in) it is not really a lie

 

[TeeJay]

You sure as hell shouldn't say mechanic for 12 years, that is just blatantly lying.

You also don't put couldn't do the work.

Presumably the first five were as some sort of assistant or apprentice or something? If so

"Xyz co, mechanics apprentice 2003 to 2007
Xyz co, mechanic 2008 to present"

That is a nice story, shows personal development.

Most people only list highest title achieved
Fairly common practise & most HRs would not have any issue with it

Although I suppose if you had a demotion before you quit they might want a bit more detail

 

[newtohobby]

"Couldn't do the work" can be a whole slew of things

If he was a mechanic for 12 years but had 7 years off for various things (eg injury) it is not a lie
Likewise a female mechanic who takes multiple years off for maternity

So long as he is on payroll (even if underemployed & shift never calls him in) it is not really a lie

Technically, he was off for 5 years, workers comp, retrain for something else. After returning, didn't work but was still employed at the place but no job, not doing anything. No washing cars, counter work , no nothing.

 

[fuji]

Maybe in other industries. I'm a hiring manager and I have read thousands of resumes, in my industry people list each position they held as a separate line on their resume.

 

[checks]

Provided you are an actual licenced mechanic, it isn't a lie. You can state you've been a mechanic from the day you got you trade qualification.

 

[fuji]

Technically, he was off for 5 years, workers comp, retrain for something else. After returning, didn't work but was still employed at the place but no job, not doing anything. No washing cars, counter work , no nothing.

Ah so this is the exact same question you asked in your other thread. You just didn't like the answer there, and "she" became a "he".

 

[fuji]

Remembering the thread you deleted, and looking at your bad references thread, here is what I think YOU did:

1. You worked for some large firm but not as a mechanic and somehow were able to go on workers compensation

2. You maxed that out, staying on the program and receiving a payoff for a very long time, sounds like over five years

3. You finally returned to work trained as a mechanic, but you had poor attendance at work and other issues, and you wound up being fired

4. You applied for a new job elsewhere but put on your resume that you had been a mechanic for the whole time, which was totally untrue

5. Somebody informed the new employer that you hadn't been a mechanic for most of that time and mentioned your poor attendance and job performance issues

Now you're mad.

Are you going to delete this thread, the way you deleted the last one? You are anonymous here. Might as well openly discuss the situation, you will get a lot of criticism but maybe in those harsh assessments also some sound advice.

 

[Keebler Elf]

The test is whether you were actually employed for that 12 years with that employer. If you were laid off or terminated (not for cause) and were retraining or on WSIB, but no longer an actual employee, then you're lying (or at best misrepresenting yourself). But if you're still on their books as an employee then I'd say technically you're fine.

Regardless, a good reference check will ferret out the truth. And if/when that happens, a new employer isn't going to take kindly to being told you've been "working" as a mechanic for 12 years when in fact it was closer to half that.

 

[oldjones]

"Couldn't do the work" can be a whole slew of things

If he was a mechanic for 12 years but had 7 years off for various things (eg injury) it is not a lie
Likewise a female mechanic who takes multiple years off for maternity

So long as he is on payroll (even if underemployed & shift never calls him in) it is not really a lie

It all depends how you say it: "worked for Acme as a mechanic for 12 years" is not true, "employed as a mechanic by Acme 12 years" is (according to the info the OP provided, which you noted already wasn't a s clear as it could be). Even less 'questionable' would be something like: Employer 2003-2015-Acme, Job Title-Mechanic 2.

But the operative word is questionable. A resume is a one-way communication; everyone expects it to be slanted to show your best, minimize your lesser qualities and probably leave out the least helpful stuff. So preparing yourself to answer questions in the most positive terms without lying is a tougher but more important use of your energy.

Think about: " So what did Acme have you doing in that time, and how did you use that work to expand your knowledge and skill?

 

[fuji]

Except he wasn't employed as a mechanic for most of that time. He was something completely different for the first part of those years, then made a workman's comp claim that he milked for five years, during which time he trained to be a mechanic. Only after that did he work as a mechanic and it sounds like there were some concerns about his performance and punctuality.

 

[rhuarc29]

Curious that the OP was asking for advice for writing a resume a few years ago, and also had 7 years worth of experience....

https://terb.cc/vbulletin/showthread.php?390365-resume-help-advce&p=4092652&highlight=#post4092652

He also had a thread on potentially using fake references:

https://terb.cc/vbulletin/showthrea...t-References&p=3811210&highlight=#post3811210

Finally, his post history also has a lot of "my friend does/did/will do X" threads.

I find this all highly suspicious. :biggrin1:

 

[fuji]

Curious that the OP was asking for advice for writing a resume a few years ago, and also had 7 years worth of experience....

https://terb.cc/vbulletin/showthread.php?390365-resume-help-advce&p=4092652&highlight=#post4092652

He also had a thread on potentially using fake references:

https://terb.cc/vbulletin/showthrea...t-References&p=3811210&highlight=#post3811210

Finally, his post history also has a lot of "my friend does/did/will do X" threads.

I find this all highly suspicious. :biggrin1:

Good detective work!

 

[newtohobby]

Curious that the OP was asking for advice for writing a resume a few years ago, and also had 7 years worth of experience....

https://terb.cc/vbulletin/showthread.php?390365-resume-help-advce&p=4092652&highlight=#post4092652

He also had a thread on potentially using fake references:

https://terb.cc/vbulletin/showthrea...t-References&p=3811210&highlight=#post3811210

Finally, his post history also has a lot of "my friend does/did/will do X" threads.

I find this all highly suspicious. :biggrin1:

The first thread was about me, the second one was about a friend.

I'll be honest, I do alot of friend does/did/ will do threads to change it up because it is truely about a friend thats fucked up and I want advice for him/her. I do this because I don't want them to know I'm posting about them as they do read stuff on terb. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[**Sophie**]

Pretty much anything that is contrary to the truth. Withholding information, well that may be a grey area lol.

 

[newtohobby]

Remembering the thread you deleted, and looking at your bad references thread, here is what I think YOU did:

1. You worked for some large firm but not as a mechanic and somehow were able to go on workers compensation

2. You maxed that out, staying on the program and receiving a payoff for a very long time, sounds like over five years

3. You finally returned to work trained as a mechanic, but you had poor attendance at work and other issues, and you wound up being fired

4. You applied for a new job elsewhere but put on your resume that you had been a mechanic for the whole time, which was totally untrue

5. Somebody informed the new employer that you hadn't been a mechanic for most of that time and mentioned your poor attendance and job performance issues

Now you're mad.

Are you going to delete this thread, the way you deleted the last one? You are anonymous here. Might as well openly discuss the situation, you will get a lot of criticism but maybe in those harsh assessments also some sound advice.

Not mad at all, its really not me. Tried to PM you

 

[oldjones]

Except he wasn't employed as a mechanic for most of that time. He was something completely different for the first part of those years, then made a workman's comp claim that he milked for five years, during which time he trained to be a mechanic. Only after that did he work as a mechanic and it sounds like there were some concerns about his performance and punctuality.

Thanks for the info. It seems you're aware of verified details not in the OP, such as that disability claim, or the company re-classifying this 'hypothetical' guy, as a Trainee for instance, but you can't assume we're all so up-to-date. Or interested. I responded to TeeJay's point based on what was laid out by the OP (before the past history was brought out) and it nowhere mentioned injury and WSIB.

Lets says he's a mechanic for a company for 12 years.

He puts on her resume that he's been a mechanic for 12 years. But during those 12 years - he was off work as a mechanic for 5 years because he couldn't do the work and had to retrain. Although all of this, he's still employed with the company but eventually had to quit.

He was a company mechanic for 12 years, although he didn't work as one for 5. My observation was that stating what the company employed him as — a mechanic, for 12 years — would be truthful, while saying he worked as a mechanic for 12 years would not be.