Inflating Your CV

(7 Posts)
FrauMoose Tue 13-Aug-13 06:57:29

I have a young relative who I have - in effect - parented for a significant part of her adult life.

Having done a PGCE she has now moved away from my home - to live with her businessman boyfriend -and is about to start her first teaching post. A couple of days back she asked me to connect with her on LinkedIn.

Last night I looked at the CV she uploaded. I know that young people are generally encouraged to big themselves up in some contexts, but I was surprised at the way she presented herself. For example:-

- A long-haul holiday of about six weeks that she took with her boyfriend when she was 19 is presented as 'having traveled extensively in Australia and South America.'

- A post-graduate placement in another country of which 5 weeks was spent working, is highlighted in the career summary and presented as if it wasa significant paid job.

- Three months which she spent largely living in my house, but during which she visited her boyfriend and helped him out a bit, is presented as full-time employment n his business.

- The job which she is about to start, after an interview which involved a half-hour class/session with the year group she is to teach is presented a existing rather than prospective employment.

Is this the sort of thing which current or future employers are likely to see and pick up on.? Her 'real' CV i.e. degree, work experience in schools, post-graduate course, strikes me as perfectly decent. In my shoes would you feel it important to talk to her about what she's done here?

(I feel that she's been influenced by her very entrepreneurial boyfriend, and might well take offence if my husband or I - husband has also been invited to connect via LinkedIn - were to indicate surprise. Nonetheless it might be the right thing to say something if this is not orthodox 'teacherly' behaviour. The young relative can be rather naive at times.)

GW297 Wed 14-Aug-13 20:41:08

Was this the relative who wanted to write, 'I make a mean cookie' on her job applications by any chance?! I can't remember which poster it was, but it still makes me smile.

FrauMoose Wed 14-Aug-13 21:59:45

It was. I suspect her of having the potential to be a very good teacher. Which is great.

It's the stuff she writes that drives me crazy...

nomorecrumbs Sat 17-Aug-13 23:06:24

As long as she can blag about each one in a couple of sentences at interview, not a problem. It's quite common nowadays.

BettyBotter Sat 17-Aug-13 23:18:27

Has she told outright lies (changing dates or inventing jobs or qualifications) or has she just written the cv to imply things which she hasn't actually said?

I wouldn't see any problem with the 'travelling extensively' if she did in fact go to lots of places in her 6 weeks. I also wouldn't see a problem with presenting the job she is starting as an existing job if she has actually got the job and signed the contract. The boyfriend's work place may well have been valuable work experience but how does she present it as full time? Does she say full time employment? That could be dodgy.

But it doesn't actually sound too far off to me.

Peachyjustpeachy Sat 17-Aug-13 23:30:01

I used to be a hr manager for 20 years. We had chap apply in his 50s, with a degree and everything. Put on his cv that he had Latin olevel.

He didn't get the job because the chap interviewing with me was in the same class and did the same Latin exam. He said that the interviewee couldn't have passed his olevel on that date because onlynone person passed. And it was the interviewer!

I thought it could have been a genuine mistake, so we asked him about it and he admitted he lied. We couldn't give him the job having admitted that he lied on his application forms.

That was in education too. You have to be really careful because the interviewers are spending public money, so they have to justify every appointment. How can you appoint someone that you know has lied?

Also have sacked someone because they enhanced their cv with skills they didn't have, that related exactly to the job, but we had to gothrough a very thorough investigation that she said was very stressful.

If you can't get a job without lying......

It's much better to talk about what you are capable of...and what you'd really love to do....enthusiasm is a good point,

Pm me if you need any more tips

FrauMoose Mon 02-Sep-13 15:38:14

Thanks. There seems to be a range of opinions about embellishing/bigging oneself up. The LinkedIn material continues to be added to - and I think there are areas where very thin ice indeed is being skated on.

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