Would you Lie on an application...

Soldato
Joined
24 May 2009
Posts
20,154
Location
North East
... to sound under qualified?

Long story short I am unemployed and I need any sort of job because I have a mortgage to pay and a six month old son to support.

I have a quite specialised skill set so the jobs I would go for at my level don't come about too often. But on the flip side I am over qualified for, without wanting to sound condescending, basic jobs such as just working in a supermarket stacking shelves. I'm not bothered doing this sort of job short term but have been rejected from a few and I think its because I look far too over qualified and they could tell I would move on first chance (which I would)

So would you/should I lie about my past work experience and qualifications to get one of these jobs and then just get on with it and leave when I get something better?

BIt of an awkward situation and I don't want to lie but I need a job :(
 
If it's a case of underselling yourself then that's fine, you aren't claiming to be able to do something you can't.

if you were overselling yourself then you would probably find yourself in hot water and I wouldn't ever advocate that.

:)
 
dont have to lie, you just dont tell them everything you could do.

Which is deceiptful at best and could be considered lying depending on the questions on the application form

eg
Please list all your qualifications
Please list your previous employment history, job titles and salaries.

Hard not to consider it lying if you miss off £40,000 upper management jobs for example.
 
Which is deceiptful at best and could be considered lying depending on the questions on the application form

eg
Please list all your qualifications
Please list your previous employment history, job titles and salaries.

Hard not to consider it lying if you miss off £40,000 upper management jobs for example.

Well thats the thing. I would be missing off a 50k position and a degree :p

Big of a big miss out :p but I am thinking just not saying I had a degree and not specifying what I did at my last company. Not really too sure.
 
There's a difference betwen lying and omitting information, my dad applied for a job as a delivery driver, left off the fact that he'd been to uni and failed an electricial course. After the interview the guy told him he could have the drivers job if he wanted, but he wanted to know the real story about my dad, so he told him he'd been to uni, and then he got offered an electricial engineers job instead
 
I would leave out aspects of your employment history and education if they think it will help you gain a role. It's just tailoring your cv.

I'd probably be looking for something better and claiming Jsa.
 
I would leave out aspects of your employment history and education if they think it will help you gain a role. It's just tailoring your cv.

Only problem being I worked at my last company for 5 years. How would I go about filling the gap in? Looks like I have been unemployed for the past 5 years instead!
 
Which is deceiptful at best and could be considered lying depending on the questions on the application form

eg
Please list all your qualifications
Please list your previous employment history, job titles and salaries.

Hard not to consider it lying if you miss off £40,000 upper management jobs for example.

that's assuming there is an application form, if it's just a case of dulling down your CV then I still think - no harm no foul
 
Is temping not an option? Then people can see you are a skilled hard working person (hopefully!) but are not expecting you to hang around for ever.
 
I'd say your mortgage and son take the priority over a fib or too on an application form. You're only leaving out qualifications to get a bog standard job that anyone with arms and legs could do, not lying to land a £40,000/yr job.

I did the same when I got a job at Tescos, despite being a designer. I left four weeks later, and within a week they'd replaced me. They have a queue of people waiting for jobs so I wouldn't worry too much about leaving them in the lurch (if it's a big supermarket that is).
 
Fraud is criminal

Maybe so but wouldn't the state rather see this guy in work that on the dole? its damn near impossible to get the job I'm qualified for because I keep failing due to "lack of experience" hence, I'm a security guard lol. How thats supposed to help me get a job in marketing I have no idea lol
 
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Maybe so but wouldn't the state rather see this guy in work that on the dole?

It depends which is better off for them, not him. If they could slap fines for the 'crime' on then they'd probably choose that. It's all figures, there's no personal aspect to all this.
 
Omitting information is not lying unless you then seek upon questioning to misrepresent the omission.

Due to the nature of my former job there are some things that I cannot state on an application form (as in specific job descriptions, etc) and as such I simply omit them and if asked I explain why it, although not what, was omitted.

I think the omission of qualifications not relative to the position is not an issue....although gaps in your employment record may be more difficult to justify.
 
It depends which is better off for them, not him. If they could slap fines for the 'crime' on then they'd probably choose that. It's all figures, there's no personal aspect to all this.

We'd all be better off on the dole unless we were in £25,000 a year jobs, you see it in the papers every day, people claiming £25,000+ a year in benefits and for what? ok, so some of them are legit claims, but why would any family who doesn't work need a BMW?! 2 family cars, or a 5 bedroom house?!

In all honestly, although my job sucks, I'm glad I'm in work because I am earning a lot more than I was on benefits (£1200 a month in work, £160 a month on the dole) How the hell does anyone live off £40 a week?!
 
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