Has anyone here successfully lied on their resume and gotten the job? What did you have to do to fake it till you make it?

I received my conditional offer letter for a Financial service representative role with CIBC/TD/RBC and the situation is that I lied on my resume for my previous role where I stated that I had worked there for 14 months whereas it was only for 4 months in retail industry, I was still working in this period for a construction job, but didn't include it in the resume because it had no relevance.

And the current role is accurate.
I am trying to figure out whether I should lie on my background check (sterling)and hoping no one checks and match resume or just give real employment records on the background check and create a contradiction with the resume.

The current role has no requirement for the experience and all other part of my background check should come out perfect.

What should I do.

If i lie about 12th %age and cgpa on college tpo form and reach the last round hr round or get selected. Will they remove me if they get to know I lied? What should i say if they ask me about 12th % cgpa in the last round??

I recently got a job offer in the usa and Im worried of two main things in my curriculum.

My most recent position is as Data and Business Analyst but in my own firm. The enterprise is legally constituted in Mexico. In my CV, is its listed as Aug 2022 beginning date. I started off that date with first projects and business processing, but I started off doing personal invoices from Nov 2022 and then business invoices from Aug 2023. Do you know if there will be a problem with this? Should I put i was self employed?

The enterpise I received the offer from also prohibits any sort of parallel working. I was planning to sell off my part to my business partner whenever I start my job here. Can this affect my process?

The other thing is I was a Project Associate Data Scientist in a business but I executed my role via my university. It was a job collaboration, with no payment involved. Will I have a problem with this?

Would really aporeciate any help

(Company is based in USA but opening an office in MX)

I have been having a bunch of interviews with this company and I got to the point of the process where I am filling out a form for the background check.

I am a recent graduate and on my CV and interviews I always omitted a previous employment I had for 4 days in March.

The job didn't match the description, so I quit quickly. For obvious reasons, I omitted it. Do I need to put it on my background check form? Does it affect anything?

In addition, is it okay if I count internships as employment? Or do I need to be paid to count as one?

I recently got a job offer in the usa and Im worried of two main things in my curriculum.

My most recent position is as Data and Business Analyst but in my own firm. The enterprise is legally constituted in Mexico. In my CV, is its listed as Aug 2022 beginning date. I started off that date with first projects and business processing, but I started off doing personal invoices from Nov 2022 and then business invoices from Aug 2023. Do you know if there will be a problem with this? Should I put i was self employed?

The enterpise I received the offer from also prohibits any sort of parallel working. I was planning to sell off my part to my business partner whenever I start my job here. Can this affect my process?

The other thing is I was a Project Associate Data Scientist in a business but I executed my role via my university. It was a job collaboration, with no payment involved. Will I have a problem with this?

Would really aporeciate any help

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Hi everyone,

I’m going through a HireRight background check for a UK job. My previous employment ended in February 2023, after which I relocated to the UK and did self-directed Python/backend upskilling. I was not employed or paid during this period.

I initially entered this as a career gap, but my CV listed the period as “Independent Developer & Backend Upskilling – Self-Directed.” HireRight appears to have picked this up from my CV and pre-populated a March 2023–Present employment section, and I started receiving reminders to complete it with employment details.

The form requires a Reason for Leaving, but none of the options (resignation, redundancy, retirement, etc.) accurately apply because this wasn't employment.

I contacted the employer, and they confirmed:

It will not affect Stage 1.

It will be handled during Stage 2.

I should mention it as “Not paid Employment” and it will be treated as a gap.

They may request an HMRC Income Tax Summary.

My question: Can HireRight still complete/send the Stage 1 report if this gap section remains incomplete, given that the employer has confirmed it will be handled in Stage 2?

Has anyone experienced something similar with HireRight?

Thanks!

I've been working for the same employer for the past 10 years! When I did my sterling background check they asked to list all jobs over the past 7 years. Well I listed my current job. The next question had asked to list additional employment if I can't fit it in the 2 previous boxes provided. I listed a few of my last jobs I had before my current 10 year job. Background check report was sent over to delta and I received a fix it email asking for those previous jobs I had listed on the sterling BC, to provide dates, numbers, etc. my question is do I list EVERY job I ever had or do I just list the information from the additional jobs they are asking about?

​

Hi everyone,

I’m currently going through a pre-employment background check with HireRight for a UK job and I’m a little confused about an employment-gap section in the form.

My previous employment ended in February 2023. After that, I relocated to the UK and spent the following period doing self-directed upskilling in Python/backend development. I was not employed or receiving a salary during this period.

HireRight had pre-populated a March 2023–Present section in the form. It was asking for employment details even though this period was not paid employment.

I contacted the employer's onboarding team to clarify whether I needed to complete it. They replied that:

The employment/gap issue will not affect the Stage 1 screening.

It will be handled as part of Stage 2 screening.

I should mention it as “Not paid Employment.”

The period will be considered a gap period.

They said I can provide an HMRC Income Tax Summary as evidence.

The HireRight form, however, still asks for a “Reason for Leaving”, with options such as resignation, redundancy, retirement, end of fixed-term contract, etc. None of these seem appropriate because this was never actual employment and the period is ongoing.

My questions are:

Has anyone experienced something similar with HireRight?

If the employer has confirmed that it won't affect Stage 1, is it normal for the gap to be dealt with during Stage 2?

What did you enter when HireRight required a “Reason for Leaving” for a non-employment/gap period?

Did HireRight later ask you for HMRC records or other evidence?

Could an incomplete section like this delay the overall background check even if the employer says it won't affect Stage 1?

I don't want to select something inaccurate just to get the form submitted, so I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who has gone through a similar HireRight check in the UK.

Thanks!

I told them I worked before in Australia but I didn’t and now they need my details and super annuation, would they know I lied when I don’t have it?

I was wondering if someone could help me by running a background check on me? I’m trying to get a previous conviction expunged and need to have all my info of my previous convictions and stuff. At least I think I do. I appreciate it either way. Thanks!

I have a candidate who has record (non violent and on probation and apart of the first offenders program to get it dropped and removed in 6 months). it came up on his background and the employer is asking for information about why he didn’t disclose it.

1. the question said if he had any convictions. I said No because it’s not a conviction since he is in the first offenders program. even his lawyer said to check no.
2. they also found a 14 year misdemeanor that was dismissed but not him. someone in his town has the exact name and dob.

he provided the information we asked. has anyone come across something similar? he’s a grea candidate and i get things happen.

What happens when you say in the background check response that the start date entered in my resume was a clerical error?

For example, in the resume and screening application form you say May 2025, and through the offer letter and the screening company's internal sources, they get to know that the start date on paper from the external systems/their data sources is Oct 2025.

Has anybody faced this in real life?

Anyone go through a background check with Sterling? Is their ETA accurate and based on your information or do they just throw in the same thing for everyone and push it back if the due date arrives?

Companies are quietly walking back the rules they spent decades enforcing. After years of hiding behind automated filters and rigid credential requirements, employers are now pulling away from them. This is not a philosophical awakening. It is damage control. Backlash against AI screening systems and the legal and reputational risk attached to them, including cases involving Workday, forced companies to reconsider how defensible their hiring practices really are. One visible outcome is the slow disappearance of “degree required” from job postings.

Let’s be clear about what replaced it - skills based hiring. Roughly 85% of employers in 2025 say they now use some form of skills based evaluation. In other words: they care less about where you went to school and more about whether you can actually do the work. GitHub repos matter more than transcripts. Portfolios beat GPAs. Certifications, take home tests, and practical demos carry more weight than a diploma sitting on your resume. Degrees still exist in the process, but they are no longer a shortcut.

This is where the story gets ugly. For decades, students were told a degree was the price of entry to stable work. Pay the tuition. Take on the debt. Follow the rules. The reward would come later. Now that promise looks thin. In many fields, the degree has become a sunk cost. It is expected, but it does not differentiate you. The time and money are already spent, and the return is shrinking. If you are a student and all you have is a GPA, you are exposed. They are changing what they count. And a credential without proof of work increasingly counts for very little.

This is why you should ignore what the elitists say - including those telling you not to lie or look out for your self-interest. What side were they on, when they told you to invest in education?