Let's Pretend This Never Happened...

[Antisocial_Worker]

Today's Discussion Question: Exactly how acceptable is it to lie on a job application?

I ask because I've been informed that I'm doing myself no favors admitting that I was ever within sight of any Elongated Hexagon Inn anytime in the past decade, let alone that I worked there and was let go because of a combination of factors -- namely that a guest lied about me and the manager had a personal dislike of me that was strong enough to oust me even when that lie was pointed out.

I've been looking for work for going on two months now with no success, and lamented this fact only to have it pointed out to me that admitting I was fired from any job at any time in my twenty-year work history is a kiss of death. Apparently I'm supposed to deny all knowledge of the existence of Elongated Hexagon Inns, but I can actually get away with it because I kept my other social-work related job the entire time. The advice that's been given to me is to disavow knowledge of the Elongated Hexagon and just act like I worked at the social work agency this entire time.

What say you? I'm getting desperate, and I've agreed to go back to work at Motel Hell, which as some of you may recall, used to employ me about a decade ago. Yes, it will be hellish. Yes, their TripAdvisor reviews suck ass. Yes, the customer base consists of poor assholes, which will be a refreshing change of place from the Elongated Hexagon's customer base of rich assholes. But... I can do it for four months. That's how much time I have left before my internship starts. I can survive anything for four months.

But, should I have been lying about the Elongated Hexagon and pretending I never worked there? Might I have ended up somewhere better if I had?

[EricKei]

Assuming that you're not applying for work at hotels -- then just leave it off. A recruiter/interviewer wants to see *relevant* job history info. If you already have enough to fill up a full page with just relevant jobs, you should be fine. Just don't put fictional start/end dates for the jobs you do have on there (if they do check with old jobs, they'll compare dates). You can always put self-employed or freelancing or something, I suppose, if the gap that would otherwise be left is huge. Just be prepared to back that up with knowledge of the skill needed for said self-employment.

[bhskittykatt]

Your resume is where you showcase yourself. Unless it's relevant to what your searching for, I would go ahead and leave it off since you can do so without leaving an employment gap.

I don't put the newspaper delivery gig on my resume. It's not relevant to my job search and no prospective employer is going to give a shit, so it gets cut just like that. Don't need it, doesn't help me, so it's not on there at all.

[Shyla]

I go back and forth on this. It's not lying to leave it off. It could be worth a shot. But the problem to me is then you can't use examples from there. You have to be careful to get examples of problem solving or helping customers or whatever from your other jobs. You have a second option but it's harder to pull off. Go to the next interview and say up front that you know this can be negative but... and then give it your own spin. You're being "honest." It is "disappointing" that this type of policy had to be followed but you know you did excellent work and can keep doing so.

Your choice. You are not lying on your resume either way. Choose with a free conscience.

[mjr]

There are jobs I've held in the past that aren't on my resume because, as some have said, they aren't relevant.

I do have management experience -- in fast food. I don't think that translates to the IT industry with software engineering, so I leave it off. Also, my first "real" IT job was doing basic HTML, so that's not on there, either.

Though it does make me wonder if I did "side" projects or had a "side" business if I would need to list them on a resume...

[Headset Hellion]

If I listed all of my work history, my resume would be 5 pages long. So no, I don't mention the time I worked at a Holiday Inn for 90 days and was fired because a manager's orders got me accused of racism. Keep it simple and stick with what's relevant.

[WishfulSpirit]

Some advice I got from a job hunting advice training held at my local workforce center was "don't lie, but don't be afraid to spin." If you don't have to explain a gap in your work history, don't tell them about the Hellton experience. You aren't lying, you just aren't telling them everything. It's perfectly ok (and moral) to keep some things private, especially if your survival is at stake. Claiming to have experience you DON'T is different; first, that IS outright lying. Second, you'll be expected to have skills you really don't, which will mean you can't do the job you were hired for. As long as you can do the jobs you're applying for, just give the info that will help you.

[csquared]

If you are not applying to hospitality work, leave it off.

And if it does come up, show that it was a learning experience for you and how it has helped you grow and become a better employee.

[bainsidhe]

I wouldn't advertise that you worked there, so long as you don't lie about it. Some jobs require you to list the last X number of jobs you've held and reason for leaving. This is where you need to be honest that you worked there, and vague about the reason for leaving. You could say, "willing to discuss" or something equally vague. That way it doesn't axe you up front, and allows a conversation about the reason you left. Sometimes people don't see eye-to-eye and sometimes you have a boss that is awful. A potential employer will be interested in getting a feel for whether YOU were the reason you were fired, and how well you normally get along with others.

[KuariKaydrith]

I tend to do curriculum vitae style resumes that are tailored to the job I'm applying for with it. That means that there will always be jobs that aren't specifically listed on them. If I listed all my employment on my resume it would easily run over four pages, and most employers won't look past the second page anyway these days.

[greek_jester]

If you have another job covering the period of time you were at the hotel I'd say leave it out. The manager's already fired you for no good reason; if they dislike you that much then chances are they'll lie through their teeth when a prospective employer calls for a reference/to check dates.