Think twice before giving yourself a "promotion" on your resume: Although just 5 percent of workers admit to fibbing on their resumes, 57 percent of hiring managers say they have caught a lie on a candidate's application, according to a new survey by CareerBuilder.com. Of those hiring managers who caught a lie, 93 percent did not hire the candidate. The survey, "Resume Lies," was conducted from June 6 to June 16, 2006 and included more than 2,200 workers and more than 1,000 hiring managers.

Many hiring managers have no tolerance for resume lies. Forty-three percent of hiring managers say they would automatically dismiss a candidate who fibbed on their resume. Others say it depends on the candidate and situation.

"Catching a lie on a resume raises a red flag about a candidate's overall ethics," said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources for CareerBuilder.com. "Ninety-two percent of hiring managers say they conduct background checks on employees. That means even the smallest inconsistency or embellishment is likely to get noticed and could cost you the job."

Stretched dates to cover up employment gaps is the most commonly-caught resume lie, with nearly one-in-five hiring managers saying they have found this on a candidate's application. Other top resume lies include:

   -- Past employers (18%)
   -- Academic degrees and institutions (16%)
   -- Technical skills and certifications (15%)
   -- Accomplishments (8%)

  Survey Methodology

The survey, "Resume Lies," was conducted from June 6 to June 16, 2006. Methodology used to collect survey responses totaling more than 2,200 workers for this study involved selecting a random sample of comScore Networks panel members. These Web Panel members were approached via an e-mail invitation, which asked them to participate in a short online survey. The results of this survey are statistically accurate to within +/- 2.08 percentage points (19 times out of 20). Note: this sample included more than 1000 hiring managers. The results for the hiring managers are statistically accurate to within +/- 3.65 percentage points (19 times out of 20).

About CareerBuilder.com

CareerBuilder.com is the nation's largest online job site with more than 23 million unique visitors and over 1.5 million jobs. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. , Tribune Company , and The McClatchy Company , the company offers a vast online and print network to help job seekers connect with employers. CareerBuilder.com powers the career centers for more than 900 partners that reach national, local, industry and niche audiences. These include more than 150 newspapers and leading portals such as America Online and MSN. More than 250,000 employers take advantage of CareerBuilder.com's easy job postings, 18 million-plus resumes, Diversity Channel and more. Millions of job seekers visit the site every month to search for opportunities by industry, location, company and job type, sign up for automatic email job alerts, and get advice on job hunting and career management. For more information about CareerBuilder.com products and services, visit http://www.careerbuilder.com/ .

  Media Contact:

  Jennifer Sullivan
  773-527-1164
  jennifer.sullivan@careerbuilder.com

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SOURCE: CareerBuilder.com