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Twitter helps applicant cover up lie on his CV

A job applicant recently provided the perfect example of why it's a bad idea to lie on your CV. At risk of his initial lie being uncovered, the internet had to help him come up with a second lie, to cover up the first one.

On his CV, the applicant had falsely claimed to be a talented piano player. His troubles began when the company he was interviewing with asked him to demonstrate his non-existent skills before the board of directors.

The story came to light after one of his friends shared his perilous situation via Twitter:

My friend lied on his cv that he mastered the piano at age 15 and now he's been asked if he can play for the board of directors on friday.

— Javier Acosta (@Shimz_Afc) 31 August 2016

 

Man has been sitting in the car for the past half hour googling "the most painless way to break your fingers". — Javier Acosta (@Shimz_Afc) 31 August 2016

The tweet quickly went viral and solicited a huge response from helpful, and not so helpful, twitter users coming up with ideas to bail the applicant out of his piano performance.

People suggested he could buy a cast for his arm or recommended impressive yet easy to master pieces to play on the piano:

@Shimz_Afc tell him to google hand cast for sale

— JD (@HighburyJD) 31 August 2016

@Shimz_Afc moonlight sonata by beethoven is considered a masterpiece and is extremely simple and somewhat repetitive. It's learnable — Brace Brillhart (@bbchillen) 31 August 2016

Other people responded by pointing out the obvious:

@Shimz_Afc This is why you should never lie on your CV. — Kosoverheadny (@EliteMicktality) 31 August 2016

As it turns out, one Twitter user actually saved the day, by suggesting the applicant would tell the company he suffers from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and therefore would be unable to play:

Thanks to whoever first tweeted the carpal tunnel syndrome excuse. Mate used it and he doesn't have to play anymore tomorrow. — Javier Acosta (@Shimz_Afc) 1 September 2016Although the job seeker seemingly managed to get away with his lie, it's a great example of how much trouble candidates can create for themselves by being dishonest.

Despite the risks, earlier this year a report revealed that the percentage of candidates whose CVs show discrepancies with the reality is going up. In Hong Kong, the overall screening discrepancy of candidates in 2015 was an impressive 18.04%, the second highest in the Asia Pacific region.

Since hiring the wrong person for the job can come at a staggering cost to the company, for HR professionals it is key to see through any lies a candidate might be telling you.

ALSO READ: 4 ways to spot the lies on a CV

Photo / 123RF

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