I have a confession to make. I’ve lied on my resume.
Now, some would call it a bold-faced lie, while others would call it an exaggeration. Either way, I wrote something that wasn’t true.
This was a very long time ago, so I’m open to sharing this now, but it’s always been a sensitive topic for me.
In 2002, after being unemployed for many months, I was approached by a friend that offered me an opportunity to work. His team needed help with Siebel, which was the CRM of choice back then. Salesforce was only 3 years old at the time.
This was my first freelance position. A year-long contract to work with Siebel, a CRM I didn’t even hear about a few weeks prior. On my resume, I claimed to have lots of experience with it. Only I didn’t. I was previously a software developer, programming in the C language.
The first few months were tough. I had to learn really fast while on the job, and dodge questions from colleagues looking for technical answers. Then, after several months, I started being able to answer those questions.
After a few more months, I was able to absorb a tremendous amount of knowledge. Then I excelled. That 1 year contract was extended for another 5 years. And this moment shaped the course of my career.
The takeaway
Why am I telling you all this?
That experience was the embodiment of “fake it until you make it”. I’m not condoning you should lie on your resume. However exaggerating a part of it, a part you can honestly learn quickly, is sometimes an understandable choice.