年轻人简历造假泛滥：道德缺失还是孤注一掷

    身处绝境的人往往会不择手段，近来的简历造假或许就是手法之一。根据美国政府披露的数字，目前美国的失业率为9.2%（而部分专家认为，实际失业率可能远远高于这个数字），为了能在激烈竞争中脱颖而出，求职者越来越倾向于夸大或者伪造自己的简历。

    然而，简历注水这一现象在各年龄段的求职者中出现的几率并不平均。背景调查公司TalentWise对美国2,026名成年人进行的调查显示，相对于年长的求职者，年轻求职者更容易在简历中掺水。在18到34岁的受访者中，有45%的人认为，在简历中做些手脚无伤大雅；而全部受访者中，这一比例仅为34%。

    调查发现，在55岁（含）以上的人群中，仅有近四分之一（27%）的受访者表示，他们有可能会在个人简历中夸大事实。

    在严格审查下最有可能被揭穿的造假项目包括：受雇日期；工作职位与职责；并列第三名的是在之前工作中的成就，以及受教育水平。

    当然，在简历中做夸大其词，甚至明目张胆撒谎的现象并不是什么新鲜事。即便在经济衰退开始之前，约有60%的人事经理在接受人力资源管理协会（Society for Human Resource Management）采访时表示，他们在求职者的个人简历中碰到过各种各样的谎言。

    TalentWise公司副总裁比尔•格伦称：“在当前的经济环境中，连面试的机会都少之又少，所以，为了引起用人单位的注意，或者能跨过公司的招聘门槛，求职者会无所不用其极。”

    他补充道，不同年龄群体的表现有着明显的差异，这种差异令人费解。一种说法认为，“年轻人通常更倾向于冒险”，比如，他们可以承受因伪造简历带来的尴尬或被解雇的风险。也有人认为，这是因为年轻的求职者往往缺乏足够的经验或者人脉，因此，他们希望能通过在简历上添枝加叶来弥补这些不足。

    不过对于TalentWise这样的简历核查公司而言，在压力下选择捷径的倾向却能带给他们绝佳的商机。TalentWise公司最近推出了一款名为TalentShield的新产品，格伦称该产品是“针对简历的Carfax（Carfax原指一项车辆历史记录报告服务——译注）”。

    很明显，造假简历绝对无法获得雇主的青睐；而且，更糟糕的是，这会使许多人的求职之路更加艰难。格伦表示：“这种行为真正影响的是诚实展现自己的求职者。他们面临着造假者的不公平竞争。”

    （翻译 刘进龙）

    Desperate times call for desperate measures, which may include fudging the facts on resumes these days. With the unemployment rate officially at 9.2% (and actual unemployment, many experts say, far higher than that), it seems job hunters are increasingly tempted to exaggerate or fabricate to stand out from the crowd.

    Fibbing isn't distributed evenly across all age groups, however. According to a survey of 2,026 adults across the U.S. by background screening firm TalentWise, younger applicants are more likely than older ones to think that embellishing a resume is okay: 45% in the 18 to 34 cohort, versus 34% for survey respondents overall.

    Least likely to stretch the truth on a resume, the poll found, are people 55 or older, about one-quarter of whom (27%) said they might do it.

    The resume items least likely to hold up under scrutiny: dates of employment; job titles and responsibilities; and, tied for third place, accomplishments during previous jobs and level of education.

    Of course, there's nothing new about embroidering the facts on a resume, or even telling outright whoppers. Even before the recession got underway, over 60% of hiring managers told the Society for Human Resource Management they were finding all sorts of untruths in job applicants' CVs.

    "But in this economic climate, where so many people are finding it hard even to get an interview, you may start thinking it's okay to do whatever you have to do to get noticed and get a foot in the door," observes Bill Glenn, a vice president at TalentWise.

    The marked disparity among different age groups, he adds, is something of a mystery. One theory is that "young people, as a rule, are more inclined to take risks" -- like, for example, the risk of embarrassment or even firing that comes along with falsifying your resume. It could also be that young job hunters, often lacking much experience or professional contacts, try to compensate by embellishing the truth.

    The propensity to cut corners under pressure spells good business for resume-checking companies like TalentWise, which just introduced a new product called TalentShield that Glenn describes as "like Carfax for resumes."

    Less-than-honest CVs are an obvious nuisance to employers, but even worse, they're an added menace to many people's already agonizing search for work. "The real impact is on job seekers who represent themselves accurately," Glenn says. "They're up against unfair competition from people who are making stuff up."