The Journal Times Online - Racine, Wisconsin

PRNewswire & The Washington Post

Is your resume more fiction than fact? Experts warn that bending the truth can cost you the job. Although only 8 percent of workers admitted to stretching the truth on their resumes, nearly half of hiring managers reported that they caught a candidate lying on his or her resume, according to a CareerBuilder.com survey of more than 3,100 hiring managers and over 8,700 workers nationwide.

Of the employers who caught a fib, 57 percent said they automatically dismissed the applicant. A small percentage (6 percent) ended up hiring the applicant anyway.

The most common lies discovered on a resume included embellishing responsibilities and skills, fudging dates of employment, and faking degrees and job titles. But some people got more creative, according to the hiring managers. CareerBuilder.com asked hiring managers to share the most memorable or outrageous lies they came across on resumes. Examples include:

1) Claimed to be a member of the Kennedy family.

2) Invented a school that did not exist.

3) Submitted a resume with someone else’s photo inserted into the document.

4) Claimed to be a member of Mensa.

5) Claimed to have worked for the hiring manager before, but never had.

6) Claimed to be the CEO of a company when the candidate was an hourly employee.

7) Listed military experience dating back to before he was born.

8) Included samples of work that the interviewer actually did.

9) Claimed to be Hispanic when he was 100 percent Caucasian.

10) Claimed to have been a professional baseball player.

Pretty hilarious. Unless, of course, those hiring managers just made them up.

Make your resume stand out — honestly

CareerBuilder.com recommends the following tips to make your resume memorable for the right reasons:

Apply early. Nearly one in 10 employers receive more than 50 applications for open positions on average, and one in five said they are receiving more resumes than last year. Get your foot in the door before other candidates by signing up for job alerts that automatically e-mail job listings to you as they become available.