IInside Express

Resume Embellishment on the Rise—Employment Insights from Express

0
Shares
0
0
0
0

Express Employment Professionals’ America Employed and Canada Employed press series explore the state of employment in North America, including everything from hiring expectations and HR challenges to job seekers’ optimism and shrinking the skills gap. Learn about the latest insights uncovered in a recent Express Employment Professionals-Harris Poll survey. 

An Express Employment Professionals-Harris Poll survey reveals a startling truth about today’s hiring landscape: job seekers may be stretching the truth on their resumes far more than they admit—and employers say they can spot the exaggerations a mile away.

Resumes Don’t Match Actual Skills, According to US Hiring Managers

Eighty percent of U.S. hiring managers say candidates’ resumes don’t match their real-world skills at least sometimes, with 34% reporting it happens all the time or often. AI is a contributing factor:

  • 80% of hiring managers believe AI makes it too easy to embellish resumes.
  • 42% of hiring managers strongly agree it’s becoming a serious hiring risk.  
  • 22% of job seekers confess to listing skills they don’t actually have.
Infographic titled “The U.S. Resume Reality Gap” with percentages in blue boxes. Text reads: “80% Say Sometimes Candidates’ Skills Don’t Match Their Resumes,” “34% Say This Happens All the Time or Often,” “86% Say AI Makes It Too Easy to Embellish Resumes,” and “42% Strongly Agree.” Illustration shows a businessperson in a suit stepping toward a cliff while a white humanoid robot pushes them. Logo reads “AMERICA EMPLOYED.” Source text at bottom describes survey by The Harris Poll for Express Employment Professionals from Nov. 3–19, 2025 among 1,002 U.S. hiring decision-makers.

Wild Resume Claims

Employers shared some of their most jaw-dropping experiences when a candidate’s “expertise” evaporated the moment they stepped into the job:

  • A new hire who claimed proficiency with a POS system but froze at the screen like it was written in an ancient language, leading to same-day dismissal.
  • A kitchen lead who walked out by noon because they didn’t know how to do any of the tasks they claimed they could do.
  • Another who touted strong communication skills, only for client meetings to quickly prove otherwise.

Canadian Hiring Managers Face the Same Challenges

Eighty-two per cent of Canadian hiring managers say candidates’ resumes don’t match their real-world skills at least sometimes, and 29% report it happens all the time or often.

  • 84% of hiring managers believe AI makes it too easy to embellish resumes.
  • 35% strongly agree it’s becoming a serious hiring risk.
  • 22% of job seekers admit to listing skills they don’t actually have.
Infographic titled “The Canadian Resume Reality Gap” with percentages in blue boxes. Text reads: “82% Say Sometimes Candidates’ Skills Don’t Match Their Resumes,” “29% Say This Happens All the Time or Often,” “84% Say AI Makes It Too Easy to Embellish Resumes,” and “35% Strongly Agree.” Illustration shows a businessperson in a suit stepping toward a cliff while a white humanoid robot pushes them. Logo reads “CANADA EMPLOYED.” Source text at bottom describes survey by The Harris Poll for Express Employment Professionals from Nov. 3–19, 2025 among 504 Canadian hiring decision-makers.

Hiring Managers Have Seen It All

Employers shared astonishing moments when a candidate’s supposed expertise vanished as soon as they started the job.

  • A candidate who said they graduated from a prestigious university at the top of his class, but when questioned by a hiring manager who also attended that university, admitted he was never a student there. 
  • Another who claimed to be bilingual in English and French but was not. The company lost sales as a result.
  • A job applicant who claimed to have years of experience with children, but on her first day started yelling at the toddlers and didn’t notice when kids left the room unattended.

“In today’s market, you don’t need a perfect resume; you need a truthful one,” said Bob Funk Jr., CEO, President and Chairman of Express Employment International. “When job seekers exaggerate their abilities, they set themselves up for stress, failure and lost opportunities. But when they’re transparent about their skills and what they know, and eager to learn what they don’t, employers take notice. Integrity is still a competitive advantage.”

Read more about the latest employment insights in America Employed at ExpressPros.com and Canada Employed at ExpressPros.ca. 

— Previous article

Clinician to Leader: Your Roadmap to a Successful Career Transition