Common CV Lies You Will Get Caught For
- Fake Excel Proficiency: Saying you are “Advanced” when you don’t even know VLOOKUP.
- Inflated Job Titles: Calling yourself a “Manager” when you were an intern.
- Ghost Degrees: Claiming a Master’s degree you haven’t finished.
- False Language Skills: Claiming you speak fluent French because you used Duolingo.
- Made-up Metrics: Saying you increased sales by 500% with zero proof.
Lagos HR managers are not stupid. We have interviewed thousands of candidates. We can smell a lie on your CV before you even sit down in the interview chair.
You think writing “Advanced Proficiency in Microsoft Excel” will get you through the door? Wait until the hiring manager hands you a laptop during the interview and asks you to run a Pivot Table. The embarrassment is usually spectacular.
The Background Check Reality
Top Nigerian companies, especially banks and multinationals, conduct rigorous background checks. They will call your previous employers. They will verify your degree with your university.
If you lied about your job title at your last company, they will find out. And in Lagos, HR circles are small. Word gets around.
Sell Potential, Don’t Lie
If you don’t have the experience, focus on your potential. Highlight your fast learning ability. Take a quick online course (Coursera, Udemy) and put that on your CV instead.
Never lie about something that can be verified in a 5-minute technical test or a phone call. It’s not worth the humiliation.