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As you create and edit the first draft of your resume and get ready to send it off to potential employers, you probably feel optimistic and confident. And you should! This is an exciting and inspirational time, and as you launch your job search, the world should feel like a place of opportunity and possibility. This is the time to get out there and show the world what you can do and what you have to offer!

But if you’re like most job seekers, after a few months on the job market, the shine begins to fade. Hopeful optimism starts giving way to concern, and maybe a little self-doubt. Instead of swelling with pride as you look over your resume, you may start feeling something more like worry. Or worse, inadequacy. Your proudest accomplishments may not seem like enough, and you may start believing that if you truly had something valuable to offer, you’d be working by now.

You may even be tempted to start embellishing your work history, “rounding up” your GPA, or slightly fudging your dates of employment. But resist this temptation. Your impressive accomplishments are still impressive, and your hard work is still as evident as ever. In addition to confidence, the only thing you need right now is patience. Here are few things to keep in mind as you sidestep the urge to rewrite history.

Your resume will stay with you.

After you’re hired, your new employers can do anything they choose with your resume. They can toss it in the recycle bin if they want to. But they probably won’t do this; instead, they’ll keep it on file indefinitely and refer back to it whenever you undergo a performance evaluation or negotiate for a raise or promotion. If your resume fabrications are discovered, even years down the road, this can have a damaging impact on your relationship with your employer. In some workplaces, it may mean immediate termination.

Your employers are savvier than you think.

Experienced employers (especially those who review entry level candidates) can usually recognize resume fabrications. Your adjustments may seem too small to notice or too reasonable to question, but consider giving your reviewers more credit. They know the business better than you do and can recognize an overstated accomplishment or timeline discrepancy when they see one.

This move can hurt your career.

If your employers spot a distortion in your resume, they may not tell you about it; they may simply drop your resume in the bin and place you on a do-not-hire list. This sometimes happens when candidates misstate their previous job titles or dates of employment, since these two data points are publically available and very easy facts to verify.

Remember: Confidence and honesty go hand in hand. So do desperation and truth stretching. Don’t fall into this easy trap. Just believe in yourself and be patient, and you’ll find the job you’re looking for. Turn to the staffing professionals at Expert Staffing to make this happen faster.

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