We’re probably all guilty of embellishing our personal and professional accomplishments from time to time. 

But how many of us tell porkies on our CV when job-hunting? 

Quite a lot of us, as it turns out, with new research from YouGov showing 10% of Brits admit to lying on their CVs (and a further 2% declining to answer one way or another...) 

While getting creative with your resumé can be a good thing, playing with the facts is an increasingly dangerous game in the internet era when pretty much anyone can be researched and googled, instantly. 

However, the extent to which people manipulated the truth ranged from slight exaggerations about interests outside of work to downright lies about time in a role and job titles. 

By far the biggest fib was education level, with 40% of admitted liars coughing up to fabricating qualifications and bumping up grades to improve their chances of getting a new job.

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Closely behind were the amount of time spent at a job (35%) and the level of experience they had achieved (30%). 

More interestingly, 1% and 3% admitted to lying about their name and age, respectively. 

The phenomenon of lying about names on job applications has previously been linked to proven racism and prejudice in recruitment procedures where applicants with “white” sounding names are more likely to be called to interview. 

And with an increasingly saturated and competitive job market, it is perhaps understandable that older job hunters may be tempted to shave a few years off their age in the hope of bagging an interview.

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But just like your mother always told you, tell one lie and it leads to another. And even if you do secure a job dishonestly, there will always be the chance that you might be found out at some point niggling away at you. 

And when you are, it will most likely end in dismissal – which really doesn’t look good on your CV. 

Images: Rex Features/Getty