Lying in Job Applications | Study

The Australian job market is becoming increasingly competitive. According to recent job search statistics, there are an average of 26 job applicants for every entry-level job and only one in four resumes make it past ATS computer software to be read by a human.

In these tough conditions, people will do anything to stand out from the crowd – including lying. Whether this is overstating your technical abilities, or faking a University degree, our study into resume lies in the U.S. found that more than three in five (64.2%) admitted to lying during a job application process, but are Australians more or less likely to fib their way to success?

We surveyed 1,011 Australians about their opinions and experiences lying in job applications and interviews to find out.

 

 

42.4% of Australians admit to lying in the job application process

Despite its unethical implications, lying in job applications or interviews is not uncommon. Overall, two in five (42.4%) of Australians we surveyed admitted to lying to try to win a role– and 19.6% of people have lied more than once.

 

What percentage of Australians lie during a job application or interview?

Have you ever lied or exaggerated during an interview?	Percentage
No - never	57.6%
Yes	19.6%
Yes - more than once	22.8%

 

Some people were more likely to admit to having lied than others. Regionally, those living in the Northern Territory were the most honest, as no residents admitted to lying in job applications. Capital Territory residents were the most likely to admit they hadn’t been truthful (52.2%) but Victorians were the most likely to admit they had lied in an interview or application more than once (22.7%).

 

It pays to lie – job applicant liars earn on average $15,000 more than truth tellers

The most truthful job applicants also earn the least. One in four (24.1%) of those with a household income less than $15,000 admitted to lying in an application, whereas 65.9% of those with a household income between $180,000 to $199,999 admitted to lying in a job application (the most likely liars in the study).

In fact, the average household income of someone who admitted to lying is $96,519, whereas those who have played it straight have an average household income of $81,515 – a difference of $15,000.

 

The most common lie job applicants tell is the reason for leaving a previous job (21.1%)

A significant proportion of job applicants are prepared to bend the truth, but how far? What one person might consider a ‘white lie’ could be considered by someone else as grounds for disqualifying misconduct.

When asked what they lied about, the most common lies applicants tell are the reasons for leaving their previous job (21.1%), previous work experience (20.9%), and skills or qualifications (14.6%). More serious lies – like misinforming someone about your criminal history or faking qualifications were also the least common lies in the study (1% and 2.2% respectively).

 

The most common job applicant lies

Most common lie	Percentage
Reason for leaving the previous job	21.1%
Previous work experience	20.9%
Skills or qualifications	14.6%
Long-term career goals	9.7%
Interest in the position or company	9.1%
Personal traits or work style	8.5%
Salary history	8.5%
Availability or willingness to relocate	4.5%
Education or certification	2.2%
Criminal record or legal cause of concern	1.0%

 

However,  the incentives to lie differ according to your identity and background. The most common reason women lie in job applications is the reason for leaving their previous job (22.3%) whereas men were most likely to lie about their previous work experience (22.1%).

Different generations are more inclined to lie about different things too. Younger respondents, like Gen-Z (18-27) and Millenials (28-43), were most likely to lie about their previous work experience (22.2% and 22.5% respectively). Whereas older respondents who have had a longer working career, like Baby Boomers (60-69) and Gen X (44-59), were most likely to lie about their reasons for leaving their previous job (22.6% and 22.7% respectively).

When asked what motivated them to lie one in four liars lied to meet the job qualifications – making this the most common motivation to lie in a job application or interview.

 

The most common motivations to lie in a job application or  interview

Motivation	Percentage
Meet the job qualifications	25.0%
Because I felt I could do the job but wouldn't land it if I didn't lie	23.5%
Was under pressure to secure a job	23.2%
Negotiate a higher salary	13.7%
Hide employment gaps	10.5%
Hide something in my history	4.2%

 

Three-quarters (73.4%) of job applicants who lied weren’t caught

Lying your way to a role is a risky game, get caught and it will likely cost you – not win you – the job. But the majority of liars (73.4%) said their lie (or lies) have never been caught out. But if you are going to be exposed the most common place to be called out is in the interview itself (43.4%). Around a quarter (23.2%) of all caught respondents said they were caught out later after they started to work at the company.

And what happened to those rumbled employees? Quite often, very little. Three in five caught-out liars (62.6%) said that when they were caught, no action was taken. The most likely consequence was that the offer was withdrawn (18.2%) and the second most likely was they were given a formal warning but retained the role (16.2%)

 

Lying is more likely to have a positive (21.4%) than negative (3.7%) effect on your career

One of the main concerns about lying your way to a job role is that you are then ill-equipped to do the job itself – a big issue for both parties. So are job applicant liars worse at their job than others? Apparently not. Nearly all (94.9%) of respondents said they were still able to complete all day-to-day tasks of the role. Perhaps for this reason, 72.7% said they did not regret lying.

And for a broader perspective, 74.8% said that lying had no long-term effect on their career trajectory. In fact, of those who did say it made a difference, lying in an application is more likely to have a positive (21.4%) than negative (3.7%) effect on your career trajectory.

 

The long-term effects of lying in a job application or interview on someone’s career

Do you feel that lying had a long-term effect on your career?	Percentage
No effect	74.8%
Yes - positive effect	21.4%
Yes - negative effect	3.7%

 

The most common reason for never lying in a job application is simply not feeling the need to (39.9%)

In the survey, 57.6% said they had never lied in a job application or interview and 42.4% said they had. A similar split is reflected in people’s attitudes towards lying in applications too. Slightly more (52.7%) of people said it was never acceptable to lie in a job interview or job application, 43.3% said it was sometimes acceptable and 4% said it was always acceptable.

But of those who never lied – why not? According to the results, it’s not people’s principles that are compelling them to stay honest, but simply that they felt ‘no need’ to (39.9%). In fact, only a third (33.1%) of respondents said they stayed honest because ‘it wouldn’t feel right’.

 

Most common reasons to not lie in a job application or interview

Reasons to not lie in a job interview or application	%
No need	39.9%
It wouldn't feel right	33.1%
It didn't occur to me	13.9%
Wouldn't want to have been caught	11.1%
The risk was too high for me	2.1%

 

Methodology

We surveyed 1,011 Australian adults in November 2024 via survey platform Pollfish. The survey was designed to find out how common it was to lie in an interview, the consequences of lying in an interview, and the motivations to be dishonest with potential employers.

Gender

• Male 57.8%
• Female 42.2%

Age

• 18-27 6.7%
• 28-43 31.0%
• 44-59 28.7%
• 60-69 28.6%
• 70+ 5.1%

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