Nearly half of Gen Z admits to lying on job applications, survey finds

New survey material indicates that one in four job applicants has lied exaggerated or provided inaccurate information on their applications in particular way shape or form and Gen Z leads the trend The findings from career io a career services platform indicate nearly half approximately of the age group admitted to falsifying specific aspect of their job applications to fit the mold they think employers are looking for followed by of millennials of Gen Xers and of baby boomers A spreadsheet detailing the survey material provided to Fox News Digital indicates that a majority of zoomers slang for Gen Z lied in key areas such as work experience and job responsibilities with job title coming in third at The large percentages indicate certain survey participants falsified more than one area of their job applications Across all generations work experience and responsibilities ranked the highest out of all falsified categories but to a lesser degree than zoomers GEN Z BRANDED AS THE 'MOST GULLIBLE GENERATION' AFTER NEW ANALYSIS OF MEDIA HABITSCertified Professional Career Coach CPCC Amanda Augustine stated Fox News Digital the prevailing reason for the falsehoods is that young applicants with limited experience are desperate to make a good first impression and get their foot in the door You hear so much of people complaining about this big resume hole their applications have fallen into and it's out of sheer desperation that they're trying to enhance their experience in a way that will hopefully land them at least that interview she explained Tuesday Augustine has worked with multiple clients over the years to help them reach their full professional prospective She has heard several of these clients say they would be great for a role even if they don't appear perfect on paper and they only need the chance to prove themselves I think it's that sentiment across all generations but especially this younger generation that has not necessarily had to face the job sector before is really fueling particular of these white lies various of these flat-out lies that they're putting on applications Augustine revealed to Fox News Digital GEN Z BRANDED AS 'THE GHOSTED GENERATION' AS DATES COLLEGES AND EMPLOYERS KEEP SAYING 'NO'The information appears to reflect a desperation to appear experienced that steadily declines with age indicating those still relatively new to the job field are uncertain about the navigation techniques they need to employ to find work The dropoff between zoomers and millennials who admitted to lying with regard to job responsibilities was approximately percent with Gen Xers and baby boomers continuing to dial back the intensity In the work experience area zoomers' still sat a sparse points higher than millennials' Compare that to Gen Xers and baby boomers at and respectively Augustine says particular of the falsehoods such as lengthening the time worked at a specific location are done to mitigate the stigma of employment gaps something job applicants are forced to confront from time to time I think people are really trying to find means to do little stretches of the truth that they believe will land them that interview so that those small inconsistencies will just kind of be swept under the rug and ignored if they make a great impression during the interview process she stated COVID YEARS LATER IMPACT ON THE WORKPLACEBut lies and fabrications can lead to big problems and have done so in particular high-profile cases Veritas Utility CFO Kenneth E Lonchar for instance lost his position after an scrutiny uncovered that he had falsified his academic records and USPS vice president of corporate communications William Bill Whitman Jr was fired shortly after being hired for falsifying information about his academic background and work achievements Augustine says for those with limited experience who want to appear as capable as attainable for a role focus on taking an inventory of your skills There is such a greater emphasis placed on the soft skills such as collaboration communication difficulty solving I mean who doesn't need a creative complication solver for their business these days I can't think of an industry where that wouldn't be helpful in a few shape or form she reported But providing examples of times you have had to use the skills you profess to have or closing skill gaps through means such as taking an online lesson or learning from free demos are also pivotal she noted Then there's networking another useful tool in your tool belt if you're trying to get your foot in the door I can't say it enough Especially in this current financial sector and job field networking is dependably going to be key I don't care if you just graduated from school or you have -plus years of experience Everybody has a system whether they realize it or not that is your classmates your mentors your career advisors your professors people you've mentored in the past people that you've worked with previously If you aren't connecting with those people on LinkedIn and growing your professional grid and investing in managing those relationships you are doing your job search a major disservice