????身處絕境的人往往會不擇手段，近來的簡歷造假或許就是手法之一。根據美國政府披露的數字，目前美國的失業率為9.2%（而部分專家認為，實際失業率可能遠遠高于這個數字），為了能在激烈競爭中脫穎而出，求職者越來越傾向于夸大或者偽造自己的簡歷。

????然而，簡歷注水這一現象在各年齡段的求職者中出現的幾率并不平均。背景調查公司TalentWise對美國2,026名成年人進行的調查顯示，相對于年長的求職者，年輕求職者更容易在簡歷中摻水。在18到34歲的受訪者中，有45%的人認為，在簡歷中做些手腳無傷大雅；而全部受訪者中，這一比例僅為34%。

????調查發現，在55歲（含）以上的人群中，僅有近四分之一（27%）的受訪者表示，他們有可能會在個人簡歷中夸大事實。

????在嚴格審查下最有可能被揭穿的造假項目包括：受雇日期；工作職位與職責；并列第三名的是在之前工作中的成就，以及受教育水平。

????當然，在簡歷中做夸大其詞，甚至明目張膽撒謊的現象并不是什么新鮮事。即便在經濟衰退開始之前，約有60%的人事經理在接受人力資源管理協會（Society for Human Resource Management）采訪時表示，他們在求職者的個人簡歷中碰到過各種各樣的謊言。

????TalentWise公司副總裁比爾?格倫稱：“在當前的經濟環境中，連面試的機會都少之又少，所以，為了引起用人單位的注意，或者能跨過公司的招聘門檻，求職者會無所不用其極。”

????他補充道，不同年齡群體的表現有著明顯的差異，這種差異令人費解。一種說法認為，“年輕人通常更傾向于冒險”，比如，他們可以承受因偽造簡歷帶來的尷尬或被解雇的風險。也有人認為，這是因為年輕的求職者往往缺乏足夠的經驗或者人脈，因此，他們希望能通過在簡歷上添枝加葉來彌補這些不足。

????不過對于TalentWise這樣的簡歷核查公司而言，在壓力下選擇捷徑的傾向卻能帶給他們絕佳的商機。TalentWise公司最近推出了一款名為TalentShield的新產品，格倫稱該產品是“針對簡歷的Carfax（Carfax原指一項車輛歷史記錄報告服務——譯注）”。

????很明顯，造假簡歷絕對無法獲得雇主的青睞；而且，更糟糕的是，這會使許多人的求職之路更加艱難。格倫表示：“這種行為真正影響的是誠實展現自己的求職者。他們面臨著造假者的不公平競爭。”

????（翻譯 劉進龍）

????Desperate times call for desperate measures, which may include fudging the facts on resumes these days. With the unemployment rate officially at 9.2% (and actual unemployment, many experts say, far higher than that), it seems job hunters are increasingly tempted to exaggerate or fabricate to stand out from the crowd.

????Fibbing isn't distributed evenly across all age groups, however. According to a survey of 2,026 adults across the U.S. by background screening firm TalentWise, younger applicants are more likely than older ones to think that embellishing a resume is okay: 45% in the 18 to 34 cohort, versus 34% for survey respondents overall.

????Least likely to stretch the truth on a resume, the poll found, are people 55 or older, about one-quarter of whom (27%) said they might do it.

????The resume items least likely to hold up under scrutiny: dates of employment; job titles and responsibilities; and, tied for third place, accomplishments during previous jobs and level of education.

????Of course, there's nothing new about embroidering the facts on a resume, or even telling outright whoppers. Even before the recession got underway, over 60% of hiring managers told the Society for Human Resource Management they were finding all sorts of untruths in job applicants' CVs.

????"But in this economic climate, where so many people are finding it hard even to get an interview, you may start thinking it's okay to do whatever you have to do to get noticed and get a foot in the door," observes Bill Glenn, a vice president at TalentWise.

????The marked disparity among different age groups, he adds, is something of a mystery. One theory is that "young people, as a rule, are more inclined to take risks" -- like, for example, the risk of embarrassment or even firing that comes along with falsifying your resume. It could also be that young job hunters, often lacking much experience or professional contacts, try to compensate by embellishing the truth.

????The propensity to cut corners under pressure spells good business for resume-checking companies like TalentWise, which just introduced a new product called TalentShield that Glenn describes as "like Carfax for resumes."

????Less-than-honest CVs are an obvious nuisance to employers, but even worse, they're an added menace to many people's already agonizing search for work. "The real impact is on job seekers who represent themselves accurately," Glenn says. "They're up against unfair competition from people who are making stuff up."