Lots of people have something in their past that they’re not that keen for other people to find out about them, and most of the time it stays exactly where it belongs: in the past. But if your skeleton is work related, it might not stay hidden as long as you’d like it to. And some skeletons are likely to prove very damaging to your reputation, and your employment prospects, so this is a case when honesty really is the best policy.

What a Career Skeleton Looks Like

Lying about why you left your last job. Always be honest about why you’re leaving a job: it’s the easiest thing for prospective employers to check, and lying about it does you no favours.

Lying about your sickness absence record. Just like lying about why you left your job, this is one of the most common skeletons, and one of the easiest to check with your current or previous employer.

Another common lie is exaggerating the role you’ve done at a previous job. Again this is a skeleton that will usually tumble out of the closet quite easily. Either the recruiter or the interviewer will be familiar with the company you’re leaving, and will therefore know that you can’t have had those responsibilities; or you’ll be found out once you start the job and find yourself way out of your depth. Not all that long ago I had someone apply for a role I was advertising. She claimed to have a particular role with their current employer, but I knew that employer very well, and I knew that that role didn’t exist in that particular company. You won’t be surprised to learn that she didn’t get an interview.

It’s not just lying during the recruitment process though. Taking time off sick when you’re not ill is another common skeleton that people have in their career closets. I’m all for people who are sick to take sick leave, but taking the mickey means letting your colleagues down, who have to then pick up your workload; and it’s defrauding your employer.

Why you should always be honest.

You should always be honest because the chances are you’re going to be found out. And the stress of waiting for that moment to arrive is not healthy. We live in a small world, which is getting smaller by the minute, thanks to the progress of technology.

One of the most successful business development tools is networking, and people from all industries tend to network together. All it takes is for your new boss to meet your old boss, and for them to mention that they’ve taken you on, and your skeleton will come tumbling out of its closet.

Networking is especially popular in the world of recruitment. We recruitment agents network with each other, with business leaders, with HR professionals, and with previous and prospective candidates. We make it our job to get to know people in every industry and walk of life. And that’s before you count our friends and family network. If you’re looking for a new job and you have a skeleton in your closet, it’s not going to take long for a recruitment agent to uncover it.

Another way you could be found out is through the references your prospective new employer asks for from your current or previous ones. The questions they’re likely to ask revolve around your current role, your sickness absence record, and your reason for leaving. They’re also likely to ask if you’re leaving voluntarily.

If your skeleton is related to calling in or being signed off sick when you’re perfectly well to go to work, there are lots of ways of being found out. You don’t know who knows who, or how people might be connected. This is especially the case when it comes to social networks or hobbies. How can you be sure that someone at the gym you attend isn’t connected to someone you work with? Or that someone you tag in a picture from the party last night isn’t friends with your boss? The answer is, you don’t.

The consequences of keeping skeletons in your closet

Lying during the recruitment process, or to your employer about why you’re absent from work, makes you look untrustworthy.

Trust is a crucial aspect of any successful relationship, and most employers will decide that if you’ve lied about one thing, then what’s to stop you being dishonest about something else. I remember recruiting for a position where the successful candidate would have access to confidential information. We were about to make an offer to the best candidate for the job when we discovered that she’d lied about her level of sickness absence at her current job. If she’d been upfront with us she would have been offered the job, but the client felt that he couldn’t trust her because she’d lied

It’s not just lying during the recruitment process that could damage your employment prospects. Taking sick days when you’re not sick could lead to disciplinary action, and even dismissal. Even if you manage to keep your job, you’ll not only have damaged your reputation with your boss and co-workers, the disciplinary action will remain on your record, which could hamper your prospects of finding a new job.

Keeping skeletons in your closet means that at the very least you end up with a damaged reputation. And since it’s likely that recruitment agents and your future employers all network together, you must surely realise that if your reputation is damaged with one recruitment agent or employer, the chances are that it’ll be found out further down the line. So it’s always best to clear out your skeletons and be honest about your job history.

And if you’re not sick but don’t want to go to work, use your holidays, or get another job: one you’ll actually want to go to.

If you’re ready for a new challenge and promise not to leave any skeletons in your closet, please call me on 07510 051781 or drop me an email at valerie.cowan@valeco.co.uk for an initial chat about how I can help you.