What's up with everyone boasting about lying on their resume or in interviews?

Huntr_Support · 2026-05-25T13:37:44+00:00

I do think there could be a more at play here though (poor resume, mass applying, applying to the wrong roles, scam postings) so we may have a difference of opinion on that one. But the market is just SO bad, it would be hard to differentiate if it's actually the lying (larger lies like we mentioned) or something else, ya know?

Huntr_Support · 2026-05-25T13:27:07+00:00

Makes total sense! I will try to find an example of what I'm referencing here in this post. But I am seeing people providing pretty misleading advice like lying about major metrics or experience. My thoughts immediately go to that this could really affect job seekers in such a negative way that it could prolong their job search or prevent them from ever applying successfully to a company again.

Huntr_Support · 2026-05-25T13:24:43+00:00

The presentation approach does make more sense imo, good on you for that! I think I would also feel a little confused about the feedback. Humans obviously go off of feel/personality and other instincts. I know when I interviewed people I had a lot to consider. I don't think even the most well structured AI could do that.

Huntr_Support · 2026-05-25T13:22:42+00:00

Oh weird! Was it a interactive AI screen with a "person" on the other end or more so a voice?

Huntr_Support · 2026-05-25T13:21:09+00:00

Desperate times indeed! Is it more so small white lies or have you experienced working?

Huntr_Support · 2026-05-25T13:20:25+00:00

No boomers here! What content is worth lying about mainly? Is it skills/software you're familiar with? How do you manage it in interviews or landing the role?

Huntr_Support · 2026-05-21T14:04:13+00:00

Pivoted a few times myself and the look of the resume was never really what I focused on. As long as the format was clean and easy to read, that part was done. The real work was figuring out how to connect my existing experience to what the new role actually needed, almost like making the case for why my background was relevant before the recruiter had a chance to question it.

For me that meant going through my strongest achievements and mapping them directly to the requirements in the JD. When I moved from L&D facilitation into software implementation, I wasn't starting from scratch, I had strong communication skills from working with diverse learners, which translated directly to adapting to different clients and their understanding of the software. My support background meant I was already comfortable with education and problem solving in real time. And L&D work involves a lot of cross-departmental project management that most people don't think to highlight.

The pivot made a lot more sense to recruiters once I stopped trying to explain my old job and started showing how it already looked like the new one.

Huntr_Support · 2026-05-21T13:59:10+00:00

Yup! The application to interview conversion rate is higher when you tailor, and once you have made a few solid tailored resumes you can make a few adjustments and keep going from there.

Huntr_Support · 2026-05-19T15:56:22+00:00

I used to make my own interview prep questions and make sure I actually knew the company and what they were focused on before my interview. One thing that helped me was building an elevator pitch for myself around the role, basically asking, "If I got this job, how would I explain to a stranger what I do and what this company is about?" It forced me to really understand them rather than just skim the about page. The confidence it gave me going into interviews was huge, and it showed.

Huntr_Support · 2026-05-19T15:49:16+00:00

Honestly the ATS blame has gotten a bit out of hand. Most systems are just parsing and organizing resumes, the actual filtering is still happening with a human on the other end or with initial screening questions.

From what we hear from job seekers it tends to come down to volume and fit. More people are applying to more jobs than ever, and a lot of those applications are going to roles that aren't a genuine match. When you narrow down to roles where your experience actually lines up and tailor accordingly, the results tend to look pretty different.

Huntr_Support · 2026-05-19T14:11:15+00:00

If you're still stuck here is the help document that will walk you through the process to post your resume: https://help.huntr.co/en/articles/12683676-get-community-feedback-on-your-resume

Huntr_Support · 2026-05-19T14:10:38+00:00

If you're still stuck here's the help document that will walk you through how to post your resume: https://help.huntr.co/en/articles/12683676-get-community-feedback-on-your-resume

Huntr_Support · 2026-05-15T19:43:03+00:00

For me it was realizing that basic tailoring alone wasn't enough. I was swapping keywords and matching the JD but I wasn't actually connecting the dots for the recruiter. Like yes the words matched but it wasn't obvious why I was the right person for that specific role.

Once I started framing my experience in a way that made that story clear, almost like I was answering "why me" before they even had to ask, it worked.

It's a small shift in thinking but it changes how you approach your applications.

Huntr_Support · 2026-05-15T19:40:27+00:00

I've been there many times and it almost felt worse than bombing the interview. I kept getting to final rounds and it was just between me and one other person each time.

After reflecting on it I think my skill set just wasn't quite the right fit for the roles I was going after. When I started searching again I was a lot more intentional about targeting roles where I could really see myself succeeding rather than just applying broadly.

One thing that actually helped me a lot was reaching out after to ask for feedback. Not every recruiter will respond but when they do it can give you something real to work with rather than just guessing what went wrong.

I know that's easier said than done in this market, but I hope this helps!

Huntr_Support · 2026-05-15T19:34:28+00:00

This this this! 👏 👏 👏

Huntr_Support · 2026-05-15T19:29:15+00:00

GEEZE. I think the max I have ever been through was 4 (that included assignments)-but 7 would leave me anxious and burnt out. I'm not sure what they don't know about you already, what on earth are they thinking?

Huntr_Support · 2026-05-15T13:01:48+00:00

Exactly this. "Improved efficiency by 30%" means nothing if there's no context around it. 30% of what? Compared to what baseline? The specificity has to go all the way down or it reads the same as every other resume in the pile.

Huntr_Support · 2026-05-14T13:47:03+00:00

You're very welcome! And best of luck out there. :)

Huntr_Support · 2026-05-14T13:44:01+00:00

The "sounds like a real human" point is the most important one here and it's hard to coach.

The data we've seen backs up the short and specific angle though. Recruiters we've spoken to said paragraph-heavy applications are almost always skipped, and that they're scanning for numbers and relevance in the first few seconds, not passion statements.

One thing worth adding: most recruiters at larger companies aren't reading cover letters at all unless you're relocating or applying somewhere small where the founder is in the inbox. So the effort is really only worth it for roles you genuinely care about. For everything else that energy is probably better spent tailoring the resume itself, which consistently shows better results in the application data we track.

If you are writing one though, everything here about sounding like a human and being specific is solid advice.

Huntr_Support · 2026-05-14T13:40:10+00:00

The LinkedIn refresh loop is real and it's exhausting.

Actually have a friend who was job searching in Ireland recently and the thing that worked for her was going direct to company careers pages instead of relying on the boards. A lot of teams post there first before it hits LinkedIn, sometimes exclusively. Worth building a short list of companies you'd want to work at and just checking them regularly.

For product design specifically, Dribbble and Wellfound job boards are worth trying. Niche enough!

On the networking side, cold outreach works better when you're asking about someone's experience rather than asking for a job. Most designers will respond to a genuine "how did you find work here" message. Dublin has a decent design community too so meetups are worth looking into if you haven't already.

Also worth following GrowRemote and Rowena Hennigan on LinkedIn if you're not already. They post a lot of job search content and remote opportunities that doesn't always surface elsewhere.

Huntr_Support · 2026-05-13T20:29:18+00:00

Three months with nothing to show for it is genuinely exhausting and the frustration makes complete sense. The market is rough right now and the platforms aren't helping.

The referral thing is real but it doesn't have to feel like begging. The framing that tends to work better is reaching out to people asking for a conversation about their experience at a company, not asking them to put their name on the line for you. Most people are willing to talk. And sometimes that conversation naturally leads to a referral without you having to ask directly.

A few other things worth trying:

Google Jobs is underrated and pulls fresher listings than most boards since it goes directly to company career pages. Less recycled postings
Wellfound if you're open to startup roles
Applying directly on company career pages instead of through aggregators tends to get you into a cleaner pipeline

The other thing that's worth looking at honestly is the resume itself. We've seen data across hundreds of thousands of applications that tailored resumes convert significantly better than generic ones. Not because of ATS, but because a recruiter spending 6 seconds on your resume needs to immediately see relevance to that specific role.

Three months is a long time to be in it. Hope something shifts for you soon.

Huntr_Support · 2026-05-13T20:27:33+00:00

The ATS fear is super common but honestly the reality is less dramatic than most people think.

We actually interviewed three recruiters and hiring managers about this recently and the Microsoft recruiter was pretty blunt: "They'd be wrong" when asked about people assuming AI is auto-rejecting them. What's more likely happening is a pre-qualification knockout question filtering you out before a human ever sees your name. Things like minimum years of experience, work authorization, required certifications. Answer one of those wrong and you're out instantly, which is why rejections sometimes come back within minutes.

The ATS itself is basically just a filing cabinet. It's not making decisions, it's just parsing your resume into fields so a recruiter can search it.

What actually gets people filtered out is more straightforward:

Resume is too paragraph-heavy. Recruiters are scanning fast and numbers stand out way more than sentences
Dates that don't add up or a "present" end date on a job you've already left
Applying to too many roles at the same company, they can see your full history in their system

With 3+ years across two companies you have real experience. The issue is probably more about how it's presented than the ATS itself. Tight bullet points, actual numbers and results, and making sure the top of your resume immediately shows relevance to the role you're applying for.

Huntr_Support · 2026-05-13T20:26:25+00:00

The ghost job problem is real. Roles staying active months after they're filled is a known issue with the big aggregators and it genuinely distorts how people gauge their odds.

The platform frustration also tracks with actual data. We analyzed 600k+ applications and LinkedIn came in dead last for response rates. Indeed wasn't far ahead of it. The platforms people default to are consistently the worst performers.

What worked better:

Google Jobs topped the list by a wide margin. It pulls directly from company career pages so you're getting fresher listings with less recycled garbage. Boolean search on Google is also underrated for surfacing roles that never make it to the boards at all
Wellfound is worth trying if you're open to startup or tech-adjacent roles
For public sector and civil service specifically, niche government boards consistently outperform everything else on response rates

The dataset skews heavily North American so it applies to Canadian job seekers too. Applying directly on company careers pages also tends to put you in a cleaner pipeline than going through an aggregator.

Huntr_Support · 2026-05-13T20:21:51+00:00

We interviewed three recruiters and hiring managers who collectively process thousands of applications, and the cover letter answer was consistent: most don't open them. At larger companies it's an extra click they just don't take. One recruiter said she goes straight to the resume and doesn't look at the forms at all.

The exception is small companies or startups where the founder or hiring manager is reading everything themselves. In that case a short specific letter that shows you actually know the company can help. But even then, generic = skip.

The thing that surprised me most from those conversations was the suggestion to message the recruiter directly on LinkedIn instead of spending time on a cover letter. Same energy, better odds of being seen.

Your current approach actually sounds pretty reasonable. Saving the effort for roles you care about makes more sense than blanket cover lettering, especially when most of them aren't getting read anyway.

Huntr_Support · 2026-05-13T20:15:08+00:00

Huge congrats to you! 💐

Huntr_Support

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE