Members of Gen Z, born between 1997 and 2012, currently make up about 15% of the workforce. According to several recent studies, almost half them are also making up qualifications on their job applications and resumes.
Some of the people surveyed admitted to telling big lies — listing fake jobs at fake companies — while others confessed to exaggerating details like the length of time employed or special skills they possess, such as technology and language.
It would be sanctimonious to accuse Gen Z of doing something that every other generation has also done, but they happen to be doing it more than everyone else.
One survey from career.io found that 47% of Gen Z, 39% of millennials, 20% of Gen X and 9% of baby boomers said they have lied on their resumes to get a job. The survey also reported that men tend to embellish their skills and qualifications more than women.
It makes sense that the less experience you have, the more you feel the need to inflate your role to get a job you know you can do. Rather than chalking it up to a generational shortcoming, we should take a deeper look at the reasons our job market seems to encourage lying.