Job candidate gets caught in a lie during phone interview after creating fake resume: 'I [hung] up on my interviewer and blocked her'

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Mar 31, 2025 8:00 AM EDT

Exaggerating on your resume almost always backfires. Sure, you might be having trouble in your job search. You might even be trying to switch careers. Perhaps you spent hours on end rage-applying to jobs on LinkedIn, only to hear absolutely nothing in return.

Still, there are far better solutions and experiments worth trying in your search than embellishing your resume or, in this case, fully fabricating work experience that didn't actually exist. This job candidate learned that lesson the hard way. After receiving a callback interview for a career in which they had next to no experience, they were caught in a lie over a phone interview only a minute after the call began. Keep scrolling below to see how the candidate went from thinking they were a mastermind to thinking they were the most foolish person on the planet!

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  • 01
    Resume "I didn't even make it a minute in and she caught me in a lie." on 2006 design Competition 2005
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • Now, this candidate made a number of mistakes during their job search, the most egregious of which was creating a complete fabricated resume. Once they received a callback interview from a job they had just applied for, they delayed the call so they could scramble and gather information to seem at least ever so slightly experienced. 

    By the time the interview was finally conducted, all that last-minute research proved to be unhelpful. Just one minute into the call, the interviewer asked the author how many units they managed, and the candidate immediately embarrassed themselves with their response. It got so rough that they just hung up the phone and blocked the recruiter. Live and learn, folks!

  • 02
    I've been out of a job for a while, and I've never been a liar but I got so fed up that I've followed the advice of others that lying on your resume will help more than telling the truth. As someone who works in the food industry, I created a whole fake resume of someone who has experience in being a leasing consultant.
    via CoffeeandOreos
  • 03
    My fake resume was viewed and I actually got a call back. When she called, I said I was busy and could I call back in an hour. In reality, I was so unprepared, I spent that hour using ChatGPT and researched everything about being a leasing consultant, I actually wrote three pages of information within that hour. I finally called her back, and the first question she asked me was "how many units did you manage?"
    via CoffeeandOreos
  • 04
    and say "20" what Why did I apartment complex has 20 units??? She questioned me and said "20?!??!?!!" I was so embarrassed, I hanged up in the middle of the phone interview. I didn't even make it a minute in and she caught me in a lie. I ended up blocking her
    via CoffeeandOreos
  • 05
    TL;DR created a fake resume and I was so unprepared I hanged up on my interviewer and blocked her.
    via CoffeeandOreos
  • 06
    Cheezburger Image 10487470592
    via Magnet.me

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 07
    biggrigg667 13 hr. ago You went like one to ten steps too far, lie about little _______ and jobs you could probably pull the skills out of your
    via CoffeeandOreos
  • 08
    SagedOne 3 hr. ago For real, when people say lie they mean minor tweaks like dates employed and covering gaps. Not creating a whole identity.
    via CoffeeandOreos
  • 09
    OP should've took it a step further and said he was VP Director of Sales managing 20 regions.
    via CoffeeandOreos
  • 10
    Sigmund Freud 30 min. ago OP should've just said she was president of the United States and the former CEO of Microsoft.
    via CoffeeandOreos
  • 11
    NorthernDragon5 · 12 hr. ago You're lucky you got caught here because you absolutely would've been fired within a week anyway Imao
    via CoffeeandOreos
  • 12
    Soomroz 13 hr. ago . Saying I can do a surgery on a patient while I am actually a tow truck driver is a whole next level.
    via CoffeeandOreos
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    yungsailboat 12 hr. ago i would've just doubled down honestly. there's gotta be some apartment complexes out there with only 20 units lol
    via CoffeeandOreos
  • 14
    Aggressive-House-871⚫ 11 hr. ago That's what I was thinking -- "Yeah it was a rural area and this was effectively a retirement center. It was really laid back... but yep, 20 units."
    via CoffeeandOreos
  • 15
    CoffeeandOreos OP. 11 hr. ago She asked me if it was a garden complex or something? I didn't even. know what the that was which is when I said and hung up Imao
    via CoffeeandOreos
  • 16
    changerofbits 11 hr. ago This is the funniest I've read all week. Chin up, hope you find some work.
    via CoffeeandOreos
  • 17
    truckthunderwood - 11 hr. ago . Just so you know for next time, you're supposed to lie to make your previous jobs sound better than they were. You can do this in two ways: embellish the title and responsibilities so that pizza delivery driver becomes "Nutritional Logistic Agent" or
    via CoffeeandOreos
  • 18
    add in responsibilities that can't be verified. If the pizza place closed three years ago they're not going be able to confirm whether you really assisted with closing duties. Don't lie about anything specific or anything that falls apart under any scrutiny. (Like saying you know Excel if you don't or like saying you know anything at all about property management)
    via CoffeeandOreos
  • 19
    AccomplishedChoice 91 11 hr. ago if it makes you feel any better i live in an apartment with 22 units lol but if it makes you feel any better i did the same land my first serving job. i to had been a host for 6 months so i knew a bit but towards the end of my interview
    via CoffeeandOreos
  • 20
    manager asked "whats your upsell like?" which i completely blanked and thought i was caught. luckily it was actually a really stupid question for her to ask and I got the job and worked there for 5 years lol
    via CoffeeandOreos
  • 21
    1 Swaqqmasta 12 hr. ago Man you really didn't understand anything you read, huh?
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  • 22
    CoffeeandOreos OP 12 hr. ago I legit jotted everything down from knowing software like Yardi, and Microsoft, questions and answers for a leasing consultant interview but she me up with that one question.
    via CoffeeandOreos
  • 23
    Software - Microsoft office •Documentation: create & manage lease agreements, Data Analysis using Excel for tracking Incame, expenses, & budgeting. Presentations: Presentations for property listing Organization using OneNote to keep organized notes: Vardi Breeze & Yardi Voyager T * lease managment * crilive applications *Tenant Portals financials marketing Soutions
    via CoffeeandOreos

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