‘I thought my career was over’: Plucky new hire gets caught bluffing on his resume, ends up impressing his hiring manager by learning everything about their software in two weeks

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Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Apr 5, 2025 1:00 PM EDT

Fake it til you make it—That's the kind of job-recruitment story your grandpa used to tell…

Frankly, I didn't think much of the hiring world until I tried to enter it. Under the impression that I could walk into any establishment and with enough confidence and a firm handshake, I could land any job, I figured it would be a cinch to get hired—boy, was I wrong!

As many of us have realized in our adulthood, getting a job is insanely competitive. Some employers require half a decade of experience for entry-level positions and on top of that, you need 3 letters of recommendation, a master's degree, and a man on the inside. It's a cruel world out there for folks looking for a job. So when the guy in this next tale found the perfect new position, he found himself in a pickle: Tell the truth about your limited software experience, or bluff your way into expertise. 

Luckily for him, he had an understanding hiring manager who was willing to give him a chance. 

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

  • "I lied on my resume and got by the employers and …"

    Okay, so I completely botched it, but it all ended up working out in the most bizarre way. I applied for a job that I wasn't even fully qualified for-like, I had most of the qualifications, but they
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  • required five years of experience on a specific piece of software that I'd only dabbled with. So I did what I thought everyone did: I lied. I put down five years,
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  • figuring I'd learn fast enough to bluff it until I could actually do it. Cut ahead to the interview. I was going great--until the interviewer tore into me with, "Oh, it says here that you have five years'
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  • experience with [software]. Well, we called up one of the places you've worked and requested to discuss the way you used to work with it, and he told us you didn't even touch the thing."
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  • My gut fell. I was caught. I thought about doubling down on the lie, but I knew I was too far gone. So I just owned it. I told him I lied about lying, told him that I did have some experience and I
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  • was a fast learner, but yeah... I got in over my head. The interviewer just nodded and said, "Thank you for your honesty. Let me ask you this- how quickly do you think you can learn it?"
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  • I panicked and said, "Give me two weeks, and I'll be ready." They actually laughed and said, "Alright. You've got two weeks."
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  • Cheezburger Image 10489288704
    via Norton RSX

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

  • They still offered me the job-on condition that I cleared a skills test after my first two weeks. I gave every waking moment to studying that software,
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  • listening to tutorials, practicing relentlessly. When test day came around, I aced the test. So yeah. I lied, got caught, thought my career was over, and
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  • somehow still landed the job. Lesson learned, though: just be honest about what you can do- because some companies might be willing to take a chance on you anyway.
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  • Darkdaphne Wow, that's a wild ride! Honestly, I'm kinda impressed u owned up to it. That takes guts.
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  • Syanara73 Always lie as much as you can on resumes and job applications. The company, HR, interviewer are all lying to you anyway. It's all a big game and they are playing to win.
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  • riotincandyland My sister in law lied about having a high school diploma. Her aunt even made a fake one. My SIL has been at her job for over 10 years now. B makes a week what i make in 2 and i have a college degree.
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  • Vega... In the mid-1960's, my FIL did that while at basic training after he overheard a general shouting about the staff's inability to get a new expensive computer operational. He stepped forth and said that he knew the
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  • machine, and he volunteered to fixed the problem. In reality, he knew nothing but studied the manuals completely and fixed-it in a week. The staff was impressed enough to
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  • transfer him to a desk job stateside instead of combat battalion in Vietnam. So he spent his 3 years processing the paperwork for those homeward bound KIA vs. being one of those KIA.
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  • RoughEscape9263 They were extremely short staffed and the need to fill the position out weighed waiting for an entirely qualified candidate
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  • Igneduct1 At my current job, I got it from a temp agency. They told me the hiring requirements, and I told them honestly I didn't meet them, but I was still interested. They
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  • made a call and recommended me because of good prior performance. I was very upfront about having zero experience with exactly what they do and not meeting the hiring requirements, but being a quick learner and a hard worker. I've been there 3 years now.
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  • rocket808 This sounds like one of those things that didn't happen, but even if it did "be honest" isn't the lesson here. It's lie but then be honest when you get caught.
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