Throughout your job search, one of the best ways to show you’re the best fit for the position is to highlight how well your technical/soft skills will positively impact the business. While these are great ways to stand out, some professionals unfortunately feel the need to fabricate certain areas of their professional history (i.e., program skills, previous responsibilities, salary, etc.) to enhance their odds of landing the role. However, while it might seem advantageous to embellish parts of your resume or salary history, job seekers should always put their best foot forward by telling the truth to any recruiting professional or hiring manager supporting their job search.

Elisa Dammacco, Managing Director of The Execu|Search Group’s Accounting/Finance division, encourages all candidates to stay honest with their recruiter. “Lying is not only an unethical method to getting a job that often works against you in the long run, but it’s also a counterproductive move when working with a recruiter since their ultimate goal is to find you the most suitable position at the best market rate,” says Elisa.

Whether you seek higher compensation, a new title, or more responsibility, here are the three areas Elisa recommends you should stray away from being dishonest about to any recruiter or hiring manager.

Salary history

The topic of compensation is one in which many job seekers find themselves embellishing their previous salary, but it’s important to know that whatever details about salary history are discussed during an interview will be fact checked before the employer can extend a formal offer. “Although it might seem like the perfect opportunity to ‘sell yourself up’ by claiming you made more money than you actually did in a previous role, you jeopardize your chances of landing a major career opportunity and can potentially ruin your reputation over a few hundred dollars,” says Elisa. The risk definitely outweighs the reward in this regard, and as a result, such a lapse in judgement will not only forfeit you the opportunity, but it may also deter other recruiters from working with you.

“Lying to your recruiter can also have a trickle-down effect across the industry—in the same way you might ‘know someone that knows someone,’ these types of connections are even more prevalent in such a highly-connected field and can have long-lasting effects on your ability to interview with certain companies,” notes Elisa. To avoid the embarrassment that comes with lying, be as honest as you can with a recruiting professional when discussions about salary arise. If you feel you deserve to make more money, be honest and ask the recruiter for feedback on what they can help you attain.

Resume details

In such a competitive job market, it can seem like a fool-proof plan to embellish certain areas of your resume in order to ensure you get your foot in the door first. While it might seem like a smart move from your perspective, it will only be seen as deceptive and untrustworthy to both the recruiter and employer when they notice discrepancies. “Try to be as forthcoming as possible about all areas of your resume because embellishing your work history may catch up to you at a later stage in the interview process,” says Elisa. Therefore, you should always speak honestly about your skills and experiences as your recruiter’s unique insight into employment and industry trends will allow them to recommend ways to improve certain areas of your resume and answer certain interview questions without lying to maximize your chances of landing a role.

Other personal activities  

Finally, while compensation and your resume are two areas where you should avoid stretching the truth, the companies you’ve interviewed with, other recruiters you may be working with, and certain personal plans (e.g., planned vacations, etc.) are just as important to be upfront about.

For example, if you accepted a new role and within the first two weeks of starting take a vacation you’ve had planned for the past three months, the lack of notice might potentially damage a good working relationship between you and the employer. You should be as honest as you can be about information that could impact your schedule or ability to work, so your recruiter is able to be upfront with the employer about your schedule/start date, and more. Keep in mind, your recruiters are knowledgeable enough to negotiate certain aspects of the job and are often able to help you introduce certain “personal” aspects at the right time, without jeopardizing your odds of getting the position.