Dear Cindy – Are My Dates Misleading?

I just graduated from college and I'm looking for work in health administration. The problem is that I don't have much work experience, and most of my old jobs were summer or short-term work. After reading my résumé, a friend suggested changing dates like "June-August 2003" to "2003" to make it look like I worked for the whole year instead of three months. Is this acceptable résumé padding or is it bordering on lying?

Sincerely,

R

My first comment is that if it makes you feel uncomfortable, don't do it. My second comment is that anything done "to make it look like" something is by definition a lie. My third comment is to think what an interviewer will think, and how embarrassed you will be, when the interviewer starts discussing your résumé with you, and you have to come clean that it wasn't even close to one year, just a few months. And finally, consider how, if you have used this technique several times in your résumé, each explanation will make you look increasingly bad to the interviewer and less likely to get the job.

Rather than trying to disguise your work record to try to land jobs too senior for your level of training and/or experience, apply for positions more suited to you, and build up some real experience.

Good luck!