To thine own resume be true...

Should you lie on your resume? Should you lie in an interview? Should you embellish your experience?

While the answer is obviously no, the concern I have is for the hundreds of coworkers & friends that I know are selling themselves short.

Obviously, no honest person ever wants credit for someone else's success. But, if you're a naturally humble person, you're probably undervaluing the role you played in that person's success.

Anyone who is part of a team, department, business unit, organization can never be independently successful. Success is a team effort - and everyone deserves the credit.

When I think of my own successful projects - I was trained by my seniors, enabled by my leadership, supported by my direct reports, and strengthened by my peers. And I know I played a similar role for others.

You shouldn't lie on your resume. But you absolutely should recognize your contributions towards success. Showcase it on resume, highlight it in an interview, share it on LinkedIn.

And you might say: "But wait... yes, I helped, but I didn't do it all. I didn't have the experience to make those decisions. I can't make it look like it was all me."

  1. No one will think it was all you.
  2. You shouldn't pretend it was "all you."
  3. The experience you lacked is the experience you've now gained.
  4. The person in charge of decisions learned the same way as you. 

It's as much your success as it was anyone else's on the team.

The value of that experience is part of what makes it valuable. Celebrate it.

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