I really desperately need a job right now and I'm not even getting interviews at fast food places.

It's really starting to look like I'm going to have to just lie my way into having a better resume. I have no moral problem with this, but I'm worried I'll be asked to verify things. I did some volunteer work for a library when I was in high school one summer. This was like five years ago. Would I have any problem if I extended that couple months out to a couple years?

Mostly I'm worried they'll call the library themselves to verify. It seems unlikely to me that they would still have a record of this, but I'm not sure.

  • Albanian_Lil_Pump [he/him]
    ·
    1 year ago

    If you have friends, list their contact as a reference and say they were your former supervisor at some volunteering organization. Let your friend know ahead of time and see if they’re willing to play along.

    Closed businesses are also a good idea. I would recommend google some local news stories about restaurants or shops or some warehouse going bankrupt a few years ago. Maybe something from 2020. Like “[your city/neighborhood]” AND “local shop” OR “local store” OR “local restaurant” AND “permanently closed” AND “pandemic”

    Example: https://www.theadvocate.com/acadiana/news/business/lafayette-businesses-that-permanently-closed-during-coronavirus-pandemic-what-we-know/article_d35f42ca-a10a-11ea-a486-8701f2c37c2e.html

    https://247wallst.com/special-report/2020/05/06/35-popular-restaurants-that-wont-reopen-after-the-pandemic/

    • cosecantphi [he/him]
      ·
      1 year ago

      Thanks a lot for the help. I took your advice and found a good one to say I worked for. A restaurant that closed down due to covid, and it's located near the university I did a couple semesters at before I dropped out.

      Their website no longer exists, the phone number listed on the Yelp page is disconnected, and I couldn't find anything about it on LinkedIn. Now I'm just trying to figure out what job title to give myself.

      • citrussy_capybara [ze/hir]
        ·
        1 year ago

        Shift Supervisor could work, if you’d like to combine some managerial experience with filling in on the floor. Depends on what position you’re applying for. Host, bartender, assistant manager, regional manager. Whatever fits better in the application but maybe just pick one so if you give out a number your friend knows what to say.

      • Mardoniush [she/her]
        ·
        1 year ago

        Here's a neat trick, get a friend/partner, school them on what to say, and say they're the reference in question. Make sure they know a call might be coming just in case.