Is It Okay to Fudge Dates on a Resume?

Fudging is lying so this is NOT okay.  

Even if you’re working with a resume writer, it’s YOUR resume and YOUR responsibility to ensure all information is accurate.

If a resume writer recommends leaving off a particular employment because it will “look better”, then you should ditch that writer immediately because if (when) the error is brought to light during an interview, it won’t be the resume writer who looks bad…it’ll be you.

CASE IN POINT: One job seeker left off an 11-month consulting stint and changed the end date of the earlier role to make it all blend. He said he’d done it because he didn’t want to look like a job-hopper. So instead of looking like a job-hopper, he became a fraud. Not a good trade-off.


Just be truthful. It's far easier to explain a gap or a short stint than it is to try and justify dishonesty.