A new survey by recruitment firm Robert Half of 774 professionals in Brazil identified the five most common distortions in resumes and the reasons hiring teams tend to detect them quickly, Brazilian news site Globo reported this week.
The survey found that the most common misrepresentations were exaggerated technical skills, inflated job titles, projects and responsibilities, overstating language proficiency beyond what can be demonstrated in conversation, polished explanations for leaving previous jobs and achievements described as more impressive than they were in reality.
The study said 58% of recruiters had rejected candidates at an early stage because of inconsistencies in their resumes. In screening processes at large companies, candidates found to have falsified seniority, degrees or management roles are immediately disqualified, barred from future applications and, in some cases, reported to recruitment agencies.
Even so, most professionals said they act transparently. According to the survey, 74% said they had never omitted or distorted information, 15% acknowledged having made such adjustments in the past and 10% said they had considered doing so.
Respondents cited a range of motivations, including competitive pressure in the job market, the urge to match employers’ preferred profiles, concern about employment gaps, financial pressure, urgency to return to work and insecurity about their own professional record.
The study also examined the sharp rise in the use of artificial intelligence to prepare resumes and interview responses, and listed the warning signs recruiters say they watch for. Those included overly mechanical answers, cited by 69% of recruiters; contradictions between what is written and what is said, 65%; difficulty answering spontaneous questions, 51%; lack of depth in describing experience, 51%; inability to explain technical decisions, 39%; overly formal language, 36%; results that appear “too perfect,” 33%; answers resembling AI-generated templates, 30%; a sudden drop in fluency when pressed for details, 28%; and unfamiliarity with activities listed on the resume, 26%.
Marcela Esteves, a manager at Robert Half, said the main lesson was straightforward. “There are many resources that help organize ideas and structure a resume, but none of them replaces real professional experience,” she said. “Artificial intelligence should be a partner, not a substitute. When a document strays too far from a candidate’s actual path, that usually becomes clear very quickly in interviews and can seriously damage the candidate’s reputation.”