Should you lie on your resume?  That was also a question I asked the men that taught me the game.  Here are some of their answers:

How bad do you want the job?

If you lie, make sure someone will swear to it.

You don’t have to lie, just use the Assumption Clause.

I couldn’t justify putting things on my resume that weren’t true. However, I wanted to know more about that Assumption Clause. It’s a great little tactic that men use in everyday situations, and they’ve perfected it in business. Women have been subjects of this maneuver many times. The conversation below shows how this strategy works.

Jill: "I went to college, but I only went for 2 years."

John: "Oh, I went to college also, and I majored in economics. I landed my first job right out of college."

You see, Jill assumes because of John’s statements that he graduated from college with a major in economics. This assumption is confirmed when he stated, "I landed my first job right out of college." Now look at Jill’s statement. She said she went to college and is quick to add, "But I only went for 2 years." That's how women think! We automatically give all the information.

Guess what, John only attended college for 1 year. But did Jill ask him how many years he attended? No, and did he volunteer that information? Of course not, he knows how the Assumption Clause works. Later, she finds out the truth from a mutual friend. When she confronts John, he innocently replies, "Gee, Jill, you never asked me. It wasn’t like I lied about it." I know you’ve heard that many times. My mother’s response to my father was always, "You didn’t lie, but you never told me the WHOLE TRUTH."

That whole truth can kill you in business. Why did Jill have to add the last part about attending for only 2 years? She didn’t want John to think she was putting herself above him. Remember little girls play games of cooperation. Why did John not add his college time? Because little boys play games of competition and no matter what Jill said, he would have to be better. After all, he actually did not lie to her.

Your resume can be like John’s conversation. Don’t tell all and tailor it to the position. I once put on a resume I worked for an Insurance company (my boyfriend’s of course) as a programmer and consultant. I listed duties, projects completed and people I trained. The fact that my boyfriend owned it and I worked for free, never came up into the conversation. Did I get the contract? Yes, but feeling a bit uncomfortable about not telling the WHOLE TRUTH, I questioned by male mentors about the situation. They said in unison, "Let them believe what they want to believe." That’s exactly how the Assumption Clause works!