White Lies on CV/Linkedin

h.bolla

I was setting up an account on the old linkedin and doing up a CV and something struck me.

There are a few gaps in my employment so I white lied and said I was doing contract work and I was just thinking what if Revenue or the Social Welfare see that?

Can that be used against me? Saying I was claiming and working at the same time or working and not paying tax?

I dont think any company these days would pay maybe 400 or 500 in cash to a contractor so I could just show them some bank statements and it would prove nothing came in. Then again, Im sure theres ways around that too I could have it lodged in some offshore account or something.

Should I just re-edit and leave the employment gaps in it?


BTW: By white lie I dont mean fabricating a career out of thin air. Just odd jobs I was doing anyway for parents/siblings like knocking down a shed etc I wrote it to sound a bit more like I was doing it for strangers and getting paid.

tenifan

I wouldn't bother. Revenue have bigger fish to fry.

If for some reason someone decided to report you to the social welfare office using your linkedin page as evidence, they're not going to investigate because you don't have an active claim and they really can't prove anything anyway.

Even if they pushed it, you'd be well within you rights to tell them where to get off.

BTW, if you have been doing odd jobs for family, etc, it would technically count as not being available for work on that day, therefore you wouldn't be entitled to welfare for that day. So not a good excuse to use to defend yourself.

But, as I say, nothing to worry about.

ongarboy

I wouldn't be concerned about Revenue or SW scrutinising you unless significant and/or regular lodgements were being made into your bank account. But I would be careful to have your CV/Linkedin story straight for interviews where recruiters may ask you to detail and clarify those periods you say you were doing ad hoc contracting.

Also, some larger multinational companies (particularly financial companies) hire background checking companies to scrutinise candidates history and will go through every period with a fine tooth comb. I was surprised at all the invasive checks my current employer did on my background (they not only contacted all my former employers which would be expected but they even contacted a friend (character reference) to endorse how I spent a recent gap year prior to working again, they also required scanned copies of payslips from my most recent past employer to confirm I worked there - thankfully I hadn't dumped them).