According to a survey of 2,000 UK office workers from independent tech etailer Ebuyer, previous work experience was the most common lie among those polled, with nearly half (47%) of those who did fib embellishing their list of old employers. Previous education or qualifications took second place (41%), followed by personal interests (20%).

Some of the stranger porkies people admitted to including on their CVs were:

• ‘Pretending to be a fan of opera and golf, both of which I knew nothing about’
• ‘It says subjects studied for my A Levels – not if I passed them or not, so not really a lie, more... spin’
• ‘I didn’t mention I was sacked’ 
• ‘Said I like horse riding as I knew the owner liked it a lot... in reality, I hate horses’
• ‘I said I could speak Ukrainian but I actually can’t speak a word of it’
• ‘I haven't lied really, I have just slightly elaborated the truth about my internet skills’
• ‘I had mentioned that I love cooking – but I actually don’t know to cook’
• ‘Applying for a job that requires a positive attitude’
• ‘I mentioned in an interview I was a member of the Masons, knowing full well that the interviewer was also a member’
• ‘An imaginary job I had at Asda. I felt like I needed some padding on my CV from my time at uni’
• ‘I doubled the amount of A-Levels I actually completed!’

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