Don’t pull a “Rudy” – keep your information and resume real!

I really enjoy the movie “Rudy”, a story of a scappy, young kid who would do anything to play for the fabled Notre Dame football team. Based on the true story of Daniel Ruettiger, its inspiring message, of stopping at nothing to realize your dream, is a great motivator for me. It speaks volumes of how hard work and dedication can help you go far!

“Rudy” Ruettiger did work hard and earned a walk-on role at Notre Dame. He achieved his dream. However, fast forward a few decades and things have gotten difficult for Rudy.

The Wall Street Journal reported today (12/17/11) that Ruettiger, who sold a sports drink called (what else?) “Rudy” was charged in a pump-and-dump stock scheme that generated more than $11million in allegedly illicit profits for the company “Rudy Nutrition.”

Part of the article states that “a letter to potential investors falsely claimed that in ‘a major southwest test, Rudy outsold Gatorade 2 to 1.’” A representative from the Securities and Exchange Commission called the above statement “tall tales” that ultimately caused the company stock from trading 720 shares a day to more than 3 million shares! In the end, Rudy and investors have to pay a large sum of money to settle the SEC charges.

Okay, here’s the tie-in to your job search. I can’t stress enough that you should never embellish your resume, be it volunteer work, work history, statistics, accomplishments or other key information. It will only come back to haunt you, if the human resources department or headhunter takes a deep dive into your information.

You should be proud of your work history and, if there are gaps, due to layoffs and/or firings, you should be ready to explain them. In the meantime, if you are looking at long gaps, it is time to volunteer in your community. Church, school, government office, non-profit, as the economy starts to warm up, companies will need helpers.

So, don’t pull a “Rudy” – don’t embellish on your accomplishments. It can end up costing you in the end!

Now, let’s go out there and do something good together!