Asklemmy

It's all relative, depending on the place your applying at, the lie in the resume, the hiring manager...

But the biggest reason is because the resume is usually used as a filter to filter out people who definitely won't be hired. And in job postings companies usually ask for more than what they need.

Once you have the first real interview (i.e. not the phone screen) they'll be able to tell if you don't have enough knowledge for the position. And then you're no worse off than prior to the interview.

But if they think you do have enough knowledge than who cares about the lie...

No if you deliver on your lie, or are good enough in creating an appearance of delivering on your lie.

Speaking strictly of software industry

There are two kinds of lying.

• Lie about language/framework you don't know
• Lying about qualification, company you worked with, title held, etc.

The first kind of lying is fine as long as you're confident you can crack the interview. Your knowledge is needed and these days, since companies anyway want everything, lying about some language may get you an interview call.

Do not evet lie about second type. Most companies conduct a background check on you to verify about your details. They even sometimes connect with your previous employer to verify the details.

If you're lying here you can land in a big trouble

Only if it’s gonna cost them money.

Employers love it because it gives them plausible legal cover for two essential freedoms:

If they like you anyway, they can hire you and defend any discrimination claims with the fact that you had the strongest resume.

Whenever they stop liking you, they can expose the lie and fire you on the spot for good cause.

So really, it's a win-win situation for both you and your prospective employer.