When it comes to resumes, and indeed the numerous places online that we strive to promote ourselves, whether it’s LinkedIn or UpWork, the temptation is to massage our achievements.
Recent work from the University of Michigan highlights how widespread this is. They analyzed a number of real-life resumes submitted to the university for various vacancies. The analysis revealed two main forms of ‘impression management’:
- Self-promotion – this is fairly self-explanatory and invovles the candidate generally talking themselves up.
- Ingratiation – this is much more personality focused, with attempts made to highlight the likeability of the candidate or match with the personality of the recruiting organization.
Each of these then had specific behaviors people would adopt for self-promotion, whether it’s opinion conformity (ingratiation) or inflating responsibility for past achievements (self-promotion).
The research found that impression management in this way was remarkably common, perhaps unsurprisingly as it seems to work. In a previous study by the same team, they found that resumes and cover letters that were rated as self-promotional were ranked higher by recruiters for job fit, organizational fit and even interpersonal attitudes. A slight note of caution however, as there was a limit, beyond which such strategies were described as manipulative.
As a result, the authors urge recruiters to be vigilant to ensure they get an accurate understanding of what a candidate has and has not achieved. They also advocate for recruitment agencies and similar organizations to provide training to candidates on how they can play up their strengths without stretching the truth.
With the requirement for image management branching out from the resume to platforms such as LinkedIn, AirBnB and UpWork, it would be interesting to understand whether similar tactics are employed online as well.
