How Recruiters Spot Fake or Inflated Resumes

Fake does not always mean fraudulent employment. Often it means unverifiable — bullets so vague or polished that the recruiter cannot picture your actual Tuesday at work.

The phone-screen filter

Every bullet is a question waiting to happen. If they cannot form a question, they assume there is nothing to ask. Vague wins nothing.

Title and scope mismatch

Senior titles with junior bullet depth, or individual contributor verbs on team outcomes without clarifying your slice — both trigger skepticism.

Keyword walls

Skills sections that do not appear in experience bullets look copied from job descriptions, not lived experience.

AI makes inflation easier

Models happily upgrade led to spearheaded and team to cross-functional stakeholders. Recruiters compare bullet strength to company brand and tenure length.

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