--- title: How IT Managers Find Talent and Avoid Resume Liars description: When it comes to applying for jobs, many people are guilty of embellishing their resumes, but a new survey shows that information technology job seekers are especially likely to fluff up their skills. IT hiring managers reported catching more instances of lying than the national average (63 percent versus 58 percent) in a study from CareerBuilder and Harris Poll. canonical_url: https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/how-it-managers-find-talent-and-avoid-resume-liars/ locale: en last_updated: 2026-10-27 --- [Acronis Blog](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/) # How IT Managers Find Talent and Avoid Resume Liars When it comes to applying for jobs, many people are guilty of embellishing their resumes, but a new survey shows that information technology job seekers are especially likely to fluff up their skills. IT hiring managers reported catching more instances of lying than the national average (63 percent versus 58 percent) in a study from CareerBuilder and Harris Poll. [Learn More](https://www.acronis.com/en/products/cyber-protect/) [![Image 2: Acronis Editorial Team](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/d85707ae91461544212d39836dc32b42.png)](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/authors/acronis/ "Acronis Editorial Team") [Acronis Editorial Team](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/authors/acronis/) 2 min read Last updated 26 January 2015 When it comes to applying for jobs, many people are guilty of embellishing their resumes, but a new survey shows that information technology job seekers are especially likely to fluff up their skills. IT hiring managers reported catching more instances of lying than the national average (63 percent versus 58 percent) in a study from CareerBuilder and Harris Poll. Hiring ideal IT candidates is no easy task. In addition to the technical chops required to keep systems up, running and safe, IT candidates need customer service capabilities to interact with the employees who use their systems. There’s more to IT service and infrastructure than hitting the “install” button in the app store and rebooting an employee’s hard drive. So how do IT hiring managers evaluate candidates? The industry is always changing — and so are the credentials, says Nellis Freeman, West Coast regional information technology manager for McDermott Will & Emery, a Chicago-based international law firm. For instance, many companies have recently centralized their IT functions, because those teams can diagnose and address problems remotely. “A lot of times the responsibilities that they might have had five or six years ago have now been moved elsewhere,” Freeman says, adding that he looks for applicants who are flexible. “Part of the challenge is trying to keep their skill set relevant to the changing landscape on the technology side.” Resume lying might not be intentional on the applicant’s part, Freeman says. “I think it’s more of what they have been exposed to at that particular time." He compares the situation to a non-technical person adding Microsoft Office to her resume. Sure, she’s a pro in Word, but maybe she’s just scratched the surface in Excel. Regardless, she’s probably going to add the full Office suite, not only Word, to her application. Compare that scenario to IT, where systems are much more complicated and have different versions. For Freeman, it’s easy to spot a half-truth on a resume. “If someone tells me that they have been involved in a migration from Windows XP to Windows 7, I’m going to ask questions to dig a little bit deeper into what their knowledge and skill set might be,” Freeman says. It’s quickly apparent when candidates aren’t qualified. Telling little white lies is a terrible way for job seekers to start a relationship in any industry. “If you want to enhance your resume, it’s better to focus on playing up tangible examples from your actual experience,” Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder, said in a press release. “Your resume doesn’t necessarily have to be the perfect fit for an organization, but it needs to be relevant and accurate.” _Image via Can Stock_ [Cybersecurity](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/tags/cybersecurity/) [Cyber protection](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/tags/cyber-protection/) ## Written by ![Image 3: Acronis Editorial Team](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/d85707ae91461544212d39836dc32b42.png) Acronis Editorial Team Acronis is a global cyber protection company that provides natively integrated cybersecurity, data protection, and endpoint management for managed service providers (MSPs), small and medium businesses (SMBs), and enterprise IT departments. [Previous post](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/what-look-next-week-vmworld/) [What to Look For Next Week at VMworld](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/what-look-next-week-vmworld/) [Next post](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/does-entire-internet-need-backup/) [Does the Entire Internet Need a Backup?](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/does-entire-internet-need-backup/) About Acronis Acronis is a leader in AI-native cyber protection, unifying data protection, cybersecurity, IT operations and hybrid infrastructure to deliver business continuity, security and compliance with less cost and complexity. More than 21,000 service providers trust Acronis to protect over 750,000 businesses in 150 countries. Acronis is headquartered in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. [Add as a preferred source on Google](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=acronis.com) ## Related stories Want to learn more? Read the latest stories featuring this solution on our blog. [Acronis Blog](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/) ![Image 4: stc Bahrain and Acronis partner to bring advanced endpoint security to businesses in Bahrain](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/blog-card/9600f3eea83b8f4e168ea6c1409c8c26.png) [stc Bahrain and Acronis partner to bring advanced endpoint security to businesses in Bahrain](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/stc-bahrain-and-acronis-partner-to-bring-endpoint-security-to-businesses/) We are proud to announce a strategic partnership with stc Bahrain, expanding access to advanced cybersecurity services for businesses across Bahrain. **October 26, 2026**3 min read ![Image 5: Introducing New Acronis CEO: Prakash Panjwani](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/blog-card/30cb571f6f1aaa131733e5727a4a250c.png) [Introducing New Acronis CEO: Prakash Panjwani](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/introducing-new-acronis-ceo-prakash-panjwani/) We are pleased to announce the appointment of our new Chief Executive Officer, Prakash Panjwani. A veteran cybersecurity CEO, Panjwani previously served as CEO of WatchGuard Technologies and SafeNet. **October 15, 2026**2 min read ![Image 6: Acronis expands MDR toward broader workspace protection](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/blog-card/18e90e89f5ec4ef0901f19008d4ccbf2.png) [Acronis expands MDR toward broader workspace protection](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/acronis-expands-mdr-toward-broader-workspace-protection/) Acronis is expanding the MDR service with capabilities that make this expertise easier to deliver and help partners address more risks. The developments build on a broader commitment to managed security: helping service providers protect the connected workspace while giving customers access to the expertise needed to investigate threats, respond effectively and maintain business continuity. **October 13, 2026**6 min read