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Very Fake Résumé

 Very Fake Résumé
type
FeatureClass
 Very Fake Résumé
label
Very Fake Résumé
 Very Fake Résumé
page
VeryFakeResume
 Very Fake Résumé
comment
Everyone exaggerates at least a little on their resume when seeking a new job, commonly putting down experiences that can be charitably described as Metaphorically True at best. Then there are those who take it even further, putting outright Blatant Lies if they think it will get them the job. Sometimes the character will have gotten someone else to forge their resume, resulting in them being just as surprised by its contents as anyone else who reads it.
This can lead to a "Fawlty Towers" Plot after the character is thrust into a position they're totally unqualified for, and their deception can be exposed if their employer or coworkers become suspicious and begin pulling the thread on their claims.
Very rarely in fiction are such claims background checked as they would be in real life. At most, it leads to the character not getting the job or (if hired) being fired. The more extreme cases can lead to the character facing legal repercussions, such as if they practice law or medicine without the proper credentials.
Can often involve a Phony Degree. They may try to pass off A Degree in Useless or a Worthless Foreign Degree as something more valuable. Phony Veteran is a related trope for someone lying about being a veteran.
Even though Truth in Television may apply (admit it, you've padded your resume), No Real Life Examples, Please!
 Very Fake Résumé
fetched
2024-03-19T17:16:31Z
 Very Fake Résumé
parsed
2024-03-19T17:16:31Z
 Very Fake Résumé
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Very Fake Résumé / int_10b8d7fe
type
Very Fake Résumé
 Very Fake Résumé / int_10b8d7fe
comment
Mrs. Doubtfire: Daniel poses as an elderly, matronly Scottish woman with decades of experience as a housekeeper and nanny. Cooking proves to be the most difficult task and he has to resort to passing off Last Resort Takeout after an attempt to cook dinner goes terribly wrong.
 Very Fake Résumé / int_10b8d7fe
featureApplicability
1.0
 Very Fake Résumé / int_10b8d7fe
featureConfidence
1.0
 Mrs. Doubtfire
hasFeature
Very Fake Résumé / int_10b8d7fe
 Very Fake Résumé / int_18883335
type
Very Fake Résumé
 Very Fake Résumé / int_18883335
comment
Starfield: To start the Ryujin Industries questline, you need to fill out a job application at one of their kiosks which asks basic questions about level of education and relevant job experience. You can claim to have a PhD with years of experience (or the exact opposite, limited education with no experience) and still land an interview. The interviewer will call you out on your ridiculous answers, but since the previous jobholder vanished and someone needs to make a coffee run, you'll still be Hired on the Spot.
 Very Fake Résumé / int_18883335
featureApplicability
1.0
 Very Fake Résumé / int_18883335
featureConfidence
1.0
 Starfield / Videogame
hasFeature
Very Fake Résumé / int_18883335
 Very Fake Résumé / int_1b8c3429
type
Very Fake Résumé
 Very Fake Résumé / int_1b8c3429
comment
East of Eden: Cyrus Trask fought in one battle during the American Civil War and lost a leg, and was discharged shortly thereafter. He lies his way into a powerful position in the Army administration and a huge wealth by passing himself as a war hero, claiming he's had a long military career, fought in every battle of the war, and served as a personal advisor to President Lincoln.
 Very Fake Résumé / int_1b8c3429
featureApplicability
1.0
 Very Fake Résumé / int_1b8c3429
featureConfidence
1.0
 East of Eden
hasFeature
Very Fake Résumé / int_1b8c3429
 Very Fake Résumé / int_23465101
type
Very Fake Résumé
 Very Fake Résumé / int_23465101
comment
Wings: Whilst Joe and Hellen are looking for a contractor to build their new home, amongst the Terrible Interviewees Montage the last one is a guy who's barely out of his teens, yet claims to have built numerous impressive buildings, including the Kennedy Mansion and the Sistine Chapel.
 Very Fake Résumé / int_23465101
featureApplicability
1.0
 Very Fake Résumé / int_23465101
featureConfidence
1.0
 Wings
hasFeature
Very Fake Résumé / int_23465101
 Very Fake Résumé / int_241f2d00
type
Very Fake Résumé
 Very Fake Résumé / int_241f2d00
comment
Dhar Mann: In "KIDS RUIN Mom's JOB INTERVIEW, What Happens Will Shock You", Mikey's mom is gearing up for a job interview at Dr. Andrews' office. Unfortunately, that would mean a potential separation between her son and her best friend, so they decide to sabotage the interview by swapping out her official resume with their own. So when Dr. Andrews reads her "resume"...
 Very Fake Résumé / int_241f2d00
featureApplicability
1.0
 Very Fake Résumé / int_241f2d00
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1.0
 Dhar Mann (Web Video)
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Very Fake Résumé / int_241f2d00
 Very Fake Résumé / int_261c8d3f
type
Very Fake Résumé
 Very Fake Résumé / int_261c8d3f
comment
The Simpsons: In "Marge Gets a Job", Marge decides to apply for a job at the nuclear plant, but the only experience she has to list on her resume is "homemaker". Lisa helps her pad it with work experience like "chauffeur", "seamstress", "worked for the Carter administration" (she voted for him twice), and "curator of large animals" (cue a bulging, hairy Homer). References to her resume become a running gag throughout the episode, which also included claims of being fluent in Swahili, writing a Muddy Waters song, and inventing a nuclear reactor.
 Very Fake Résumé / int_261c8d3f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Very Fake Résumé / int_261c8d3f
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1.0
 The Simpsons
hasFeature
Very Fake Résumé / int_261c8d3f
 Very Fake Résumé / int_455e3038
type
Very Fake Résumé
 Very Fake Résumé / int_455e3038
comment
King of the Hill: Hank interviews several people for a position at Strickland Propane, one of them being Dale, someone he's known his entire life, and can tell his resume (written on binder paper) is this when he claims he's worked for the (nonexistent) "Gribble and Son Propane", operating out of Yuma, Arizona, since 1984.
 Very Fake Résumé / int_455e3038
featureApplicability
1.0
 Very Fake Résumé / int_455e3038
featureConfidence
1.0
 King of the Hill
hasFeature
Very Fake Résumé / int_455e3038
 Very Fake Résumé / int_4999ebde
type
Very Fake Résumé
 Very Fake Résumé / int_4999ebde
comment
Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps: In the episode "Cuggles", Louise attempts to apply for a job as a head of finances, but her resume is so blatantly false the work couch sees right through it.
 Very Fake Résumé / int_4999ebde
featureApplicability
1.0
 Very Fake Résumé / int_4999ebde
featureConfidence
1.0
 Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps
hasFeature
Very Fake Résumé / int_4999ebde
 Very Fake Résumé / int_4a80cec
type
Very Fake Résumé
 Very Fake Résumé / int_4a80cec
comment
Corky Romano: The idiotic White Sheep of a crime family infiltrates the FBI with a ludicrously inflated resume, all of which get him sent to extremely dangerous assignments because his profile indicates he's good at them, like translating between two crimelords speaking different languages via As Long as It Sounds Foreign and accidentally insulting them into attacking each other.
 Very Fake Résumé / int_4a80cec
featureApplicability
1.0
 Very Fake Résumé / int_4a80cec
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1.0
 Corky Romano
hasFeature
Very Fake Résumé / int_4a80cec
 Very Fake Résumé / int_585e3746
type
Very Fake Résumé
 Very Fake Résumé / int_585e3746
comment
In Big, protagonist Josh Baskin has been turned from a 12-year-old into an adult, and only his best friend Billy knows/believes him. Whilst trying to get a job in order to survive, Billy helps Josh fill in an application form and suggests he put down "Neighborhood Circulation Director" in the previous employment section—what this actually refers to is Josh's paper route.
 Very Fake Résumé / int_585e3746
featureApplicability
1.0
 Very Fake Résumé / int_585e3746
featureConfidence
1.0
 Big
hasFeature
Very Fake Résumé / int_585e3746
 Very Fake Résumé / int_5e9a5107
type
Very Fake Résumé
 Very Fake Résumé / int_5e9a5107
comment
Parasite: The entire Kim family does this to gain employment with the Parks. Ki-jung is the most egregious, claiming to be an American-educated art therapist and psychoanalyst.
 Very Fake Résumé / int_5e9a5107
featureApplicability
1.0
 Very Fake Résumé / int_5e9a5107
featureConfidence
1.0
 Parasite (2019)
hasFeature
Very Fake Résumé / int_5e9a5107
 Very Fake Résumé / int_5fe95ab6
type
Very Fake Résumé
 Very Fake Résumé / int_5fe95ab6
comment
In Despicable Me, Gru has to present a resume of his past jobs to prove to Miss Hattie that he’s a respectable man. Apparently, said resume says he’s a dentist, he used to be a celebrity chef, won the Medal of Honor, was knighted, and can hold his breath for 30 seconds. Even worse is that the Minions are actively altering his details to the above while Miss Hattie is reading it.
 Very Fake Résumé / int_5fe95ab6
featureApplicability
1.0
 Very Fake Résumé / int_5fe95ab6
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1.0
 DespicableMe
hasFeature
Very Fake Résumé / int_5fe95ab6
 Very Fake Résumé / int_6a82aa53
type
Very Fake Résumé
 Very Fake Résumé / int_6a82aa53
comment
Unwinder's Tall Comics: During a practice job interview, Unwinder claims to be the co-creator of FaceBook.
 Very Fake Résumé / int_6a82aa53
featureApplicability
1.0
 Very Fake Résumé / int_6a82aa53
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1.0
 Unwinder's Tall Comics (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Very Fake Résumé / int_6a82aa53
 Very Fake Résumé / int_77184a72
type
Very Fake Résumé
 Very Fake Résumé / int_77184a72
comment
Victorious: The episode "Beck Falls for Tori" has Tori getting an audition for a part in a movie. Her friends look at her resume and find it underwhelming. They suggest she pad it out with special skills, such as being trained in martial arts. While Tori doesn't get the part, she is offered a job as a stunt double, as the producers think she's more than qualified.
 Very Fake Résumé / int_77184a72
featureApplicability
1.0
 Very Fake Résumé / int_77184a72
featureConfidence
1.0
 Victorious
hasFeature
Very Fake Résumé / int_77184a72
 Very Fake Résumé / int_77bd51f3
type
Very Fake Résumé
 Very Fake Résumé / int_77bd51f3
comment
Sorry to Bother You: Cassius comes to a telemarketer interview with fake plaques and trophies allegedly from a prior job. The employer he's interviewing with catches his deception but fortunately for him, the employer has such low standards that he doesn't even care and hires Cassius anyway.
 Very Fake Résumé / int_77bd51f3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Very Fake Résumé / int_77bd51f3
featureConfidence
1.0
 Sorry to Bother You
hasFeature
Very Fake Résumé / int_77bd51f3
 Very Fake Résumé / int_82439e64
type
Very Fake Résumé
 Very Fake Résumé / int_82439e64
comment
The Office (US): In "Junior Salesman", Dwight is tasked with finding a part-time salesperson to help fill in for Jim. Naturally, he invites and interviews his bizarre group of friends and relatives, including his cousin Mose, who he lives with. Mose, a farmhand with an ambiguous social disorder, claims in his resume that he "spent 15 years as a sales rep for DOW Chemical". Dwight immediately calls him out on it, causing Mose to flee the office.
 Very Fake Résumé / int_82439e64
featureApplicability
1.0
 Very Fake Résumé / int_82439e64
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Office (US)
hasFeature
Very Fake Résumé / int_82439e64
 Very Fake Résumé / int_8b4116fc
type
Very Fake Résumé
 Very Fake Résumé / int_8b4116fc
comment
This is the premise of Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead, where Sue Ellen, who's Really 17 Years Old, applies for a job as a receptionist using a resume she copies from a guidebook, stating she's a Vassar-educated fashion designer, and is instead offered a job as an executive assistant.
 Very Fake Résumé / int_8b4116fc
featureApplicability
1.0
 Very Fake Résumé / int_8b4116fc
featureConfidence
1.0
 Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead
hasFeature
Very Fake Résumé / int_8b4116fc
 Very Fake Résumé / int_8cf9e301
type
Very Fake Résumé
 Very Fake Résumé / int_8cf9e301
comment
In The King of Queens, Arthur Spooner corners his son-in-law Doug Heffernan over the breakfast table, demanding Doug review his CV. Arthur then reads a list of escalating lies and bizarre claims, including having been a Hollywood child star. Doug replies, poker-faced, that it might look more credible if Arthur had not written it in crayon.
 Very Fake Résumé / int_8cf9e301
featureApplicability
1.0
 Very Fake Résumé / int_8cf9e301
featureConfidence
1.0
 The King of Queens
hasFeature
Very Fake Résumé / int_8cf9e301
 Very Fake Résumé / int_903b659d
type
Very Fake Résumé
 Very Fake Résumé / int_903b659d
comment
Jack of the Red Hearts: Jack managed to scam her way into getting a job in the Adams household and becoming Glory's caretaker, thanks to a resume consisting of a forged background and falsified records.
 Very Fake Résumé / int_903b659d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Very Fake Résumé / int_903b659d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Jack Of The Red Hearts
hasFeature
Very Fake Résumé / int_903b659d
 Very Fake Résumé / int_9908ca47
type
Very Fake Résumé
 Very Fake Résumé / int_9908ca47
comment
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Gilderoy Lockhart lands a position at Hogwarts as a professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts, based on his claimed extensive experience fighting against evil spirits and creatures. In reality, he was using a charm to erase the memory of others' exploits, and claiming them as his own. It's strongly implied that Dumbledore knows or at least greatly suspects Lockhart's fraudulent nature, but had to take him anyway because he couldn't find anyone else to take the job, due to the (correct) rumors about the position having been cursed by Voldemort.
 Very Fake Résumé / int_9908ca47
featureApplicability
1.0
 Very Fake Résumé / int_9908ca47
featureConfidence
1.0
 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
hasFeature
Very Fake Résumé / int_9908ca47
 Very Fake Résumé / int_a4420d22
type
Very Fake Résumé
 Very Fake Résumé / int_a4420d22
comment
The Venture Bros.: Billy Quizboy, who actually is a very talented surgeon but never got to pursue it due to an incident in his youth with the O.S.I. resulting in a memory wipe, is revealed in "The Silent Partners" to have been working in a hospital as "Dr. Phil Donahue" who got his medical degree from Johns Hopkins. When the hospital wants to promote him for his great work, they check into his background and cannot find any record of him attending Johns Hopkins. He panics, claims that "John Hopkins" was his professor at Stanford, and then runs away.
 Very Fake Résumé / int_a4420d22
featureApplicability
1.0
 Very Fake Résumé / int_a4420d22
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Venture Bros.
hasFeature
Very Fake Résumé / int_a4420d22
 Very Fake Résumé / int_aca7b22d
type
Very Fake Résumé
 Very Fake Résumé / int_aca7b22d
comment
The Amazing World of Gumball: "The Fraud" is about Gumball and Darwin discovering that Principal Brown's diploma was fake. When he eventually admits to the teachers about it, it turns out that all of them lied on their résumés so that they could get the job. For instance, Miss Simian lied about her age and Mr. Small is not even a U.S. citizen. Coach Russo then says, "And I am not a woman..." (Beat, everyone stares at her) "...who can say she's never lied on her résumé either."
 Very Fake Résumé / int_aca7b22d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Very Fake Résumé / int_aca7b22d
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Amazing World of Gumball
hasFeature
Very Fake Résumé / int_aca7b22d
 Very Fake Résumé / int_b6b24d18
type
Very Fake Résumé
 Very Fake Résumé / int_b6b24d18
comment
In the pilot of The IT Crowd, Jen blatantly lies her ass off about her credentials in order to get a job at Reynholm Industries, resulting in her being made the head of the IT department, despite not understanding anything about computers. A later episode sees her lie about being able to speak Italian so that she can get promoted, forcing Moss to develop a translation program so that she can maintain the illusion.
 Very Fake Résumé / int_b6b24d18
featureApplicability
1.0
 Very Fake Résumé / int_b6b24d18
featureConfidence
1.0
 The IT Crowd
hasFeature
Very Fake Résumé / int_b6b24d18
 Very Fake Résumé / int_b6c9037f
type
Very Fake Résumé
 Very Fake Résumé / int_b6c9037f
comment
The Magnus Archives: Martin Blackwood got his position at the titular paranormal research institute in part by claiming to have a master's degree in parapsychology. Despite this, he does well at the Institute because of his outside-the-box tactics and careful preparations, and his talent for manipulation becomes a Chekhov's Skill later.
 Very Fake Résumé / int_b6c9037f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Very Fake Résumé / int_b6c9037f
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
hasFeature
Very Fake Résumé / int_b6c9037f
 Very Fake Résumé / int_c1aca350
type
Very Fake Résumé
 Very Fake Résumé / int_c1aca350
comment
6teen: In the episode "The Five-Finger Discount," Jonesy's latest job is at an electronic store called "The Beep," and he only got it because he had put a lot of fake things on his resume. Such as:
He was Volkswagen salesman of the year
He was chairman of the "Save the Lobster" campaign
He's a skydiving champion
He speaks fluent German
He studied advanced electronics
 Very Fake Résumé / int_c1aca350
featureApplicability
1.0
 Very Fake Résumé / int_c1aca350
featureConfidence
1.0
 6teen
hasFeature
Very Fake Résumé / int_c1aca350
 Very Fake Résumé / int_cac22084
type
Very Fake Résumé
 Very Fake Résumé / int_cac22084
comment
Mom: Bonnie tells Jodi that the only reason she has her job as a building manager is because her boss thinks she was an engineer in the Royal Canadian Air Force.
 Very Fake Résumé / int_cac22084
featureApplicability
1.0
 Very Fake Résumé / int_cac22084
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1.0
 Mom
hasFeature
Very Fake Résumé / int_cac22084
 Very Fake Résumé / int_d53c519b
type
Very Fake Résumé
 Very Fake Résumé / int_d53c519b
comment
Aaron Stone: Whilst attempting to help get his brother Charlie a job at a local comic books store, Jason heavily doctors Charlie's resume to claim amongst other things he has a Harvard Law Degree. Due to circumstances, Jason is forced to impersonate Charlie for the interview, where the manager effortlessly sees through the deception, but still gives him the job.
 Very Fake Résumé / int_d53c519b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Very Fake Résumé / int_d53c519b
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1.0
 Aaron Stone
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Very Fake Résumé / int_d53c519b
 Very Fake Résumé / int_ec45f7cc
type
Very Fake Résumé
 Very Fake Résumé / int_ec45f7cc
comment
Confessions of a Shopaholic: Rebecca spices up her resume by claiming she's fluent in Finnish. Things get awkward when she gets the job and later finds herself conversing with a Finnish man.
 Very Fake Résumé / int_ec45f7cc
featureApplicability
1.0
 Very Fake Résumé / int_ec45f7cc
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1.0
 Confessions of a Shopaholic
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Very Fake Résumé / int_ec45f7cc
 Very Fake Résumé / int_edcc9cce
type
Very Fake Résumé
 Very Fake Résumé / int_edcc9cce
comment
Austin & Ally: Trish admits in one episode she constantly does this, hence why she's constantly able to get new jobs despite her lack of competence or work ethic, and gets fired every episode, to the point of once working as a lifeguard despite not knowing how to swim. She convinces Austin to do this to make his profile seem more interesting for an upcoming magazine article, claiming amongst other things he's a master of kung fu. It backfires when the impressed reporter turns up and wants to see this.
 Very Fake Résumé / int_edcc9cce
featureApplicability
1.0
 Very Fake Résumé / int_edcc9cce
featureConfidence
1.0
 Austin & Ally
hasFeature
Very Fake Résumé / int_edcc9cce
 Very Fake Résumé / int_f6c05e8e
type
Very Fake Résumé
 Very Fake Résumé / int_f6c05e8e
comment
Friends: Joey's resume is often subjected to this.
"The One With All the Jealousy": Joey lands a part in a Broadway musical after claiming on his resume he has years of experience in dance, trained with Twyla Tharp, and was one of the kids on Zoom. He actually can't dance at all. This backfires even more when the director asks Joey to lead the rest of the cast in rehearsing a dance number in his absence. It doesn't go well.
In "The One With All The Resolutions" he declares that his goal for the New Year is to learn how to play a guitar so that at least one of the "skills" on his resume will actually be true.
"The One With Ross and Monica's Cousin": Joey gets a role in a Historical Fiction movie that requires specifically uncircumcised Male Frontal Nudity. Joey untruthfully claimed to be uncircumcised. It's a mostly Justified Trope because they go through the whole audition process first, tell him he's perfect for the role and they want to hire him — and then, at the last minute, spring the uncircumcised requirement on him. Under those circumstances, Joey lies. He tries to create a DIY fake foreskin, which doesn't go over well.
"The One Where Joey Speaks French": Phoebe tries to teach Joey to speak French because he listed French fluency on his resume despite not knowing any of the language. During the end credits Phoebe decides she's had enough of this, and starts crossing off everything that he's been lying about.
 Very Fake Résumé / int_f6c05e8e
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1.0
 Very Fake Résumé / int_f6c05e8e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Friends
hasFeature
Very Fake Résumé / int_f6c05e8e

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Very Fake Résumé
processingCategory2
Occupation Tropes
 Very Fake Résumé
processingCategory2
Truth and Lies
 Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead / int_865592dd
type
Very Fake Résumé
 Sorry to Bother You / int_865592dd
type
Very Fake Résumé
 Dave the Diver (Video Game) / int_865592dd
type
Very Fake Résumé