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From The Archive

37. Lies, lies, all lies.
Employers expect you to lie on your resume. Everyone does it, so you have to do it, too, if you want to be competitive. The standard for what's acceptable has changed.

• It's hard to get the salary you're worth, so it's clever to fudge your salary history if you want to get a good offer.
  
  
• People without degrees are discriminated against, even if they have all the necessary skills to do a job, so it's sometimes necessary to claim a degree you don't have.

Lies, lies—all lies.

When someone else lies, it may seem you have to lie to keep up. When a leader of our society lies, it may seem he's giving us permission to lie, too.

The broad acceptance of lying does not make lying acceptable. Permission to lie does not legitimize lying. It lowers the standard, making the honest person all the more valuable.

If you need a rule to follow, let it be this: Speak the truth.

• Let it be the listener's responsibility to take your words at face value and act on them accordingly. If you're afraid the truth won't help you achieve your goal, then it's up to you to find a more compelling and honest way to communicate your point. The challenge is yours.
  
  
• Take others at their word, and let it be their responsibility to be honest. If it turns out they're lying, stop doing business with them; stop associating with them. The challenge is theirs.

That's the only reasonable way I know to do business. Lies, lies, all lies—they just aren't worth living with. And that's no crock.