Exactly. I applied for my current job (transcript proofreader) coming straight out of college, so I was relying on my degree more than anything. The ad said “English, Communications, or Journalism degree required.” I stated in my cover letter that my degree in Linguistics was quite adequate and in some respects even more appropriate for the job than the degrees the ad was asking for, since we’re dealing with transcribing the spoken word rather than straight written copy. After that, the interview and job offer were basically done deals.
I’m astonished that they can list age as a qualification. That is strictly verboten (oops, sorry Nava 
) in the U.S., although that doesn’t mean that one’s age can’t be a factor in the private thoughts of the person who makes the hiring decision.
You’d think anyone could, but surprisingly, no.
Didn’t some guy make a thread a while ago about how he had gotten his job under false pretenses, and he was questioning whether or not to come clean?
Spinoff thread: What are the craziest/stupidest job classifieds you’ve seen?
My advice is this:
Look at the job description and ignore any “years experience” requirements that are listed, also don’t worry about any software requirements that are listed. Next ask yourself if you think you are capable of doing the job, if yes then apply, and count years of education and working other jobs that have any relation to the new job as experience.
The fact of the matter is that people grossly overestimate what it takes to do their own job, and managers are even worse about overestimating what it takes to a job they are hiring for. Its human nature, nobody wants to admit that they really aren’t that special. This seems to be especially true for software requirements in want ads. I took a job 4 years ago which the want ad said required at least 5 years experience in SAP. I had no experience in SAP so I lied and said I was familiar with it. I was hired and on the second day I learned enough about SAP in a one hour training session to effectively do my job. Funny thing is, now I can honestly say I have 3 years experience in SAP, even though I basically only know how to a couple of very simple operations. Experience requirements are crap.
Hmmm…maybe they were smarter than I thought. Anyone who is stupid enough not to just lie and say they have “copying experience” probably ought to be weeded out anyway.
SCORE!!!
So, when do I start? srsly, I have a great rack. Just ask montrealais, he’s taken it for a test drive or two
That depends… how fast can you organise an Australian visa? 
As part of our Magnificent and Splendorous Youth-Job-Promoting Law, from the previous bout of Socialist Governing, companies pay less SS tax for an employee below age 25.
Yes, this has led to people been fired from menial jobs as soon as they’re over 24 years and 364 days old.
woohoo!
gee, I should be commanding a better salary.
Heh.
is listed third.
When I start my own ludicrously successful business, the first thing I’ll do is populate the office with little plastic ninjas.
HAHAHA! I laughed out loud at that.
I am convinced this is a myth spread by HR types and management wonks. If you believe the book Freakonomics, 50% of people lie on their resumes. I doubt that even .001% get caught.
I’d think it depends on the lie. Nava has a good point. If you can do the job, you should be able to get away with claiming that as a former job title. If you can’t do the job or inflate your job title to more than you really know, it could quickly become evident that you can’t perform tasks you said you could. Inflating your salary a bit or claiming to be a network administrator when you took care of many of those duties while never having held the title should be ok.
I cringe thinking about some of the flatout bullshit I’ve put on past resumes. Over the years I’ve gone from a mechanical engineer to being a banker where I’ve found my niche so I’m sure plenty of bullshit was involved along the way.
Not at the time of the interview; most resumes don’t even get an interview.
But by the person who’s training Mr Perfect? Oh yes.
Think about it; 50% of the people who are hired by submitting a resume lied. I stand by my statement.
Downside to cheating. If the person interviewing you is halfway intelligent, it’s not that difficult to catch a lot of the lies. I’ve seen people make up shit all the time. I used to interview English teacher candidate for a friend, and would get people lying about experience. Everyone would claim on resumes to have volunteered teaching back in their home counties.
When I’d ask detailed questions, the bad liars would get the deer in the headlight look, and the better liars would give bogus answers, but a few questions can usually shake out a lot.
And yes, any time someone claimed relevant experience from an “out of business” company, it would raise red flags.
Of the six companies I worked for in my 13 years in the computer game business, only one is still in business. So much for your theory.