New York Representative George Santos has come under fire recently due to disparities stemming from his life before politics, according to a December 2022 CNN article. Many students and soon-to-be graduates at Bowling Green State University feel lying on your application may be the new normal.

There are many parts to the backstory of Santos that do not seem to fit the narrative that he puts out.

First, he fled to New York from Brazil in 2011 while he had a case of check fraud against him. After doing freelance work, Santos moved to Florida in 2016 and later claimed to be vice president of LinkBridge. A claim that was later denied by the then president of the company.

Along with that, Santos also claimed to have received degrees from both Baruch College and New York University as well as stating that he was employed by Goldman Sachs. However, representatives from all institutions denied his claims.

This is a tough thing for people who are looking for jobs to watch and see happen in high ranking government offices. Nevin Phillips, a senior majoring in Psychology who is working towards applying for grad school, has been constantly working on his resume and felt Santos was out of line.

“Lying on your resume is harmful and can lead to underqualified people getting positions they shouldn’t have,” said Senior Psychology student Nevin Phillips.

On the flip side of things, hiring managers and people who are tasked with looking over resumes are also impacted by this.

“There’s no point in lying about what you’re capable of if you’re going to get caught in that lie anyways,” said Conklin Hall’s Graduate Hall Director, Gavin Friedrichsen.

He made a point about the risks of lying to get a job. If you do get the position, you will be expected to work at the rate and level you proposed in the resume. But once people catch on to the fact that you are unable to back up your claims, you are at risk of being fired.

However, not all workers agree on the rules of job applications. Some feel that one should do everything they can to get a job.

“It’s really hard to find a good job that treats you well. I find it hard to fault people that may exaggerate on their resumes when it comes to everyday positions,” said Matthew Mitchell who works at Home Depot in Bowling Green.

Mitchell believes that in today’s world where it is getting increasingly more difficult to get good jobs, people should do whatever it takes to support themselves. Even at the risk of being underqualified.

Despite a few differing opinions on the matter, the consensus seems to be that lying on your resume is wrong and that one will face the consequences of their actions eventually.

With that being said, the future of George Santos is up in the air. He is being forced to answer for the things that he has claimed about himself and his history. Only the future will allow us to see the end of the saga between Santos and his past actions.

There have been many examples of high-ranking officials and politicians lying on their resumes and being able to hide certain things about themselves.

“I think it’s really weird that people can be caught breaking the law and then run for political offices, but if someone commits a felony, they are unable to vote ever again. I don’t like that there are different rules for politicians,” said Junior Marine Biology major Maggie Spicer.

Hopefully in the aftermath of the controversy facing Santos, people searching for jobs will be able to get a clearer view of what is and isn’t acceptable when it comes to resumes.