I (24M) used ChatGPT to help me pad my resume earlier this year. Nothing completely outrageous. I just added a few fake certifications, stretched a 6-month internship into a “consulting role,” and threw in some buzzwords like “cloud migration” and “process optimization” that I only vaguely understand.
I landed a solid job at a mid-size tech firm. It’s remote, the pay is great, and I’ve been winging it pretty well with Google and Slack help. So far, no red flags.
Here’s where it goes off the rails.
Last week, my manager told me I’d be mentoring a new hire who’s joining the team in a junior role. Turns out, it’s a guy I went to college with. Let’s call him Dan. Dan actually got a degree in CS, did three legit internships.
He doesn’t recognize me yet because we weren’t close, but I absolutely recognize him. I looked him up on LinkedIn out of panic and sure enough, he really did all the things I lied about.
Now I’m stuck pretending I know what I’m doing while training someone who should probably be in my role or higher.
Do I come clean? Keep faking it? Tell my boss I’m not a good mentor? I’m terrified he’s going to expose me when he figures it out. But I need this job.
TLDR: Lied on my resume to get a tech job. Now I’m mentoring someone way more qualified and I think I’m about to get caught.
Comments
This is a perfect setup. Now you give him all the work to do that you cannot and learn how he does it.
Bro you basically speedran corporate America with cheat codes and now the final boss is your college classmate 💀 good luck keeping up the act when he starts asking real questions.
Fake it till you make it or fake it till they fire you
Maybe it’s time to start looking for a new job, find it and tell them they new hire will be perfect for your roll in the company
And stop using the stupid AI shit to write your resume
Mentoring someone at work is less about teaching them actual hard skills and more about getting them acclimated – setting up their email signature, making sure they’re added to recurring meetings, answering general company questions. I wouldn’t worry too much at this point.
The sad part is you seem to brush off all the lying like it was no big deal, and the only reason you feel bad is because you’re about to get exposed.
I would just have him do things to see his process and learn from him secretly hahahaha. Like at this point fake it until they catch you. Play it off that he’s just better at the job than you maybe lol.
Well now, don’t say that too loudly, eh?
UpdateMe!
So if you come clean, there’s a high chance you’re going to get terminated immediately.
OR
Don’t confess but immediately start upskilling to close your knowledge gaps. Frame the mentorship as helping Dan get oriented, not as being more technically advanced than him. Stay humble, collaborative, and position yourself as a helpful peer rather than a gatekeeper. Focus on delivering value, learning fast, and turning yourself into the person your resume claimed you were.
Half the people I know who have their PMP cert which shows they know how to manage projects have no idea what they’re doing in our industry, while the people who aren’t qualified on paper have made it work. This is basically corporate America. Just practice your presentation ahead of time and keep doing what you’re doing, The guy probably is not going to ask you a bunch of questions about your credentials.
Keep your discussions just to your work.
Lol come off as completely disinterested and busy, make it seem to him like you suck because you’re too good at your job and not because you’re too bad. Maybe brush up on those skills, it’s 2025 and there’s education everywhere. I know damn well you can put down the yoai hentai porn for a min to learn about cloud optimization or whatever that shit is. Godspeed brother.
Spend the first few weeks grilling him on his knowledge in the areas where you lack insight. Get to know his take. Use it. Then when certain assignments come in, send them his way.
I know someone who went through the exact same thing.
He kept it up, survived it and still has his job.
Be this person. You’ve got this.
PS learning on the job used to be way more common.
So let’s see what you know and go from there…
Let him know you’re not a micromanager, you’re a team player so don’t look at me like boss or anything. I’m sure there’s a lot you can show me.
You know why you have to do: apply for promotions at other companies and leave before they find out you are winging it.
You’re basically Mike Ross LMAO
Maybe he lied about it too 🤷🏼♀️
‘It’s not a lie if you believe it’ George L. Costanza
I mean, if you’re succeeding at work, why would you assume you aren’t going to be able to mentor him?
Give him assignments and be available remotely for questions.
If you’re the supervisor chances are you’ll just have to say “Do X” rather than pressing the buttons while he shadows you.
Your job is to interface with upper management and have them like you.
I’ve been absolutely terrible at my job at times but if the person who can fire you doesn’t know you suck and likes you, it doesn’t matter.
So, keep on pretending.
This should not be a problem for you…
If he asks something , reverse the role and ask him how he would do it..
Focus on helping with company policies and procedures, let him do his work, then have regular check ins and ask him to talk you through his work. You’ll learn from him and he just thinks you’re managing him. It’ll be fine if you don’t panic and overcompensate.
Come clean and accept the consequences.
Welcome to management
How are you doing the job currently? I would stick to that tell him to loop in the manager for items that you haven’t been exposed to yet
And listen in on those calls too.
Are you sure this person is replacing you?
Then not much to do at this point but give them what you know and make the exit
Do not admit at padding your résumé, it’s an instant you’re fired.
No one is going to tell on you. Just keep going.
Nice story. But don’t sell yourself short. You’re exercising the thinking and problem solving the company apparently wants. Keep doing what you’re doing. Time to job hop. Get a pay bump.
Don’t say a damn thing.
But… You need to step up your learning curve and actually know the work you’re supposed to have known.
We call this the “find out” that comes after the “fuck around”. Good luck.
I’ve worked with people that got fired for lying on their resumes. Better come clean before it becomes a permanent black mark on your work history.
LOL this is either going to be the best follow up down in flames post or i got this guy to do my job post.
ChatGPT didn’t write you a resume but it sure did write this fake post.
You’ve demonstrated the most important skill needed in this and future job spaces: the ability to learn and teach yourself. Having a background is helpful, but ultimately the landscape is changing so quickly that being an expert requires constant learning. So far, you’ve been able to do that at the pace needed to complete your job. As for your subordinate, lean on his technical knowledge. It’s fine if you don’t know everything. Pretending you know when you don’t will get you in trouble.
You on good terms with this guy? Tell him what’s up. Say you’ll give great feedback on his job and cover for him back
OP admits to using CheatGPT and you all trust him to tell a true story? XD
If he can’t write his own fake resume then why should we trust him to keep a job that relies on the skills he didn’t know enough about to fake knowing them?
Dan knows you’re working there. IF he recognizes you all he’s going to know is that you’re working there, and the position.
Show him what you need to and be nice. He’s going to be happy he knows someone else there if he recognizes you. This isn’t even a problem. Relax.
Boss knows you lied and now punishing you with this mind fuck.
You may pay for your indiscretion. Omitting things from your resume is acceptable. Lying is fraudulent. Have some self respect, guard your integrity, and be authentic, genuine. Don’t lie to people.
The requirements on job postings are almost always far beyond what is necessary to actually do the job. The fact that no one picked up on this during the screening process tells me that you’re fine. In fact, it’s probably just as likely that your boss did the same thing which is why he’s asking you to onboard the new guy. The fact that your classmate has a CS degree and three legit internships and was only able to join the team at a junior role tells me that while he might have the qualifications, he’s nowhere near as resourceful as you are.
I mean youre in an ideal place. Now use him to do / teach you everything you need to know.
“Show me how you would do it” 😂
you’ve already been doing the job before he got here. you know enough. just chill out and show him how the company works and give him stuff u don’t want to do.
Honestly bois, with as fucked as the job market is, I can’t help but hope OP crashes and burns
Life gave you a lemon, make yourself a glass of lemonade
You were there first. You can fake it ‘til you make it. New guy ain’t gonna report you, and since you weren’t close, I doubt he even cares enough to look into your shady past.
Teaching 101:
Ok, so today we’re going to do ‘x’. How would you start this process?
And, just keep going.
You should post updates as you go. This sure feels like the universe giving you that karma. Sorry OP.. lol
Just being practical, but if he recognizes you and says something, you’re most likely fired.
I would keep my mouth shut and start looking for good opportunities with other companies. If I get one, I’d bounce.
Regardless, I wouldn’t say anything at all. I’d keep my head down and keep plugging away while looking for other options.
Learn your lesson and prepare for the worst. If the worst doesn’t come, then good.
Don’t ever give up the information that you lied because that’s actually a prosecutable offense – you literally told them you had certain certifications that you never completed the work for? That’s fraud.
I have no sympathy for you/ sorry
I hope you get fired. You lied. You stole that job from somebody that did have the qualifications.
You just give him the I’m a hands off type people manager speech…“you know how to do your job and I’m sure you are good at it. I’m not going to hover over you. Run with it and if you need any help or guidance, feel free to reach out” Done and Done.
bro most people in corporate have no idea what they are doing I’m a low level manager and I constantly have to teach my boss and my boss’s boss and even the CEO sometimes what I do, what they should be doing, etc.
If anything your brazen attitude to both apply and accept jobs that you are not qualified make you actually very qualified for the corporate world.
Don’t come clean ever, honesty is hardly ever rewarded. Be bold, do what you can, and blame others for what you can’t, you don’t owe this corporation or anyone anything.
Funny thing is that you can help someone grow and improve without even knowing how they do what they do. Encouragement, input where you have the knowledge, and general advising and direction giving goes a long way.
In for a penny, in for a pound, just go with it for now. In the tech world, things get weird and seniority does not always mean skill but rather who came in first.
Show him something you don’t know how to do and say “now how would you handle this situation” (take notes). “Ok, exactly what I would have done, good job.”
Fake it til you make it. Some guys do gay for pay
OP is already a lazy liar – he won’t exert any effort to expand his knowledge. I would bet he cheats on Call of Duty.
Don’t teach him, how to do everything just get him used to routine tasks. He should be able to figure it out if you did right?
Keep faking it.
You working at Harvey Specter Litt by any chance?
Fake certifications…
This post is clearly fake too. You did indeed use ChatGPT but not for the resume.
PS. Username checks out – OP is disgusting.
My advice, create a new resume based on actual experience from this current job and make a lateral move. Get out before it blows up in your face. Stretching the truth on a resume is normal, making up certifications sounds like something that could comeback and bite you in the ass many years later.
You didn’t happen to claim you are an expert in “risk management,” did you?
We need to do “xyz” do you already know how to do that? You do? Cool can you just explain to me how you are used to doing “xyz” to make sure it’s the same format/way we like to do it? (Or explain it to me so I know you understand. Teaching is a great way of learning so just pretend you’re teaching someone who doesn’t know)
Feels like half my crew lol…
No advice other than: stop using AI to cheat your way into things or continue your conman life. If you choose the second option, just know you’re going to cause harm to someone soon, if you haven’t already. That person could be you or someone you care about deeply. It could be someone you don’t know but is entirely innocent. It could even be someone you don’t like, but the question for any of these scenarios is this: Are you really okay with having hurt those people?
Anyway, kind of hoping you get your ass handed to you for using AI for something like this.
Fake it and dont mention anything. Lying on a resume is more common than you think. If you know your stuff then it doesnt matter. Its also not uncommon for someone to know something but not know about other things.
Just dont lie on a resume again. All we really have is our reputation. If your credibility is gone, then that’s it.
So when is the premiere for “Catch Me If You Can 2”?
Dan probably doesn’t know what you did or didn’t do in college.
The first thing you should do is nuke your linked in account / lock it down. No reason to give anyone any ammo.
Continue to fake it until you make it. Consider that your job is to help Dan with culture and interactions with superiors. You aren’t going to be his supervisor or responsible for reviewing his work.
Finally maybe get those certificates you claimed you had.
Crazy how your corporate job did no background checks
So. You’re a liar. Full stop
Why don’t you ask GPT how to help you through this situation, Mr. u/FedditisforRaggots with no post history? It’s been working out well so far.
Nice creative writing prompt. Well, GPT probably wrote this post too. Enjoy your laugh and go touch grass.
lmao well if dan ends up crushing it under your mentorship it just looks like you’re a natural leader… so a win-win in my opinion
Welp. This is exactly why you shouldn’t lie on your resume if its something you don’t know about and can’t do.
Its actually pretty shocking the interviewers didn’t ask you any technical questions about your resume on things you faked, since they would be able to determine pretty quickly you have no idea what its about lol So… Thats also kinda on them for doing a poor vetting job. Especially when it comes to the certs…. And if they’re cloud certs… Typically they’re distributed by a third party which you can easily click on and find out if that person actually has it or not… So again, poor vetting.
Don’t come clean at this point. Keep faking. So far so good you said, so keep at it. Brush up and learn skills on your off time. Take courses on the concepts that you’ve lied about.
Take this as a lesson learnt as well. If you don’t know something, its okay to say you don’t know. You cannot know everything about everything, its impossible. It will catch up to you and the truth will come out.
Here’s a complimentary “FUCK YOU” for being that guy who is going to inevitably ruin the whole industry with people who could give a fuck less to actually work towards a job/career vs people who work hard because it’s all they’ve got.
“Dan actually got a degree in CS” I guess that should mean that YOU did not get a degree in CS, and that is part of the “added certifications” that you allowed ChatGPT to sprinkle into your resume.
Everyone tosses buzz words onto their resume. It’s expected, if only to make it through the gatekeeping software. So that’s not a biggie.
BUT lying about the certificates enters into FRAUD territory. No reputable corporation would turn a blind eye to this. Especially if your work quality is at the “winging it” level.
There is a non-zero chance that Dan (or any of his friends) will never remember you from college.
I would advise you to find another job using honest credentials before you are fired for fraud and can’t find another job with a fraudulent reputation. Sorry for being so stern, but I’ve seen this before and it can really ruin your career.
Otherwise, this could turn into a giant FAFO.
A few ways around this. You can hand him tasks that you don’t understand yourself. Ask him how he completed these tasks. What was his process. Which other ways he could have done things and why he didn’t go down those routes. You are leading in a way to see what his strengths and weaknesses are.
Some would call that karma…
you needed to use chatgpt to figure out how to lie? what is wrong with people
“Nothing outrageous”, just literally most of your experience and accomplishments.
Sure jan
Have some integrity and quit. You blatantly lied your way into a job you don’t deserve and are not qualified for.
I’ve been dan a few times and I got you fired within a week =)
Stop lying and cheating. You didn’t earn this job, and you took it from someone that did the work to deserve it. I hope that you do get caught, so you don’t get rewarded for this deception and continue to live the rest of your life this way.
This sounds like the plot of Suits, except Mike Ross has enough brain cells
I’m not against lying on a resume because of the job market and awful job candidate screening. But if you’re going to lie, you have to at least try to catch up to the lie. Everything you’re talking about can be learned. Did you get any of the certs you claimed you had after you were hired? Did you do any upskilling during this time at all?
Your nerves and your gastric acid will explode. Keep tums on hand. If you’re not religious start praying. Karma is a boomerang. No one will be throwing you under the bus. Through mistakes, carelessness, or poor judgment, you will do that all by yourself eventually. My nana used to say “You will shoot yourself in the foot”.
we found george costanza’s reddit account
Watch the movie Catch Me If You Can when the lead character poses as a doctor! He asks the residents he is supposed to training what they suggest. They tell him and he says, “Do it.”
It’s based on a real person – Frank Abagnale.
I think what you did is icky, but idk why nobody’s suggesting that you tell your boss you can’t mentor them cause you banged in college or smth.
We had a guy come in to help me during a really busy time in work. This guy was an absolute monster. Everything I did, he did 10x better and faster. I just offloaded him 90% of the workload and learned a lot watching him do it. I had a few things to offer and helped him do a lot of it, but he did more than his fair share.
When management asked how the project was going, I just said “it’s going great, the new guy is really good and we’ve got a good collaborative environment. I’m learning a lot from him too”
Just take his advice and pick up on when they feel something is “off” and don’t be judgemental. It’s your time to learn while they get your tribal knowledge
Your story is useful in illustrating how fucked the system is, and how liars and incompetents get ahead.
You’re in an incredibly precarious position that could backfire spectacularly when Dan inevitably realizes the situation. The anxiety of constantly covering up lies while training someone more qualified will likely become unbearable and affect your work performance.
Your best option might be getting ahead of this before it explodes. Consider having a private conversation with your manager about feeling underqualified to mentor given your “limited” experience in certain areas. You could suggest Dan might benefit from a different mentor without admitting outright fraud.
A service like Applyre might be helpful for quietly exploring other opportunities while you still have this job. If this situation deteriorates, having backup options gives you more control over timing and narrative.
The nuclear option is coming clean entirely, but that likely means immediate termination and potential legal consequences depending on your company’s policies. The middle ground is transitioning yourself out of the mentoring role and working frantically to actually develop the skills you claimed to have. Either way, this situation is unsustainable and will likely resolve itself soon whether you act or not.
Fake it until you make it. If you’ve made it far enough to where they think you can train another guy, you are doing something right.
It’s honestly their fault for hiring you in the first place.
Worst case Ontario you pay off your former classmate.
Oh this is so easy dude I wish I was in your shoes
It’s now your job to play dumb and act like you’re quizzing him on things you don’t know the answer to
So you get something on your plate that you don’t know the answer to? Hey new guy this is a perfect opportunity for me to show you to show me what learned! How would have you handled something like this?
Basically give him all the shit that you don’t know how to do and only explain things to him that you absolutely do
Less is more.
Ok, let’s go slow and you step me through your thought process here.
Your thinking and approach are sound, keep your focus on detailed documentation and send me weekly updates.
God AI sucks, and I do not respect you for using it
Have you been given a timeline of when they should be “trained”?
Say you’re not a micro manager or anything and you’re just here to help them get going with everything… ask for a rundown of style of work, processes, etc. get an idea of how they excel best and prefer to do their work. Hopefully they’re a “go-getter” or similar.. and just explain the basics that you do know.. how things works, dos/fonts you now know, etc. get an idea of how quickly they pick up the tasks.. then once they show they learn and adapt, tell them you will send some assignments over to complete.. have them send the work to you for review and final competition.. rinse and repeat and increase levels of assignments as they adapt and learn.
Determine their bandwidth and attention to detail on work they send.. can they handle steady workflow and not see a drop in quality or accuracy? Hopefully it’s just a week or two and you can just lay it on them after giving them the basics to do basic assignments you do
All of your lies are catching up with you but l don’t blame you for lying on your c.v
That’s pretty funny if it’s real.
Personally, I would get those certifications on my time off like my life depended on it. But looks like they work to get you some jobs. If you come clean and get fired the chances of you landing a similar role will be small. Because companies talk these days.
If you can’t do the work, look for something else fast. Unless Ai can help you.
>Nothing completely outrageous.
Outright lies about certifications.
Nah, keep faking it till you make it. You’ll get through it.
Take advantage of the time during his PR submission phase to look up anything you’re not fully familiar with. Use it as a chance to grow and sharpen your skills.
The reality is, most jobs in programming, engineering, or tech aren’t about knowing everything up front. They’re about how quickly you can learn and apply new knowledge to solve the problems in front of you. No one knows it all. You might be great with AWS or Heroku but have no experience with Azure. You might have worked with Red Hat servers but never touched Windows Server. Every project is different.
You don’t need to be the smartest person in the room. You just need to stay one step ahead of the person behind you. That small edge is often all it takes to keep learning, leading, and teaching.
Most computer science grads walk in with a lot of theory and pattern knowledge but not much real-world experience. You’ll be fine—just act like you belong and make the most of this time to level up.
For context, I came from a print and magazine design background and worked my way into becoming a successful full-stack developer. I’ve built frontend and backend systems and have deep experience with cloud infrastructure and development across a range of platforms.
If you enjoy learning and pushing yourself forward, you’re in the right industry. That mindset is what sets people apart.
That’s what the Socratic method is for
This is how you train him. You tell the boss that I’ll be training him using my own methods, you then give him some of the work the boss gave you say maybe 20% and then tell him to give you a detailed report on how he did it or maybe a screen recording of him doing it so you could “analyze him to see where he needs to be trained” but you will actually learn those skills from him! then you copy that work he does put it in ChatGPT ask ChatGPT to analyze for issues, if it’s basically up to par from ChatGPT, you tell him he’s good in XYZ area now I’ll give you more work and you keep doing that until ChatGPT says oh this one is a little iffy. Ask ChatGPT how to make it not iffy fix it give it to the dude tell him this is what you need to work on, I found it to be a little iffy. It looks like you know how to train him. It looks like you know what you’re doing, but you’re also learning from the dude!
Fuck it, continue business as usual.
I’ve trained a handful of people with “the right credentials” and every time they’ve been bozos who fluffed their resumes as much as you probably did.
I wing shit and learn on the go. If you’re able to do that, you’ll be fine. Just be confident that’s all.
The real question is what certifications you faked. If it’s coding then you need to immediately train those skills because you may actually do some harm with not knowing coding in a tech environment if your role demands it. If it’s like team building or leadership then whatever.
Well, this is fraud and you will eventually be found out.
Please keep us posted on how it goes! 😳
Be careful what you wish for…
Hopefully he gets you fired
How are you so sure he did not also lie on his profile?
You’re not the first or the last person to lie on your resume. Just learn to do your job and you will be fine. As a way of “mentioning him” let basically teach you how to do the job.
Hit YouTube to learn the info real fast
You are the manager. Manage it.
I’d delete my LinkedIn in case dude looked me up and put it together.
By no means should you come clean. Everyone fakes it at the start of a new job or career, your case just has a few extra hoops.
Ride it out, learn as you go, and in 1-2 years you’ll have real experience under your belt that you can more confidently use to get an even better job, and more importantly, far the heck away from Dan lol.
Lying to get into a role typically involves learning the role when you are in it…. Managers higher on potential and experience..
That fits perfectly into the hellscape that are corporate hierarchies. I think you’ll make a fantastic middle manager.
The student becomes the master, but the master is also an imposter. What a time to be alive.
OP, if I can learn how to replace a circuit breaker, change my tires, make a homenetwork, learn to solder, learn to fix electronics, learn to do drywall and low voltage electric all from my own home…. you can learn how to do that shit too. You got it.
Literally don’t tell anyone you’re winging it though. No one there is your friend and it will backfire. You advance and progress the best you can and give it a really good try because you’re already halfway there. Maybe more… you’ve literally been doing the job!
I personally hope they fire you as quickly as possible so they can replace you with someone who actually did the work to get there instead of using chatgpt to pretend they know everything and have the certifications that would qualify them. Pretty pathetic honestly.
You and i have different definitions of the phrase “nothing outrageous”
All you can do is keep upskilling and make sure you don’t look like a fool to your new colleague. He’s probably going to look you up on LinkedIn and connect the dots pretty quick though.
Give the work to him and learn CS on YT asap