Sending a well-written cover letter and resume isn’t always enough to catch the attention of a client. Even if it does, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be picked for the job. You need to properly present your credibility as a remote virtual assistant—but be careful not to overdo it!

You might be desperate to get the job or convinced you’re the most qualified person in the world. However, you should never convey this during your application process. Why? You’ll rub recruiters the wrong way, and this may lead to rejection. It becomes worse should you get hired too.

There’s no problem with selling yourself as long as you do it in moderation and with sincerity. In this article, we discuss what could happen if you decide to pad your CV or application and land your coveted job.

You won’t succeed at your duties

Don’t be so focused on landing a position that you don’t think ahead as to how you’ll perform at it. If you exaggerate parts of your resume, it’s reasonable to assume that the tasks assigned to you at work will probably be more than what you can handle.

Learning a new system, trying a different layout and other minor issues are no big deal. These are easily addressed with some training and can be justified as you adjust to a new working environment or team.

But saying you have SEO experience or other technical knowledge when you don’t is different. Your colleagues won’t be able to help you with tasks that you were specifically hired for. Instead, they’ll be frustrated at your lack of skills and question why you were hired in the first place.

You will hurt your future career

Little white lies may seem harmless but they could affect you for a long time. For example, let’s say you failed your responsibilities because you embellished your true capabilities and you get caught. A word about what you did will get around in one way or another.

You’ll be known as a person who’s unable to deliver as promised. This affects your prospects because your negative reputation makes employers hesitant to even look at your CV. Worst case scenario: you’ll have to change careers since the industry you want to work in doesn’t want you.

It’s best to make honesty your top policy when applying for any position. There are actually plenty of employers who don’t mind hiring someone with zero experience. In some cases, the experience is preferred but is not required though the listing may not specify this.

You won’t have good references

Not all recruiters bother with asking for and checking references. Those who do and are efficient at it will ask about your experience, background, duties and performance. They’ll inquire about skill sets that are relevant to the vacant role.

If you padded your experience with your previous employer, you’ll get caught in your lie. The client will also wonder as to what else you could have lied about in your resume or during your interview. Their impression of you will change and you’ll be dropped to the bottom of the list of candidates.

Again, you’re better off with being straightforward with your experience as it will be easier for your references to back it up. They’ll also be more likely to amplify your actual strengths when they’re contacted by your prospective employer.

You could come off as arrogant

Recruiters want people who are confident without being overly cocky. They’re interested in your accomplishments and their relevance to the job. They don’t want to hear about why you believe you can perform better than their existing employees.

Interviews are a lot like first dates where you need to leave a good impression. Arrogance is a turn-off while modest confidence is attractive. Know what you’re really good at, but don’t brag about it. Talk about it concisely minus the flowery words.

Their team will want to work with someone who doesn’t have a big ego anyway. So, mind how you behave even during calls without video. They’ll take it as an indication of how you’ll interact with colleagues, suppliers and managers in the future.

You won’t be able to improve your skills

Let’s say you were hired because you have intermediate knowledge in pay-per-click advertising, but you know only the basics. There were minor hitches with adapting to the new software or process, but all is proceeding as planned now.

You’ve managed to stay afloat by watching video tutorials, reading articles or outsourcing to freelancers. Then, an amazing opportunity for advanced training comes along! Unfortunately, you can’t ask to learn what people believe you already know, right?

Had you stated from the get-go that you were lacking in certain areas but was open to training, the employer might’ve still hired you and you could’ve taken formal steps towards career development. This would’ve been a win-win and a better option than getting caught in a web of lies.

Conclusion

We understand that landing a job as a remote assistant is challenging, but overselling yourself to prospective employers isn’t the solution. It’ll just end up hurting you more than benefiting you in the long run.