Is it okay to tell a small lie on resume?

I haven't taken the BIWS financial modelling course but I do have the interview guide. I don't have a ton of finance experience and I don't have the time to go through the course with recruiting starting in about a month in my country. Would it be okay for me to have a section about the course even though I didn't take it?

edit: thanks guys not putting it on. i will say though, some of you need to learn that there are nicer/more helpful ways to communicate things to someone.

25 Comments
 

No, don’t do it. Anything you put on your resume is fair game for interviewers to grill you on. If you put it on there and can’t talk intelligently about the modeling course, they’ll know you’re either stupid or lying.

Even if you do put it on there, that’s not going to get you an interview on it’s own. The majority of other candidates will have something similar on their resume; no on will stick out from having it on there.

 

I completely get what you're saying and 100% agree, if I do it would be probably the least interesting part of my resume but enough to show I have some interest in finance. I was thinking about saying BIWS modelling course and then talking about one of the case studies provided in the BIWS interview guide. Do you think that would be okay? That way in the off chance they ask about it I can talk about that specific case. I'm networking and all that good stuff, just trying to add more finance to my resume

 

There's a difference between stretching the truth and outright fibbing. Stop trying to justify it. No one in their right mind is going to say that you are justified in putting fake stuff on your resume. If you are going to do it, just do it. It is clear that you do not care about whether or not it is okay to do this but care more about "how can I not get caught".

 

Don't do it. Having the BIWS course on your resume adds almost nothing and just invites tough technicals. If you have no finance experience you're asking for trouble - even if you truly took it but were still weak on technicals, wouldn't recommend putting it on there.

A BIWS course isn't going to change you having no finance on your resume and that's common/acceptable as a student anyway. You just need to have a decent reason for why you want to do finance in your interviews.

Array
 

The thing is I'm an accounting student with a fairly high GPA and other academic achievements that would leave me vulnerable to tough technicals anyway (maybe I'm wrong). I just don't want my audit experience to categorize me as an accounting student that's why i thought maybe adding a line or two about BIWS would help in terms of showing interest (not to try and prove i have experience or anything). not sur eif that changes your mind

 

If you're still in school, accounting major and internship is fine. You get pigeonholed into accounting once you're into that career

There's like 10 comments on this thread and they all say some variation of don't do this. There is literally no benefit

Array
 

this is how i feel most people are which is why I feel like i could get away with it, because at the end of the day I did buy the interview guide which is more than just the interview questions, it does have case studies and i feel like it's a way for me to show i have an interest in finance. i have no intention of wow-ing anyone with 2 lines about me taking an online course.....maybe it's my confirmation bias talking but i feel like it's not that deep

 

If that is what you are relying on to show your interest in finance, it’s gonna be a tough sell

 

not the only thing but i don't have relevant finance internships and am not part of the student fund at my school, what else would you suggest realistically? understand what you're trying to say but i think you're missing the point im trying to make, if you've got some actual advice would love to hear.

 

why did you get interested in finance and what have you done since then to act on that interest? finding a way to frame that on your resume is a much better route than lying about this course.

 

Consequatur aut minima placeat vel. Eaque cumque debitis nobis repellendus. Accusamus veritatis excepturi et tenetur iure libero. Molestias quasi exercitationem consequatur cum voluptatem quam consequatur. Nemo ex pariatur perferendis magnam qui veritatis qui.

Enim qui consequatur ad ut in impedit. In harum sit aut molestiae. Temporibus esse odio ut et quam nesciunt id accusantium. Dolorem ea illo iure quia eaque voluptatem similique.

Eligendi corporis assumenda voluptatem tempora blanditiis. Et veritatis voluptatem recusandae maxime totam ipsa a. Modi qui similique dolorum consequatur quidem sed. Rerum minus est nesciunt ullam quo suscipit.

 

Aliquid ipsum sint temporibus modi quia. Vitae nobis cum pariatur eos modi vitae nam quod. Temporibus est aliquam consequuntur saepe alias.

Et officia quia et ut omnis. Quae explicabo repudiandae necessitatibus sed omnis harum iusto. Excepturi consectetur quos deleniti officia.

Aut sunt iste voluptas qui tenetur molestias. Maxime possimus ad et natus ad cupiditate voluptate. Iste consectetur laudantium tempore ab. Id labore tempora et fugit beatae nihil. Quibusdam occaecati esse consequatur maxime at quisquam at. Quis vel velit quis iure.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (67) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”