Surprisingly, important figures such as high school SAT scores and membership in large organizations are often not verified by firms. Some firms do not even request an official College transcript.

Students who participate in on-campus recruiting are required to submit a resume to OCS in order to participate in recruiting. But Murray and Cosentino say the purpose of this rule is simply to have one available if the student or recruiter needs it--not for an office verification of the information.

While in most cases firms say they have little way of knowing whether they are being fed true information, the cost of being caught in even the most minute lie can be great.

According to career counselors at OCS, the most commonly exposed lie is about language proficiency.

"I always warn students to be cautious [in claiming language ability]," says Saunders. "Employers have been known to conduct interviews entirely in that language."

Judy Murray, the recruiting director at OCS, tells the story of a student several years back who applied for a job where all applicants needed to have at least a 3.0 average.

The student took his average--which was between 2.9 and 3.0--and rounded it up to 3.0. He applied for the job, and got it.

Later, when the company found he had slightly fudged this one piece of data, it terminated his contract.

Firms say there is a clear distinction between misrepresenting information such as in the case of grade "rounding" and presenting information in the most favorable light possible.

"If someone tells me that he played three years of varsity football, but he never got off the bench and into a game, I don't consider that major," says one recruiter.

Firms emphasize that exaggerations such as this one are few and far between. And so they treat their new applicants with a great deal of trust.

"It all depends on your view of man," says Haverstick. "These are essentially good people trying to find jobs, not cheaters trying to prosper."

Graduate Schools

Most law school and medical school deans admit a startling inability to verify data supplied by students--intangible data which are crucial in the decision to accept or reject.

"We look for students who have utilized the resources of the University in some substantial way, be it in terms of leadership roles, the fine arts, athletics or research," says David Trabilsy, assistant dean for admissions at Johns Hopkins University.