The “when you lie on your résumé” meme turns everyday exaggeration into instant comedy. The setup is simple: you claim a skill (“advanced Excel,” “barista wizard,” “fluent in Italian”), then the image shows your first day on the job—confused, overqualified in the wrong way, or improvising wildly. It’s less about actual lying and more about that universal panic of being slightly out of your depth.
How it reads at a glance: a bold caption + a visual of chaos (a cat at a keyboard, a cockpit full of switches, a spaghetti code editor, a foaming espresso machine). The humor is contrast: confident claim vs. bewildered reality. Because the format is so clear, it works in a single frame or as a two-panel “expectation → reality” gag.
Common formats
- POV / first day: “POV: you said ‘proficient in Excel.’” → 200-cell VLOOKUP gone wrong.
- Role swap: “Me, day one as a ‘cloud architect’” → toaster icons labeled VPC.
- Over-the-top gear: lab coat, hard hat, or barista apron used way too seriously.
Caption starters
- “When you lie on your résumé and they say ‘great, lead the meeting.’”
- “‘Fluent in PowerPoint’” — asked to animate the entire org chart.
- “First day as barista: what in the latte calculus is this?”
- “Said I ‘know Python’ — opens Notepad.”
Quick creator tips
- Keep text short and high-contrast; one punchline per frame.
- Aim the joke at yourself or the situation, not real coworkers or clients.
- Choose visuals with lots of buttons, code, or foam—complexity sells the panic.
- Skip sensitive or unsafe professions; let the bit stay playful, not reckless.
Make one in seconds—drop a confident caption over a chaotic visual and export for any platform using the WAHUP Meme Generator.
Side note: “résumé” vs. “resume”—either spelling works in captions; clarity beats diacritics.