More than a quarter of employees have lied in job interviews, according to Monster.

A survey of 1,314 people shows although 42% of applicants have never needed to lie in job interviews, 16% have been tempted and 23% have done it several times.

More than one in 10 employees (14%) said they had not lied but admitted they had ‘embellished' the truth.  

Commenting on the findings, Julian Acquari, managing director of Monster UK and Ireland, said: "Today's tough job market understandably heightens the temptation for job seekers to lie in interviews. Competition is fierce and we are aware of the increased need to stand out. However there is a fine line between embellishing facts and telling lies."