Every job applicant is looking for an edge, and padding your resume may seem like the only way to get a leg up on the competition. At the same time, the chances of getting caught can appear relatively low.

But exaggerating your skills and qualifications is a risk you don't want to take. In the age of lightning-fast web searches, a hiring manager could research your background and discover the fraudulent information with just a few clicks of the mouse. A quick call to a previous employer or your alma mater also could reveal the falsified details on your resume.

Here are the areas of the resume that applicants most often exaggerate and why doing so won't help you land the job:

Education. Although a certain degree or certification may be necessary for the position you're targeting, employers usually don't place as much weight on a person's education as they do other aspects of a candidate's background. Adding to your GPA or changing your alma mater to an Ivy League school may, in fact, prove pointless.

Hiring managers are much more interested in on-the-job experience and how you've applied skills you learned in the classroom to real-world situations.

If you're a recent graduate worried about a sparse work history, highlight your internships, volunteer work or participation in on-campus clubs, which can serve as substitute for office experience.

Employment dates. Some job seekers fudge their start or end dates to hide gaps in their work history. But breaks in employment aren't necessarily a significant red flag for hiring managers, especially given the economic downturn.

Instead of lengthening your stay with a previous employer, explain what you did during your time off to remain professionally engaged and keep your skills up-to-date.

Job duties. Here's an example: A job candidate will claim to have managed a project team when he or she actually co-managed it with a colleague. A better approach is to talk about your bottom-line contributions. A hiring manager may not mind that you shared leadership duties if you note that your combined efforts help the firm save $200,000.

There are countless stories of professionals who had been on the job for a while only to have their careers ruined by a white lie they made years before. You never know when your deception could turn up or how it could harm your reputation.