32M here, recently got hired at a tier 3, family-run company as a as a middle management role (but tasks rly resemble low management), after a long period of depression and hardship. I went to top-tier unis (and I mean TOP tier) and have 2 degrees, but the 2nd one I didn't finish in time. I had a major depressive episode in my life that tainted an otherwise impressive CV, full of scholarships and with a wide variety of skills. Nearly simultaneously, my father also entered financial hardship because his long-term gf robbed him of everything (long story I won't go into details here, the main idea to take away is that I don't have the luxury of financial help from family).
I did some small-time lying on my CV to secure the job, but I think I am qualified for it (if anything, overly so). It's not like you can write on your CV “hey! I was depressed for 3+ years”. Depression carries a stigma, no matter what they say, even in this age of “ooh celebrity X came out as depressive/anxious/etc. that's so cool”.
Many of my colleagues recently started being extremely cold with me (outright ignoring me even). Especially those part of an inner circle.
Are they onto me? What type of trouble could I go through?
If it is of any help, the biggest (and tbh, only) lie I have on my CV is one of my 2 graduation dates. I shifted it by 2 years because I completed 98% of my coursework in time, then went into depression and was really only missing a 3-credits course (basically a formality). As a result, I don't think writing 5 years to graduate reflects me as an individual. I also am fairly talented otherwise I believe.
also how would you go about explaining a 3+ year gap in CV? are these types of lies common on CVs?