Lie about education credentials on a resume?
A friend of mine is looking for employment. He is REALLY good at what he does, has a great work-ethic, and has about 10-15 years of experience in his field. The ONLY thing keeping him from being able to apply for an executive position is a lack of higher education. He’s not in a position now where he can really go back to school…he’s 40 years old with kids and a mortgage…how can he get that 4-year degree on his resume otherwise? Is that something that employers can/do check on? He’s probably better than anyone with a degree going in there…most places don’t even care if the degree is relevant to the job…just that you have the degree! So, here he has 10-15 years experience of sales managing and marketing, but can’t apply for the job… but some kid with 2 yrs telemarketing experience and a degree in Art History can apply….It doesn’t make any sense to me!
Hi, I’m in HR. He can ruin himself if he lies. For most places his long experience should count for more than a now outdated degree might. Employers can and do check these things out. While they don’t always, he can’t risk it. They will terminate him on the spot when they find out. They will also tell anyone calling for references that he’s a fraud and he could lose another chance. He needs to write a good cover letter instead. He can highlight his experience and tailor it to the job description so he looks too good to pass up. I don’t know what field he’s in, but it is virtually impossible to become an exec without higher education. He will have no choice, probably, that to go back to school if he wants to move up. Sadly, that’s the only choice in this day in age and with the current over-educated work force. He may have hit the ceiling as to how far he can go without continuing ed. As a recruiter, we have to have a way to cull out candidates from the pool and education is the first place we look. Don’t let him lie, that detracts from everything he’s accomplished in his career and his integrity. It can also land him jobless and blacklisted.
