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With the recent hurricane disaster in New Orleans,
there were many people who came under scrutiny. One
such person was Michael Brown, the head of FEMA. People
questioned his credentials and the media began to
dig deep into his background. What they found was
a man who had padded his credentials.
Here
are some of the items they found:
* He claimed to be on the Board of Directors of a
Nursing Home. When contacted by the media, the personnel
at the nursing home had never heard of Brown.
* He claimed to have been an Assistant City Manager
of a town in Oklahoma. Brown never held this position.
He did do an internship while attending college for
this town.
* He stated that he had received an "Outstanding Professor"
award from a college where he never taught. He was
an adjunct professor for a college, but the college
never had such an award and he certainly did not receive
one.
A
recent survey showed that about 75% of people "pad"
their resume with credentials and position responsibilities
they have never held. Many individuals stated that
they enhanced their qualifications to be competitive.
"The
most common inflationary statements on resumes are
job title and education. Some of my clients want me
to change their job title to a more mainstream title,
which is alright, as long as they list the real title
in parentheses. Other candidates want to change their
title to appear to have more experience than they
possess, which I will not do," said Kathy Sweeney,
Certified Professional Resume Writer and interview
coach from Senior Executive Resumes. "Further, I will
never allow my clients to misrepresent their educational
background. There are other areas we can strengthen
on the resume, such as industry-specific training,
which may be of more value to an employer."
Sweeney
recalls a recent article regarding a woman who was
fired from a government job because she claimed to
have a PhD. When colleagues were perplexed as to how
a woman, who had no previous education, could suddenly
have three degrees in a two-year time-frame, they
questioned it. What they found out was that she had
"paid" for her degrees through an on-line diploma
mill.
Due
to the onslaught on this type of behavior, many companies
have been conducting more thorough background checks.
Some companies, such as Chili's Restaurant, have an
on-line application where you must detail accomplishments
and then "back them up" with a person who can verify
that accomplishment.
Other
companies are hiring outside background checking companies
to verify information listed on resumes and applications.
"Jobseekers
need to understand the companies are serious about
who they hire, especially for positions of great importance
and responsibility," stated Sweeney, "When writing
a resume, the best policy is to be honest and forthright
with your qualifications. If a candidate is dishonest,
it will eventually catch up to them -- whether in
the initial hiring process or during their tenure
with the company."
Sweeney advises job seekers to always be honest when
stating qualifications on a resume or application.
She warns that if job seekers pad their experience
or credentials, they could end up in a position where
they will flounder and eventually be fired for incompetence.
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