Fibs flow on job applications

Although the temptation to embellish may be great, Ivey cautions that people do get caught. "It might not happen next week, but it could happen a year into your job, or seven years."

Nowhere is that more evident than in occasional headlines that shine a public spotlight on the potential consequences of misrepresenting the truth. In one recent high-profile case, Marilee Jones, dean of admissions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, resigned after an investigation revealed that she did not hold the academic degrees she had claimed. And David Edmonson, CEO of Radio Shack, resigned after a Texas newspaper reported that his résumé listed a college degree he did not have.

Occasionally schools themselves make mistakes, as Michael Reinemer, now a vice president at American Association for Homecare in Arlington, Va., discovered some years ago.

He received a call from a human resources manager at a company where he had applied for a job. "She said the university where I said I had earned my graduate degree showed no record of me receiving that degree. I contacted the university and sure enough, they had me listed as a part-time, non­degree student. I had taken a class there after getting the graduate degree, and apparently that blocked out the fact that I had earned the degree."

After a few calls to set the university record straight, Mr. Reinemer received a job offer. "They did hire me, so I was very grateful to the HR person who had the courtesy to call me," he says.

Human resources managers need to give applicants the opportunity to respond to the appearance of false information, Reinemer adds. And applicants must make sure the organizations they list on their résumés keep competent records.

Truth eventually emerges

Raj Khera, CEO of MailerMailer, an e-mail marketing service in Rockville, Md., recently had to fire a woman who apparently falsified material about her experience and qualifications.

"She had submitted one of the best résumés for one of our technical writing positions, and she interviewed very well," he says. "Her writing samples suggested that she would be a great fit."

But after her first week, Mr. Khera and his colleagues were "shocked" at the poor quality of work they were getting. "She was dedicated and appeared to work hard, but her writing was completely different than the samples she provided," he says. After giving her several more opportunities to improve, the company had to let her go.

To avoid such situations, Ruff tells people, "Just be honest on your résumé. Lying can come back to haunt you. My bottom line is: Don't lie. Just be up front."

Harold Boughton, a former senior executive in Greenwood, Ind., offers his own bottom line: "We cannot compromise our values or ourselves in order to make the next sale or get the next job. Practicing ethical behavior is not an option or part-time proposition. Ultimately, it needs to be at the very foundation of everything we do."

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