The rsum is a door opener for a job seeker. What's on it can get you in

The résumé is a door opener for a job seeker. What's on it can get you in the door or cause the door to be slammed in your face. With that type of pressure, it is not surprising to learn that one 2006 study by a group of executive search firms showed that \(43 \%\) of all résumés contain material misstatements.  A 2008 CareerBuilder.com survey of HR managers found that \(49 \%\) of résumés had materially false information. A 2012 survey by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) concludes that \(54 \%\) of résumés contain false information and that \(70 \%\) of college graduates' résumés contain false information. \({ }^{50}\) A Wall Street Journal analysis of the credentials of 358 executive and board members at 53 publicly traded companies found discrepancies between their background/experience and reality in seven of the executives'/board members' claims, most dealing with them claiming to hold MBAs when they did not......................

Discussion Questions

1. Explain what motivates individuals to include false information in their résumés. Think about the risks, and give some examples of puffing versus falsehoods versus false impressions that you have heard of or seen in résumés.
2. Does the fact that Scott Thompson landed on his feet so quickly bother you? Does his experience teach you that dishonesty pays?
3. What do you learn from the tragedy of Ms. Green? Peter Crist, a background check expert, said, "You can't live in my world and cover stuff up. At some point in time, you will be found out if you don't come clean. It doesn't matter if it was 2 days ago or 20 years ago." As you think through these examples, can you develop some important principles that could be important for your credo? \({ }^{62}\) Was the tragedy of Ms. Green avoidable? Was Duquesne Light justified in terminating her?
4. George O'Leary was hired by Notre Dame University as its head football coach in December 2001. However, just five days after Notre Dame announced Mr. O'Leary's appointment, Mr. O'Leary resigned. Mr. O'Leary's résumé indicated that he had a master's degree in education from New York University (NYU) and that he had played college football for three years. O'Leary had been a student at NYU, but he never received a degree from the institution. O'Leary went to college in New Hampshire but never played in a football game at his college and never received a letter as he claimed. When Notre Dame announced the resignation, Mr. O'Leary issued the following statement: "Due to a selfish and thoughtless act many years ago, I have personally embarrassed Notre Dame, its alumni and fans." Why did the misrepresentations, which had been part of his résumé for many years, go undetected? Evaluate the risk associated with the passage of time and a résumé inaccuracy. Would it be wrong to engage in résumé puffing and then disclose the actual facts in an interview? Be sure to apply the models.
5. Suppose that you had earned but had never been formally awarded a college degree, due to a hold on your academic record because of unpaid debts. Would you state on your résumé that you had a college degree?
6. Suppose that, in an otherwise good career track, you were laid off because of an economic downturn and remained unemployed for 13 months. Would you attempt to conceal the 13-month lapse in your résumé?
7. Is puffing a short-term solution in a tight job market?
8. James Joseph Minder was appointed to the board of gun manufacturer Smith \& Wesson, headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 2001. In early 2004,