Resume padding 3

[berkshire]

A company I am involved with hired a new executive with exellent credentials. Business exe with MBA, several bachelors degrees and attaboys on several programs
The new hires contract specified that they be subject to a background check.
The subject came on board, now three months later the background check company has found, glaring, discrepancies in the information provided ,and there is now serious doubt that some of the degrees are valid.
The Hr dept terminated this individual citing breach of contract,
in that the qualifications were not as represented.
My question is, should not Hr have done due diligence prior to hiring.
Or is it common practice to hire pending an investigation?
B.E.

The good engineer does not need to memorize every formula; he just needs to know where he can find them when he needs them. Old professor

 

[jmw]

Simple solution is to offer them a new post (a promotion) with a new probation period and then use the new post to sack them within the probationary period. (but don't, as at my first employer with one of the Girl Fridays, forget when the probationary period ends. They sacked her just after and it cost them a packet).

The promotion will look good on their resume and they may be deluded into thinking they have at last found their niche and will accept happily. (Anyone who hasn't learned after a sequence of sackings is obviously self deluded). Hopefully the competition will employ them.
When questioned: "This employees performance fully warranted our promotion of him/her to a new position." (So we could sack him easily).

JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[berkshire]

JMW,
Now that is kicking someone upstairs with a vengeance.
B.E.

The good engineer does not need to memorize every formula; he just needs to know where he can find them when he needs them. Old professor

 

[jmw]

Not my idea, just observing the world in action and looking carefully anytime anyone offers me something that looks good.

JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[spongebob007]

"I'd like to know if this person was given an opportunity to explain the discrepancies. My fear is that the background check can be flawed."

Six years ago I was applying for a job and the application asked if I had ever been arrested. Well back in college I did have some minor trouble with the law but I had the charges expunged. Since from what I gather companies frequently perform background checks after the employee starts, and discrepancies result in termination, I wanted to see what would come up in a background check on myself (since I planned on answer no to the question about arrests). So I went on the internet and found a website where I could run a background check on anyone for $40. To my surprise an arson conviction and a check forgery conviction came up. Apparently there is someone in Florida with my first and last name(and this is unusual because I don't have a common name at all). A quick review of the results clearly indicate it wasn't me because the other guy with the same name is 20 years older than me. But knowning some of the idiots who work in HR roles, I could easily see how misinformation that comes up during a background check could cost somebody a job. I wonder how often a potential or current employer gives an individual a chance to explain any discrepancies on a resume or job application?

 

[berkshire]

Spongebob,
This individual was given the chance to explain or produce diplomas, and chose not to.
B.E.

The good engineer does not need to memorize every formula; he just needs to know where he can find them when he needs them. Old professor

 

[MiketheEngineer]

HR can check ANYONE out in less than a week. ALSO, all of our employees "enjoy" a 3 month probation period - where they can be released for reason at all.

Seems to work!!

 

[JedClampett]

Whenever we were in the position to hire somebody, my superiors would require that I call references and past employers. Not HR, but an engineer. I remember it because I hated doing it. You'd be surprised how much you can figure out from a few phone calls. We ask if they left on good terms, would you hire this person again, etc. I'd even write a little script to work from. It's not only the answers, but the tone, the hesitations, the language the responses are couched with. We don't necessarily check diplomas, as we're hiring more experienced personnel, but we always call past employers.
If you don't do that, you're just asking for trouble. While a probationary period is a good screen for a real loser, three months is not enough time to really size up a problem employee.

 

[rowingengineer]

We have moved to a six month probation as standard for the company so we can size up correctly.

http://www.nceng.com.au/

"Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning."

 

[beej67]

Nice one spongebob.

TSA wouldn't let me get my plane tickets at the automated kiosk for six years because I share a name with an IRA car bomber. I had to stand in line every time, whether I had bags to check or not, while the manager checked to make sure I wasn't an 80 year old Irishman.

Yay for security theater.

Hydrology, Drainage Analysis, Flood Studies, and Complex Stormwater Litigation for Atlanta and the South East -

http://www.campbellcivil.com

 

[Jakey579]

I am always amazed the sheer number of people who do pad their CVs with a bunch of lies, people either seem to drastically overstate or very occasionally understate) their abilities in my experience. If they have overstated their abilities it seems to take forever to be able to get rid of them - my company for some weird reason does not believe in a probation period.

A person I used to work with was made redundant (otherwise I think they would have been fired anyway, there was a round of redundancies and that just seemed to be the easier route for the company). They left, and went to work for another company for just over a year, then moved on from there to elsewhere (a number if times I beleive in a very short timeframe).

A couple of years later this person put my name forward as a reference for a new job and must have assumed I had a short memory - politely reminding me that "after leaving office X of the company, remember how I went and worked in office Y of the company for a year prior to resigning...... They were obviously trying to lose the employer after us from their CV.

I however, have a memory like an elephant, so when I was asked during the refernce check to confirm the dates of employment, I told then the dates they worked in office X, and they would have to confirm the time spent in office Y directly with office Y.

I could not believe this person expected me to lie for them during a reference check (well they may not have expected it, they may have hoped to get away with it). The job this person was applying for was very senior in role and there was no way this person was capable (and I told the HR company this).

 

[GregLocock]

" there was no way this person was capable (and I told the HR company this). "

Full marks for forthrightness. Hopefully he won't sue you for defamation or worse.

Cheers

Greg Locock


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[MiketheEngineer]

I agree w/ GregLocock... Best to say " I would probably not hire them back" or check w/ your lawyer on to handle.

 

[patprimmer]

Or say, "my mother always said if you can't say something good about someone, say nothing so no Comment". It would be wise to run it past a lawyer who knows the applicable laws in your jurisdiction though.

Regards
Pat
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[MiketheEngineer]

Patprimmer -

I have used the "mother" line a number of times. It gets the message across quite well.

 

[KENAT]

I thought you were meant to:

A. Transfer the call to HR
B. HR would then confirm dates of employment and that's it.

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[moltenmetal]

http://www.istream.com/news/watch/97967/Yahoo-CEO-fired-for-padding-resume

Embellishing your accomplishments may be merely putting a positive spin on things, but claiming degrees that you do not posess is pretty close to fraud.

 

[patprimmer]

Embellishing your accomplishments may be merely putting a positive spin on things, but claiming degrees that you do not posess is pretty close to fraud.

It is actually fraud.

At lest here, according to my lawyer, the legal definition of fraud theft by deception. Padding a resume is deception. Accepting a salary you would otherwise not have been paid is theft by that deception.

Regards
Pat
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[moltenmetal]

Pat: wow, if the definition is that broad, there's a LOT of fraud in the world! But I do see the distinction between claiming you had more of a role in a project than you actually did, and claiming you have a degree or other objective credential that you don't actually posess.

 

[patprimmer]

There certainly is, but almost all of it cannot be prosecuted as they need to prove knowledge of errors and intent to deceive and value of what was "stolen". Reasonable incorrect recollection can be used as a defence.

At least that is how it was explained to me with a comment on the particular case that We could probably prove intent, but the provable value of the theft would be less than the non reimbursable expenses.

Regards
Pat
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