Podcast: Why Resume Fraud Is Not a Victimless Crime

The University of South Florida's recent decision to rescind a multi-million-dollar job offer to a basketball coach after a background check revealed he had never graduated from college is only the latest high-profile example of resume fraud. In recent years, a Yahoo CEO and a Massachusetts Institute of Technology admissions director were also ensnared by their own misstatements regarding their educational backgrounds.

This podcast examines each of these case studies plus lessons to learn from them with former executive recruiter Lisa Rangel, who now heads her own New Jersey-based executive resume-writing and job search firm, Chameleon Resumes.

Podcast: Why Resume Fraud Is Not a Victimless Crime

May 19, 2014

"It's always better to own mistakes proactively," says Rangel. "You can't undo it, so do you own the mistake or do you compound it with additional lies?" She adds that the lie is usually a bigger issue than not having a degree, even when it is required for a position.

Other key issues Rangel addresses are the best practice for HR upon getting confirmation that something in a resume is false, as well as the question of whether employers ever inadvertently encourage resume fraud by overemphasizing certain qualifications that might not be relevant to the job.