Ethical Resumes

Donovan RicksEvan Clark

Begaim MirzaevaGolnoosh Haji-Sheikhi

What is a Resume?

It is a structured written summary of a person’s :

- Education Background- Employment History- Job Qualifications- Awards and Achievements- Skills and Talents

Facts about Unethical Resumes

- 34% of Job Applicants lie on their Resumes

- Up to 50% of contain False Information

- According to Forbes.com the most common lies are about education, employment

dates, job titles and technical skills.

People who were caught

- David Edmondson, chief executive officer at RadioShack resigned he had lied on his resume about having two college degrees when he really had none.

- Ronald Zarrella, Bausch & Lomb CEO lied about having MBA

- Ken Lonchar, Chief Financial Officer Vertitas Software lied about having MBA

Common Lies and their Rationale

- Claiming a degree that was not earned—you were only a few credits short

- Creating a more impressive job title—you were doing the other person’s job anyway

- Claiming a team’s contribution as your own—you carried the team on your back

- Inflating the number of people you managed—your influence was vast

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Suggestions to create a more Ethical Resume

1. Exaggerated resultsNever make up business results assuming no one will be able to validate them. You must be able to back up any information you write on your resume with proof during the interview.

2. Claiming full ownership of a projectNever claim full ownership of a large-scale initiative if the results should be attributed to the team. Use phrases such as "as part of a team", "co-producer", "co-author”.

3. Making up Job TitlesIf you were in a director role, don't state that you were the SVP. However if your job title was not truly representative of your responsibilities,

consider tweaking the title to make it more relevant or putting an alternative title in parenthesis.

4. Fudging DatesDon't alter dates to make a gap look shorter. Most hiring authorities are interested in the number of years you were employed at an organization, not the months and years.

5. Listing a Degree you never earnedInformation on degrees is pretty easy to verify. If you

attended college but didn't graduate, list the course of study, school name, and location, but leave the degree off.

6. Putting jargon on your resume you can't support

If you have added keywords to your resume to describe your competencies, make sure you know the meaning of those keywords and can explain them during an interview.

7. Don’t Overstate

GPA – should be stated as it is when constructing your resume. A 2.99 could be rounded to 3.0, especially since your last semester’s grades may be a factor if you have not yet graduated. A 2.77, on the other hand, cannot be rounded to 3.0.

Job Title – should be clear and uninflated such as jobs you have held or positions in a student organizations. If you were pumping gas, don’t write "petroleum supply consultant." If you were the "president" of a club with two members that never met, it doesn’t deserve a mention.

8. Don’t Understate

Don’t mislead the employer by understating your accomplishments. An ethical presentation is one that alerts an employer to your critical skills and characteristics. Your chances of getting an interview could be in jeopardy if your resume is overlooked because you understated you qualifications.

*For example, your GPA might be understated unless it is accompanied by an explanation:

GPA 2.9 (3.3 after leaving engineering major) orGPA 2.86 (worked 30 hours a week each semesterwhile carrying a full course load)

How to Answer some potential Resume Problems Truthfully

- Employment GapsMention any volunteer work or any self projects you have accomplished

- Misrepresentative TitlesIf you have done something outside of your job title say so—but don’t change your previous job title

- Past SalariesState what you were really paid. If you feel you were underpaid then support reasoning.

- SkillsActually enroll in a class or try teaching yourself the skill. Let your employer know that you are actively working on gaining a particular skill to avoid any

trouble.

Three-Step Writing Process for Resumes

Plan

Write

Complete

Plan

- Analyze the Situation

- Gather Information

- Select the Right Medium

- Organize the Information

Write

- Adapt to Your Audience

- Compose the Message

Complete

- Revise the Message

- Produce the Message

- Proofread the Message

- Distribute the Message

Questions?