We all get multiple e-mails everyday . . . . . some we sign up for, some are random. I read them in batches as a time management tactic . . . . . they seem to come in endlessly. Candidate and client e-mails get priority; e-mail sources to which I subscribe get read when time permits.

Executive Resume Trickery Reaches a New High

This was one of the articles contained in the September 9th ExecuNet e-mail from Joe McCool (among his credentials, he is a contributing editor to ExecuNet). It references a Liars Index produced by a search firm in Brookfield, Wisconsin (Jude M. Werra & Associates). The index is a reflection of the percentage of executives who misrepresent their education claims on their resume. It reached a new high - 21.43% - for the first six months of 2010.

The index follows the economy

According to the article, the index was at a previous record high during the 2000 - 2001 recession. It follows the economy - and the unemployment rate (overall rate, NOT the rate by education level which is substantially lower - which is somewhat ironic).

Yet another reminder . . . . .

. . . . . to be cautious in believing what you receive in writing. As previously reported on this Blog, we have a 10% to 15% degree falsification rate AFTER people sign a legal release allowing us to verify their credentials. The candidates we 'catch' all seem surprised; only a couple try to continue the falsehood.

One interesting ethical question!

We recently found an internal candidate for a position who had 'overstated' her academic credentials. We, of course, let the company know. The question - what will the company do with the information? (Their reactive comment was that we now know that they do not verify candidate credentials at time of hire.) We will let you know if/when we find out.