|
No Degree, No Problem
According to a recent survey, 52% of job candidates polled lied on their resume about having a college degree.
Here are 3 brief horror stories:
A new Director of Logistics and his family were actually loading the moving van provided by his new employer for relocation from California to North Carolina. The phone rang and it was the Human Resource Manager from his new company. The offer was being withdrawn. Through a routine degree verification check, the company learned the potential new employee did not have a degree. He was 3 hours short of graduating. Had the candidate been honest, the job was still his. It was an integrity issue.
Five candidates for a high level software sales job were interviewing. After the face to face interviews, the candidates were offered a "grace period" to revise their application. The company was aware of a problem with one canddiate. The lead candidate changed his college degree information to "Did Not Graduate." He was dropped from contention.
A candidate for a Vice President of Logistics position for a multi-billion/multi national company was offered the job. However, the background check could not verify the degree as listed on the resume. The stunned candidate said he could fix the problem. After one week, he called and faxed over the degree verification information. Only two blank pieces of paper came out of the fax. He said, "I must have faxed the wrong side." The offer was rescinded the night before his start date because of the integrity issue. The company would have hired him if he had been honest about not having a degree.
Offers withdrawn because of "no degree" are not because the lack of a college degree was a "deal breaker." The issue was that each of these high level managers misrepresented themselves on their resume and during the interview. As a search firm, we always encourage candidates to be upfront and candid about the information on the resume, including whether or not they have a college degree.
Don't try to hide it amongst several other educational courses you have taken. If you are hiring, ask the candidate directly. It's amazing how many hiring managers "assumed" the candidate graduated. The most deceptive piece on a resume is: University of Any State, 1986-1990. Listing the years but not if they graduated. Common oversight.
Most times, if the candidate has a solid background and the chemistry is strong with the organization, the company hires the person. Remember 70% of hiring is Chemistry. Degree isn't the most important factor.
Brett Stevens is founder and President of The SearchLogix Group (http://www.searchlogixgroup.com). Brett has enjoyed remarkable success in the executive search business. He has achieved the industry's highest level of professional certification: Certified Senior Account Manager (CSAM). He has received numerous regional, national, and international awards through meeting the needs of his clients. He continues to achieve record breaking performance and has been nationally recognized for those results with The SearchLogix Group. Brett is a member of the Council of Logistics Management, APICS and WERC. He has been recognized in many trade and online magazines and is a notable guest speaker and most recently, Brett was recognized internationally by the American Stroke Association for his fundraising efforts. You can email Brett at mailto:brettstevens@searchlogixgroup.com or telephone him at 770-517-2660.
MORE RESOURCES:
Jobs City of Rochester (.gov)
Careers Washington State University
Careers Freedom of the Press Foundation
Careers Gwinnett County Public Schools
JobFeed NSW Department of Education
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Myths of Career Change
Chances are you already have many ideas about what it takes to successfully transition into a new career, even if you have never done it before. Some of those ideas might be useful - most probably are not.
Telephone Phobia: Make the Phone Your Job Search Friend
You're pretty comfortable using the phone. It's something you do every day in your working routine; so why is it that as soon as you need to use it for career change or job-search it becomes too difficult?Your reluctance to use the phone in your career change or job-search probably stems from anxieties about what might happen.
Little Mistakes That Keep You Unemployed
If your job search is dragging on and on, you might want to look in the mirror. Because the person looking back may be sabotaging your efforts.
Career Change: A Glittering Invitation To The Emotional Stalkers
As much as you are yearning for career-change, and as much as the trends actually favor it, just contemplating a shift is a glittering invitation to four emotional stalkers who love nothing better than to play a nasty game of team-tag at your personal expense. When you unmask these bandits -- even a little -- they begin to lose their emotional charge - leaving you free to more fully explore the opportunities to re-invent yourself.
What Everybody Ought To Know About How To Change Their Career or Profession and Still Survive...
Dr. Denis Waitley, trainer of leaders, including Super Bowl and Olympic athletes, Apollo astronauts, and Fortune 500 executives, is the most listened to voice on personal and career achievement and the author of the all-time best-seller, The Psychology of Winning claims that the 21st century is unlike anything we could have imaged.
Making Yourself More Relevant To The New Workplace
Being a current job seeker can be quite a challenging prospect as there are many changes in the workplace. Life-long employment is no longer the norm and workers must also learn to adapt with the complementary expertise of foreign talents.
The Perfect Resume
The perfect resume presents hiring managers with a four-fold vision of who you are and what you bring to the table:
The perfect resume offers Logical Proofs:
Facts
Quantifiable data
Logical conclusions
Achievement and success statements
Relevant professional goals/accomplishments
Limits the use of jargon
Maximizes use of occupation/industry-specific key words
Your capabilities and skills
Clear, specific, measurable, and quantifiable words and phrases
Sells you based on your achievements to date
The perfect resume offers Your Vision & Creativity:
Balanced white space
Visually easy to read
A resume style and paper consistent with your self-marketing vision
Clear big picture of who you are
Sells you based on your potential
Examples of your creativity relating to your targeted position
Your vision of your role and your capacity to contribute
The perfect resume offers Sensible Organization:
Easy-to-follow resume structure
Presents relevant historical information in reverse chronological order
Places the most relevant/marketable data early in the resume
Omits what cannot be proved
Is error-free
Is neatly laid-out and word processed
Stretches to the appropriate length for someone of your experience (one page for up to 10 years of experience; 2 pages for up to 15 years of experience, and 3 pages for senior-level positions demanding over 15 years of experience)
Sells your past
The perfect resume offers Your Personality and Values:
Stresses your interpersonal/written communication skills
Describes your teamwork skills and cites examples of your cross-functionality
Highlights your work-related values
Showcases your work-related personality
Previews who you are
Emphasizes your uniqueness
Is enjoyable to read
Sells who you are
Why not review your resume by comparing it with these four critical categories? You may discover why your resume isn't winning you the interview response you'd hoped for with hiring managers.Cheryl Lynch Simpson is a Spiritual Director and Solutions Coach who helps women discover and create the life they've always wanted to live.
The Right Way To Send Your Resume
Having a great resume is the first critical step in a successful job search. Unfortunately, most people don't know the best ways to get that resume noticed.
Dont Quit Your Day Job! Convincing Your Boss To Let You Telecommute, Part 1 of 2
Are you desperately trying to find a telecommute job so that you canquit your current one? Hold on! Your job just might have the potentialto be done from home.With the right approach, a little research and a good proposal, manyemployees are selling the idea of telecommuting to their employers.
50 Things To Do To Your Boss That Are Fun For You, But Not For Them
1. You're eavesdropping and you hear your boss has reservations at his favorite restaurant.
Be Prepared for the Unexpected
How long has it been since you last had to search for a new job? These days it's not at all unusual to change careers or jobs several times in a lifetime. The idea of retiring from the same company after a lifetime of service is much less a reality in today's world than it was a couple of decades ago.
Perceptions
How was your latest car wash experience?Did you take your car to a do-it-yourself car wash where you could ensure that every spot that needed to be cleaned was clean?Did you approach the car wash cautiously, checking your windows 2 and 3 times to ensure that they were firmly secure so that no water could come inside? Then carefully ease your car up to the marked line and then wait - feeling powers beyond your control begin to move your car forward and then feel trapped inside when the thunderous rush of water, soap and brushes hit your car from all directions? Or did you cheerfully approach the car wash, deposit your coins and gently guide your car into the tracks calmly and serenely.Did you wonder if you were going to get stuck in the middle and be unable to get out? Did you wonder if the machinery would break down? Did you wonder if your windows Or did you sit back comfortably in your warm cocoon, knowing that you were in good hands and that the machinery was there simply to wash away the dirt and the grime to leave your car clean and ready to go again?I was at my mom's a couple of weeks ago.
Pebbles in Your Shoe Dont Only Hurt your Foot But Cause Back and Hip Problems!
CIO Magazine ran an article entitled, "Ten Mistakes CIO's Too Often Make" written by Susan H. Cramm, former CIO and vice president of IT at Taco Bell and CFO and executive vice president at Chevys, a Taco Bell subsidiary.
Get Inspired About Your Career
Get Inspired about Your CareerDo you linger in bed long after your alarm goes off on work mornings? Do you dread Sunday nights because they lead to Monday mornings? Do you watch the clock and wonder if the day will ever end? Do you look outside your workplace and ask, "Is there more to life than just this job?"If you suffer from any of these symptoms, it is time for you to create a new career! In her CD book, Advanced Energy Anatomy, Carolyn Myss, Ph.D.
Handling the Dreaded Why Did You Leave? Question
If you left your last job under less-than-ideal circumstances, you probably dread the "Why did you leave?" question that almost always comes up at job interviews. Here's how to handle it.
10 Key Career Success Questions
At some point in every professional or managerial career, there is a time when one start thinking: Is it time to move on or do something else? However, before you quit your job and take a fling at something else, realistically evaluate your career and potential options by asking yourself these ten career success questions:Do I really like my work or am I hanging on marking time?Am I promotable or am I seen as a disposable commodity?Am I visible to potential employers, as well as my current boss?Am I growing or stagnating or just standing still waiting for the next wave of change? How smooth are my interpersonal relationships with my boss and co-workers?Am I being rewarded at my true worth? Have I recently checked out my value in the marketplace?How valued and diversified are my skills and competencies?How can I distinguish myself from competitors?What will it take to get where I want to go from the place I am right now?While setting distinct goals is a critical factor in career advancement, remaining flexible is important too. Climbing the career ladder with blinders on could mean missed opportunity.
Career Change - Emotional Intelligence for Knowledge Workers?
Nowadays we can expect to survive the second half of our lives and as our work is knowledge-based - we knowledge workers are not finished after 30 years on the job - Are we merely bored?There are three ways to develop another career: The first way is to really start a career. Our original career decision (at school or college) may have been simply around 'getting a job to make some money' or just to 'get into the job market' in some way.
Are You Taking Your Inner Brat to Work?
Is your inner brat taking over your job? Everyone has an inner brat. It's the part of us that's still a 2-year-old.
So you want to work at home
There are several ways to work from home. Some of the more popular ways are affiliate programs, direct marketing and starting your own business.
The Big Mo : Momentum and the Hiring Process
Momentum as defined by Webster's is: strength or force gained by motion or through the development of events. For our purposes, the interview process is a "development of events".
|