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Buying References for a Resume?
February 16, 2010 – 11:47 amI am appalled! (And no, not over the travesty that is Valentine’s Day, which I dragged my boyfriend to this weekend. Seriously, in a movie with three or four Oscar winners, how was it that Ashton “Punk’d” Kutcher gave the best performance? But I digress…)
No, what is so appalling is an article I read on cnn.com. Apparently, there is a company that will, for a fee, create fake job references for you. And I don’t think it’s just a number perspective employers will call that will have someone on the other end singing your praises. (If that was all I needed for a job, then my mom would be very busy…) The company creates a fake website, logo, Linkedin profile…
Wow, seems like more of a hassle then, I don’t know, actually doing a real job and having that as a reference.
Talk about unethical!
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| Yes, I can vouch for Bob. He was an exemplary employee. |
Personally, if I was conducting a job interview, and the candidate had gaps in his resume that he could explain, for example, he lost his job because of the economy and has been looking since, I would take that much more favorably than if I hired said candidate because of his awesome references and later found out it was a fake company. (This sort of reminds me of that scam where a “talent scout” approaches a girl at the mall and tells her she could be a model, and he’ll give her a deal on head shots before she meets with the agency. So she pays for the head shots, but when she shows up at the agency, it’s just an abandoned building.)
What would you do if you came across someone who made up references on a resume? What if this person was already hired and working–would this be grounds for immediate dismissal?
Conversely, how should job applicants explain holes in a resume? Should the job applicant make a note about it in the resume or cover letter, or just wait for the interviewer to ask? If you saw a resume with employment gaps, would you give it a second look, or put it right in the trash pile?
Note: I will be appearing on a vpanel on Monday, 2/22, on Protecting Your Intellectual Property. Sign up here: http://www.shiftworldwide.com/vpanels/protectingip.htm
One Response to “Buying References for a Resume?”
Once you give out a resume the person getting it can do what they please with it. I gave mine to manager when applying for a promotion/transfer and weeks later she told me she gave it to another manager. She told me they talked about me and decided I would be better off working for him and he wanted to hire me. I did get a 27.5% pay raise so wasn’t angry and liked the man who wanted to hire me. But the point is my resume was available to be shared and references are private until I want to share them.
By r4i sdhc on Feb 23, 2010