Resume Cheating Soars In Tough Economy

Work Applicants are Embellishing Their Job Credentials

(CBS)  Ten years ago, Andrea Stanfield -- who now runs an animal rescue company -- was dogged by mounting legal bills as she fought for custody of her daughter. She needed a well-paying job.

"I would do anything, anything. What's the fastest way to get there before I lose my daughter, lose everything I have," she said.

But most well-paying jobs required a bachelor's degree. Andrea only had a high school diploma.

So the Ohio native lied on her resume, as CBS News Correspondent Kelly Wallace reports. She claimed to be a graduate of Akron University -- which is actually called the University of Akron.

Stanfield said she didn't think about the consequences.

"I worked really hard to put the consequences out of my head."

The lie led to two high-level financial jobs and a six-figure salary. But it also caused severe guilt, anxiety attacks and a second divorce.

"I did lose part of myself, part of my life, you can't get that back," said Stanfield. "I lived ten years of my life deceiving everyone I knew."

Three out of ten people lie on their resumes - according to experts.

In a tight economy, with unemployment close to ten percent more job seekers may be feeling desperate enough to stretch the truth.

"We have seen a substantial increase in resume fraud over the last 12 to 24 months," said Greg Slamowitz.

His firm counsels businesses on the importance of screening resumes. But even his company was almost fooled last year. A background check raised suspicions about a candidate's degree and her diploma.

"At first glance it looked good," he said. On closer examination, the word "ninety" was misspelled.

Ben Allen says clients at his security firm Kroll, are requesting more in-depth background checks than ever before. Ninety-six percent of companies nationwide do background checks - up from 66 percent more than ten years ago.

"People are asking us to check more than they have historically. So it would suggest they're more concerned about it," said Allen.

As for Andrea, after spending a decade looking over her shoulder, she quit her job before being caught and turned her past into a book: "Phony! How I Faked My Way Through Life."

"You might pull it off for years, but it's going to get worse and worse and worse," she said. "It's not worth it."

Andrea says her actions cost her her integrity, and ten years later she's still trying to earn it back.

[donnerwetter]

It is a war between companies and employees. Employers lie about their companies and employees lie about their slills. When the truth surfaces, eithe rthe employee leaves on his/her own or they get fired. Nothing new really.

[deezzer]

Have you guys read the book 'blink' by malcolm gladwell? We could use our collective 'instincts' to rate resumes for the genuine ones, in our same line of work (anonymously) here: http://www.resumerace.com

[anti-global2]

she should have to give her salary back to those companies even if it means she will end up homeless.
somewhere someone with a degree didn't get those jobs, and lets face it more educated people are better and worth more to society then those who are not.

[quapawsix]

Here's a prime example of lying
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
) Trumpeting economic progress to a skeptical nation, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden says the massive government program intended to stimulate and reshape the economy is reaching and exceeding goals.

[quapawsix]

Oh I forgot the other examples to follow on this dishonest thing are the Rich elitists.

[quapawsix]

If people are being dishonest and lying they learned it from our wonderful leaders in Washington they are outstanding examples to follow they have been cheating and lying for years.

[Zowwyy]

I would have no problem adding that to my resume. Too many people have a degree, and how they managed to get it is beyond me after watching they them try to do the job. Someone with a degree should not automatically be chosen over someone with experience. If just getting adding a degree will get me the job, I will be adding that lie to my resume.

[isthatso-2009]

If you want to see the ultimate result for allowing the invasion of privacy of the individual, here it is. When did it become the "right" of an employer to look at an employee with a microscope? The employee NEVER has that ability with regard to the employer. What happened to being considered for a job based upon past performance, attitude, and results? Does anybody remember when you succeeded at a job because you had a commitment to excellence and actually were good at what you did? Remember the time when people came to work "on time" every day, departed work only after "quiting time", kept their private life out of the workplace, and conducted themselves with a professional attitude? We've lost touch of what really mattered, and turned it into a farce about "I have this piece of paper from so-and-so university...". No wonder people lie their ***** off about what piece of university paper they have. We've allowed business to make it that way. What a joke.

[jdbynum3]

The lady had to have something on the ball if she worked at a high paying job for 10 years and no one caught her deception. A piece of paper only get's you in the door. YOU are the one that keeps the door open.
In this day, folks seem to think that you MUST have a college degree to be credible and know what you are doing. I have met many educated idiots with degrees. I don't see why a person can't be knowledgeable with just a lowly high school diploma. For people that want to further their education with college, that's well and good. I completely support them. There are those of us though who are just as educated from the school of hard knocks and experience. I had a teacher in high school that said it best, "You can read a book all your life on how to swim and jump in the river and drown". Not all of us want to pursue a degree. Maybe it would be easier if you didn't have to have all the other BS courses that are required for it, not to mention the ridiculous cost the colleges rob from students.

[longtree-2009]

it's up to the employer, the personnel or human resources department, to conduct background validation investigations. it is not that difficult to do. as a rule, all resumes are padded to some degree just as applicants say what a employer wants to hear. employers beware.

[Newster1]

What a joke, a bachelors degree is nothing but paper, just because you have that degree or another broad degree like it doesn't mean you are qualified to be a bank president or stock market broker. You can get a fine arts degree but a BFA degree means diddly squat when it comes to running a multi million dollar corporation! The corporation souldnt care that you did fine arts well and got a degree in it, only that you actually know at the very least- unlike many- where the freaking state of FLORIDA is on a blank outline map, or how to give change back to a customer at the register without having to rely on the machine to subtract 49 cents from the dollar they gave you, and telling you to give back 51 cents change!

[patronejohn]

Good for her. Another person who was told all her life if you worked hard and went to school you would be able to afford a roof over your head. We now have a "service-based" economy. A whole generation of waiters, cashiers, and hotel positions. We are slaves to the white-collar folks who were lucky enough to have rich parents or went to school on a scholarship. "We certainly can't make college affordable or who will clean my house while I take the kids to private school!" The main reason we are in the bad economy we are in is that the middle class no longer exists, the manufacturing base is now in Mexico or India somewhere, and everything is still priced like we all have Union jobs or jobs that pay a living wage.
I think we ought to give this women a nobel in economics for beating the corporate scum at their own game!

[patronejohn]

Good for her. Another person who was told all her life if you worked hard and went to school you would be able to afford a roof over your head. We now have a "service-based" economy. A whole generation of waiters, cashiers, and hotel positions. We are slaves to the white-collar folks who were lucky enough to have rich parents or went to school on a scholarship. "We certainly can't make college affordable or who will clean my house while I take the kids to private school!" The main reason we are in the bad economy we are in is that the middle class no longer exists, hte manufacturing base is now in Mexico or India somewhere, and everything is still priced like we all have Union jobs or jobs that pay a living wage.
I think we ought to give this women a nobel in economics for beating the corporate scum at their own game!

[mnbrant]

Bleh. who wants to work for a Marine anyway. Army all the way baby! Semper fie my a s s!

[pbrammer]

Lying is never a good idea. Education is important especially if you are able to work in the field in which you get the education. It helps you understand the why. This is really true if you are in a technical field. What needs to change in this country is getting rid of diversty. I believe every person regardless of age, race, gender, etc. deserves a chance. Not because you are a certain race,gender, or age or because you are buddies with someone and do not have the credentials that are spelled out in the application. I have been stung by this on several occasions. I am not saying that having friends and using them isn't Ok just as long as you have the stated the credentials.
Don't lie or cheat to get ahead. You are only hurting yourself. Just like this woman it will soon come back to bite you-either your own guilt or jail time!

[formrusmcsgt]

"At first glance it looked good," he said. On closer examination, the word "ninety" was misspelled.
---
I had a gal apply once who's resume said she'd participated in the "campaign against literacy".

Education and experience show if you study the resume well and do an interview that is more than a "howdy-do".......

The people fooled by these liars probably got their positions through faked credentials themselves.

[ludvig1-2009]

I could tell you the truth and you wouldn't believe it anyway. (1) My first engineering job was supporting a nuclear power plant in McMurdo Sound Antarctica. (2) I talked my telephone operator into getting in the phone booth with me. She didn't believe I put money in the machine because it didn't got ding ding, so I told her to come across the street and we put money in the machine and she believed me and gave me credit for putting the coin in the pay phone. (3) I met the chauffer for the head lawyer for the Teamster's who told me Jimmy H would be the next pres. of the Teamsters. I figured that meant a change to a presidential pardon as that's the only way that could happen. Then I moved to Cal. and on TV I saw Hoffa say "I know a lot and if things don't start happening, I'm going to start talking right at the tailend of a show on "What is Jimmy H doing now?" When I saw it I said to myself "He's blackmailing the Pres. of the U.S." No kidding - all three items are the truth. I could give you knock-down dead references.

[deweydame]

Just an FYI...the correct spelling of 90 is NINETY, just as typed on the fake diploma. Most people think it is ninty. I did also, until someone corrected. me.

[mnbrant]

Yeah, I lie all the time too on my resume. I only do it because interviewers are invariably r e t a r d s . The last job I interviewed for, I told them that there were certain days I cannot work. Sure enough 3 days later I got the job. I asked what days will I work? Sure enough it was a day I couldn't work. This is called standard business procedure. They offer you the job, couldn't care less about your requirements, and if you say stuff it thats the end of it. I remember some security company called me and actually told me that I didn't get the job because they checked my G.E.D. and couldn't find it. Hell I was in college at the time. r e t a r d s. I did actually get a G.E.D. in Korea when I was in the army but I guess it got lost or something. Who cares. So I have established that interviewers, recruiters, corporations, and private businesses, are run by r e t a r d s, and its ok to lie and cheat to get a job because most of their employees are r e t a r d s too. I think the only way to break the r e t a r d chain is to start your own business which I plan to do. Probably an LLC.

[mnbrant]

I really don't see why a degree should get you any more money or special titles. I see idiots with degrees every day and they all make more money than me, and to top it off, they push all their work on me. I am afraid to ask my degreed co-workers for help because for sure, it will either not be done, or, if done, be done incorrectly.

[ICanSeeThruYou]

Why is this news???? Because CBS is pushing this woman's book, and/or her book agent knew the right person at CBS to get her on the air. Unless a line of work require particular, specialized training, like biotechnology, engineering, etc., college for "business" is a laugh!

[bigreddog222]

So ICanSeeThruYou, an accounting degree is a laugh? You are sadly misinformed. You apparently have no idea how complex accounting is. There are a lot of people who cannot wrap their head around basic accounting. Is it rocket science? No. But dealing with an ever evolving and ever changing set of rules and regs it is a daily job to keep on top of. Accounting is a general field as there are many specializations ie audit, review, compilation, tax, cash, fund, etc. etc. etc. and that doesn't even include governmental accounting which is another animal.

[anti-global2]

sounds like somebody is jealous. Where i work there is definately a difference between those of us with degrees and those without. Those of us with have been more successful across the baord, and that just makes those without more and more angry. Even though they don't have the skills to perform in the executive positions, they feel that since they have been here for a while they should be making the same money we do. Of course we just laugh, but they actually feel that we should all get an even cut since we all function as a unit. When this comes up I ask, "ok who wants to deal with my headaches this week and who else wants to take home the work i don't have time to do here?" Of course none of them do, they just want the same money.