# Lying about education on resume... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 11, 2013, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628 "2013-03-11T13:16:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Alphaghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/67e7ee/32.png) [@Alphaghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alphaghost)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/1 "2013-03-11T13:16:25Z")
I haven’t finished my degree but have tons of experience… Has anyone ever lyed about your degree and got away with it? ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/2 "2013-03-11T13:18:28Z")
For some reason, I don’t think that’s going to work out that well for you… ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/3 "2013-03-11T13:19:40Z")
Are there people who lied about their degrees and got away with it? Yes, but every single instance I know was found out eventually. One of the things that confirmed my coworker Alice was nuttier than a peanut plantation is that she didn’t see what the problem was with a doctor who got found out not to be one - “but he was doing a good job!” :smack: Don’t. Just don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/4 "2013-03-11T13:32:27Z")
The department where I work went around and verified the current employees’ degrees, and I assume many workplaces may do that even prior to hiring. So just because someone might get away with it initially, I wouldn’t expect that it may necessarily last. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/5 "2013-03-11T13:41:34Z")
“lyed”: finish your education. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/6 "2013-03-11T13:53:40Z")
If you have “tons of experience” that should be enough for a lot of fields. Of course, that’s not going to cut it if it’s something like a doctor or nurse or college professor where you absolutely have to have a degree, but not all jobs require a degree. I don’t have a degree, but I have 20+ years of experience. Does it limit me? Yup, there are some places that won’t even consider me. But that’s maybe 10% or 15% of the jobs out there from what I can tell. The rest are happy to hire me. No need to lie about a degree. ---
**Author:** ![ReticulatingSplines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@ReticulatingSplines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReticulatingSplines)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/7 "2013-03-11T13:54:38Z")
This is one of those things that you used to be able to get away with, and I don’t doubt there’s a handful of currect executives who have. Look how far Scott Thompson got before he was finally exposed. If not for an activist investor, he may never have. But now, every job I’ve held for the last six or seven years has verified my academic credentials. Though I don’t know why they bothered in my case, because nobody in their right mind would lie about holding a psychology degree. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/8 "2013-03-11T14:06:22Z")
> [@Alphaghost](#): > > . . . lyed . . . I hope you’re not an English major. ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/9 "2013-03-11T16:55:05Z")
> [@Alphaghost](#): > > I haven’t finished my degree but have tons of experience.. > > Has anyone ever lyed about your degree and got away with it? The question isn’t “Have they gotten away with it?” but “How long until someone caught them?” Play up your tons of experience. That may be more attractive than your actual education. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/10 "2013-03-11T16:59:38Z")
Is there a point where a potential employer stops checking education records? I do have a degree - from 1979. To my mind, that degree is pretty much worthless at this stage, especially compared to 26+ years of experience in the field. Yeah, the degree gave me the foundation I needed to start amassing the experience, but as far as I’m concerned all the diploma says now is that I graduated from a specific university in a specific year with a specific degree. It says I survived a particular curriculum, while my experience tells what kind of engineer I am. I can understand fields where licensing is required that you’d want to be sure all credentials are in order, but apart from that, is your job experience ever more important than your sheepskin? ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/11 "2013-03-11T17:29:31Z")
Keep in mind that even if they don’t verify your degree during the hiring process they could always do it years later during a routine audit. It’s a great way to get rid of an employee without having to bother with things like severance pay or unemployment. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/12 "2013-03-11T17:35:12Z")
Most of my employers have asked for transcripts. My sister worked for the US government and a colleague was discovered to have lied about a degree. It is one of the few ways you can actually get fired by the federal government. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/13 "2013-03-11T17:37:49Z")
> [@Alphaghost](#): > > I haven’t finished my degree but have tons of experience.. > > Has anyone ever lyed about your degree and got away with it? Is the degree or certificate a _sine qua non_ requirement of your career field? Or a mandatory requirement on the job listing from the potential employers? If **not** , then do \*\*\*not \*\*\*bother with falsely stating the credentials, and instead play up the “tons of experience” card. It’s not worth it to have the issue of a false representation in your hiring hanging over your head. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/14 "2013-03-11T18:44:23Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Keep in mind that even if they don’t verify your degree during the hiring process they could always do it years later during a routine audit. It’s a great way to get rid of an employee without having to bother with things like severance pay or unemployment. I don’t know that companies do “routine audits” of employees background years after the fact. > [@panache45](#): > > . . . lyed . . . > > I hope you’re not an English major. Maybe the OP plans to use his resume as a strong alkali to cure food, fix clogged drains or make soap? ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/15 "2013-03-11T18:50:50Z")
The only lie I can see being acceptable on a resume is your address. If you are looking for a job outside of your city or state and you use an address that is local to the area you are searching that is fine and I’ve done it myself before with no problems. Anything more than that is unacceptable though and will probably cause you to either not get hired or eventually lose your job over the lie. ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/16 "2013-03-11T18:54:31Z")
It’s been almost 20 years since I have held a job where I had to turn in a resume or fill out an application. If I remember correctly though, at the bottom of everyone of those applications, in the small print, was a statement to the effect of ‘if you knowingly falsify any information on this form you can be terminated immediately’. Besides the embarrassment of being caught in a lie, knowing that a lie could cost me my job was reason enough to tell the truth. As my father used to tell me, don’t hand your boss a reason to fire you on a silver platter. If the SOB wants to terminate you, make him work hard to find a one. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/17 "2013-03-11T18:54:36Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I don’t know that companies do “routine audits” of employees background years after the fact. Mine appeared to in that they required proof of degrees from current employees even years/decades after hiring, but perhaps they were just catching up with a new regulation/policy that required it at/before the time of hiring. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/18 "2013-03-11T19:01:40Z")
You might find the story of [Marilee Jones](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilee_Jones) instructive. She lied about her academic credentials on her resume in 1979 when she was hired for an entry-level position at MIT. Because of her job skills and on-the-job experience, she rose to become the highly respected Dean of Admissions at MIT. In 2007 she was forced to resign when the lie was discovered. ---
**Author:** ![ReticulatingSplines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@ReticulatingSplines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReticulatingSplines)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/19 "2013-03-11T19:05:52Z")
> [@sahirrnee](#): > > As my father used to tell me, don’t hand your boss a reason to fire you on a silver platter. If the SOB wants to terminate you, make him work hard to find a one. Charming advice, but he doesn’t have to work much harder than pointing to the “at-will” employment clause that most people have in their employment agreements. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/20 "2013-03-11T19:11:17Z")
A close friend of mine consistently lies about her education (specifically, she claims to have graduated from a different school but she has a real degree). On one occasion she got kicked out of a university program, but she hasn’t had any recent issues. The funny part is that most North American employers probably don’t know the difference between the two schools anyways. E.g., her lie is the equivalent of saying she graduated from Nairobi University instead of Nairobi Technical University – if you’re not from Kenya, you probably haven’t heard of either of them. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628.md?page=2)