# 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:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/41 "2013-03-13T09:44:10Z")
> [@DrumBum](#): > > This visa requirement was also the case when I was in Kuwait and I would not be surprised to see it in other countries, including the US. None of my visas required that specifically, but the first one was as a student and I needed to provide a copy of my transcript to the university; the second one was a transfer for the company I’d worked with for two years and I had needed to provide a transcript to the company. I’ve had a few employers ask for a copy of the diploma, which is always a bitch: one of its “anti-faking features” is being too large for a photocopier, so I need to ask whether they want a 1:1 copy of the center, a full copy split into 8 DINA4s, or a reduction of the center. ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/42 "2013-03-13T12:06:43Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > None of my visas required that specifically, but the first one was as a student and I needed to provide a copy of my transcript to the university; the second one was a transfer for the company I’d worked with for two years and I had needed to provide a transcript to the company. I’ve had a few employers ask for a copy of the diploma, which is always a bitch: one of its “anti-faking features” is being too large for a photocopier, so I need to ask whether they want a 1:1 copy of the center, a full copy split into 8 DINA4s, or a reduction of the center. Yay, my uni now does secure link copies of transcript and diploma! I put in an email address, and then they contact that person with a secure link that lets them see my transcript and diploma. So much better! Also much better if they want an official diploma, because they cost a fortune. I’m applying to different uni programmes now, and each application costs a shit ton of money already. If I had to send them a £50 diploma every time I’d be broke. Well, broker than I already am. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/43 "2013-03-13T12:10:33Z")
> [@Alphaghost](#): > > Has anyone ever lyed about your degree and got away with it? I have a hunch you won’t get away with it. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/44 "2013-03-13T12:13:08Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > Every few years I read about a lawyer who has been faking it and someone finally checked the bar site. It used to be somewhat regular back before the internet made it a two minute check. What was really amusing was when they were partners at reputable firms that got caught. Also now a hit [show](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1632701/) on USA. ---
**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 13, 2013, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/45 "2013-03-13T12:29:53Z")
> [@Kevbo](#): > > \ One job I took as a degreed engineer with over 10 years experience actually wanted to make a copy of my high school diploma. Man, I have no idea what happened to my high school diploma. I’m not even certain I could lay hands on my college diploma - it might be in my night stand drawer… 😕 Before I was hired as an engineer by the gummint, I had to provide my official transcript. Going back even further, when I enlisted in the Navy, you could start out a bit higher on the pay scale if you had college credits, and I had to prove I had 36 credit hours in order to start out as an E2 instead of an E1. My husband has worked as a mechanical engineer in industry for almost 30 years, and I don’t think he’s ever had to provide a transcript - certainly not for the last 15 years or so anyway. I’m pretty sure at this stage of his career, employers are more interested in what he’s done professionally than academically. ---
**Author:** ![DrumBum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e79b87/32.png) [@DrumBum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrumBum)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/46 "2013-03-13T12:57:25Z")
The rationale( as I was told ) for requiring a copy of the latest diploma is to prove to the government that I my qualifications exceed those of a national employee in the position that is being filled. They want positions filled by qualified Angolans that are capable of doing the work so one of my key job responsibilities is to mentor them. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/47 "2013-03-13T17:31:17Z")
> [@Skara\_Brae](#): > > Also now a hit [show](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1632701/) on USA. Community has Jeff, a character who did that, and The Riches had a character who did that. ---
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/48 "2013-03-13T18:20:36Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > Community has Jeff, a character who did that, and The Riches had a character who did that. Jeff actually went to law school, though. He only lied about his undergrad work. [Abed]By the way, they started using that as a mid season arc on Law and Order. Total rip off. [/Abed] ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2013, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/49 "2013-03-14T16:25:01Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > 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? I’m a software developer and it’s often not strictly required that a person have _any_ degree. If you have 10 years of experience in systems related to what the employer has they probably don’t care a whole lot about your degree. You mentioned old degrees. A Computer Science degree is heavily theoretical and someone who received a BS in CS in 1982 and has remembered half of the material should be ok. Graphs, trees, and sorting don’t change much. If you have 20 years of experience as a developer but your degree was from 1982, you could just put “BS - Computer Scence - Podunk State” at the bottom of your resume. They’ll probably blip right over it with a nod because what the really care about in the end are your abilities that you have shown through your experience. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2013, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/50 "2013-03-14T16:30:41Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I have a nephew who graduated from a University, but his diploma was being withheld (some problem he eventually addressed). In the meantime, he had a job opportunity that required a copy of his diploma. He purchased one online, and got the job. > > A few months later he received his real diploma. He asked me what to do. The eventual solution was to tell his employer he presented a gag-gift diploma _accidentally_, since it looked so real. His boss accepted this and replaced the copy of the fake with a copy of the real thing. Do you mean that he actually graduated but they refused to give him the documentation, or that the actual granting of his degree was being withheld in a formal sense due to some irregularity even though all of the required courses, etc. had been completed? E.g., “Yes, you’ve completed the curricular requirements for the BA in Important Stuff, but because you have over $500 in unpaid campus parking tickets you have been suspended from school and your diploma cannot be offcially conferred until your outstanding parking ticket balance falls back below the threshold. Yesterday was the last day to apply to graduate so if you pay now you can graduate next semester.” ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2013, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/51 "2013-03-14T16:47:25Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > Do you mean that he actually graduated but they refused to give him the documentation, or that the actual granting of his degree was being withheld in a formal sense due to some irregularity even though all of the required courses, etc. had been completed? He didn’t tell me the specifics, nor did I ask. He fulfilled the requirements for his B.A., but did not attend graduation and they wouldn’t mail his diploma to him until he did something. “Something” might have been paperwork/return a library book/whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2013, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/52 "2013-03-14T16:56:29Z")
I was close to hiring someone once. He clearly intimated on his resume that he had a degree, but the truth was he was a couple of classes short and they weren’t even in progress. He had everything I needed but did not hire him because of the ethics issue. Just be truthful on your resume, OP. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2013, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/53 "2013-03-14T17:38:50Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > He didn’t tell me the specifics, nor did I ask. He fulfilled the requirements for his B.A., but did not attend graduation and they wouldn’t mail his diploma to him until he did something. “Something” might have been paperwork/return a library book/whatever. He probably still owed them some money. I have never had a job ask me for a copy of my diploma. I’d have a hard time even finding mine and they’re so easy to fake. That makes no damn sense. Every job has asked for permission to contact the school to verify my info. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2013, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/54 "2013-03-14T18:18:42Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > He probably still owed them some money. I had to get my transcript for my old college when I started school again. I left under financial duress, so when I got a letter saying I had a hold on my academic record, I was terrified. What bill had I neglected to pay? Was it more than I could afford? Would it put my future college degree at stake? The bill for $4.75 in medical fees. :smack: :rolleyes: ETA: I came within a hair of completing my degree before I left college. Many times over the past fifteen or so years I’ve been tempted to lie on my resume, especially for jobs that want degrees but don’t need them. I was so close! I never did, though. ---
**Author:** ![Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mona_Lisa_Simpson)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/55 "2013-03-16T06:24:50Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I don’t know that companies do “routine audits” of employees background years after the fact. > > Maybe the OP plans to use his resume as a strong alkali to cure food, fix clogged drains or make soap? mmmm lutefisk. (not really) Lye on your resume or lye on your college diploma, caustic and messy. But never lie about Lutefisk. (I lived an hour from Northern MN. That’s my cite.) ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/56 "2013-03-16T08:02:58Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > He probably still owed them some money. > > I have never had a job ask me for a copy of my diploma. I’d have a hard time even finding mine and they’re so easy to fake. That makes no damn sense. Every job has asked for permission to contact the school to verify my info. Different legal systems, my undergrad school and before will not release transcripts or provide second diplomas to anybody but the alumnus. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628/57 "2013-03-16T20:22:08Z")
Before I finished my degree, I listed the school, the major and the four years I spent - but not the “B.A.” If I got a second interview - I clarified I had not yet finished the degree, but emphasized the “tons of experience” and the little I had to do to finish it - although my job and my kids both took priority. I since got my degree. It didn’t hold me back, but much of my career was “made” during the 1990s dot com boom when spelling “computer” properly was a resume builder (spelling lying right would help too). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-about-education-on-resume/652628.md?page=2)