Is it illegal to under-report your education on your resume? There is a problem in the world of business with employers thinking that, because of your educational attainments, you will automatically demand more income or benefits. What if you have a Ph.D. but you really want a job that doesn’t require one? - Philip
I’m certain it’s not illegal. It may not be wise. When I’m hiring I like to see everything there is to see.
Not in Spain, no. You don’t list your location: I assume it’s not Spain but an Anglo name could still mean a number of places with very diverse laws.
I had a couple of jobs that nobody would have given to someone with an MS; the resumes I send to those kinds of jobs list my 3 years in graduate school as “TA job” but the “MS in Theoretical Chemistry” just mysteriously dissapears from the “Education” part. Personally I think it’s silly: like you I expect to get paid for the work I do, not for every task I am qualified to do.
This is in the U.S., Chicago, IL in particular.
Very interesting. I think I am overly “honest.” That’s not the right word: ‘revealing’, perhaps is more accurate. Still, I will need to check into the laws in Chicago, IL.
I think you’re asking the wrong question. I’ve never heard of anybody being prosecuted for resume fraud, so I don’t think whether it’s legal is terribly important. The more relevant question is whether it’s ethical–or, more to the point, whether employers are likely to perceive it as ethical, and if they discover the omission, whether they’re likely to (a) not hire you; or (b) fire you if you’ve already been hired.
It’s hard to answer the ethics question. Employers would certainly prefer that you tell them everything, but you could make a case for omitting degrees, experience, or professional designations that have no relevance to the position for which you’re applying.
Personally, I omit some of my work experience from my resume, because I don’t want to advertise my age. If questioned about it (and I was once), I explain that the work omitted has no relevance to my current qualifications–its old, and in a different field. To my knowledge, nobody has ever penalized me for this.
It might be more dicey if you’re omitting a degree in the field in which you’re seeking work.
A resume is your ‘greatest hits.’ Leaving off education is not a problem at all. However, if you have to fill out a formal application that asks for all schooling, and you leave it off, THEN you are lying. Almost all resumes do not have all relevant info on them. I certainly would want my PhD. on a resume (if I had one), but you don’t have to do so. For instance, on my resume, I do not include about half my Army experience, because there just isn’t enough room, so I highlight key positions. I also leave off short or part-time jobs that don’t really build anything up (though big gaps would be a problem). Now, I list them if an application asks for all employment in the last 10 years or something, but there’s just not room on my resume to list every job I’ve ever held.
It is definitely not illegal to leave a degree off of your résumé. As Jman said, your résumé isn’t expected to list everything about your life. You choose what’s most important and most pertinent to the job you’re applying for.
It’s a whole lot better than listing a degree you don’t really have. 
Resumes are supposed to go back 10 years, unless you have relevant experience prior to that that should be pointed out to that employer
Lying on your resume is common and therefore most employers simply don’t use it as a hiring guide. Did you ever wonder WHY most companies INSIST on making you fill out their job application?
This is to specifically get you into the postion to tell the truth, as the applications say that being untruthful on the APPLICATION is grounds for dismissal. NOT THE RESUME
In the late 90s when the job situation was wide open, it was nice, because I never filled out the job applications. I told the prospective employer, you have my resume, upon hire I’ll fill out your applicaton. And no one ever sqwaked about it.
Now with the tight job market, they won’t do that
A few years ago, Mrs. Nott sent a resume for a job that didn’t seem to require a CPA, so she left that off her resume. She got an interview, but the job went to a guy who was a CPA. Go figger. :rolleyes:
I agree entirely with Jman.
A resume is bait, not a legal document. To lie on it is unwise, but ommissions are common, and I have been told to pare it down to the absolute minimum of info relevant to the position being sought. Two pages is the absolute max I am told by the employment agencies I have worked with. Application forms are different, any I have filled out included a statement that they are true and complete, had to be signed attesting to the truthfulness, and included a note that any falsification is reason for termination at any time such untruthfulness is discovered.