“The chief executive of a pioneering technology company has been removed after allegations he falsified his CV with a fake computer science degree. Scott Thompson, the third chief executive of Yahoo in as many years, will be temporarily replaced by Ross Levinsohn, the internet firm’s head of media relations. Yahoo announced Mr Thompson’s departure last week, following allegations from activist investor Third Point that he had misrepresented his academic record. Rather than holding a bachelor degree in accountancy and computer science, as his company biography stated, Mr Thompson only had the former, the investor said -- Contractor UK
Moral of the story? Don’t lie on your CV. (Obvious, yet often grossly overlooked.)
CV-scouring is definitely one of the basics of recruitment - to ensure that all information given is verified or backed up with the correct documentation (i.e. degree, qualifications, visas etc.) This is easier for Recruitment Consultants as it’s the very purpose of the job...however, I feel it’s a little harder for companies who only take direct hires. If they don’t have an internal recruitment team and the HR department are responsible for vetting the CVs (amongst all their other daily tasks) they may not be able to dedicate enough time to get as much information as perhaps an Agency could (or should...I’m not vouching for all Agencies!)
First and foremost; a recruiter’s job is to decipher a CV - speak to the candidate and figure out whether what they’ve said is actually true and whether they really can perform the tasks required in the role. Within the IT field; it’s slightly easier as roles are often quite technical so if someone doesn’t know as much as they say they do, it should be fairly obvious. There is a certain art-form to getting information from someone - the direct approach doesn’t always work so sometimes going ‘round the houses’ and approaching the CV from different angles is best. For me, I like to just have a conversation with someone; gauge how passionate they are about their job and a little bit about their character before I can make a judgement on how truthful their CV is.
There is a huge difference between lying and being creative with the truth, for example; if you have 11 GCSE’s all at grade E, it doesn’t look that great on a CV...however, saying “11 GCSE’s” and omitting the grades gives a completely different view. You’re not lying, just being resourceful! Of course if you are asked during an interview situation, then ‘being creative’ won’t work - just tell the truth and own it!
I’m not condoning what Mr. Thompson did - I always believe in being honest and truthful; of course, the law is the law and you can’t falsify documents. However, if we’re thinking a little broader; the guy was the CTO, SVP AND President of PayPal, as well as CIO of Barclays Global Investors...does he really need a Computer Science degree to prove himself?! That’s like asking Jamie Oliver to whip out his Food Science A-Level. The proof is in the pudding...so to speak ;)
Moral of the story? Don’t lie on your CV. (Obvious, yet often grossly overlooked.)
CV-scouring is definitely one of the basics of recruitment - to ensure that all information given is verified or backed up with the correct documentation (i.e. degree, qualifications, visas etc.) This is easier for Recruitment Consultants as it’s the very purpose of the job...however, I feel it’s a little harder for companies who only take direct hires. If they don’t have an internal recruitment team and the HR department are responsible for vetting the CVs (amongst all their other daily tasks) they may not be able to dedicate enough time to get as much information as perhaps an Agency could (or should...I’m not vouching for all Agencies!)
First and foremost; a recruiter’s job is to decipher a CV - speak to the candidate and figure out whether what they’ve said is actually true and whether they really can perform the tasks required in the role. Within the IT field; it’s slightly easier as roles are often quite technical so if someone doesn’t know as much as they say they do, it should be fairly obvious. There is a certain art-form to getting information from someone - the direct approach doesn’t always work so sometimes going ‘round the houses’ and approaching the CV from different angles is best. For me, I like to just have a conversation with someone; gauge how passionate they are about their job and a little bit about their character before I can make a judgement on how truthful their CV is.
There is a huge difference between lying and being creative with the truth, for example; if you have 11 GCSE’s all at grade E, it doesn’t look that great on a CV...however, saying “11 GCSE’s” and omitting the grades gives a completely different view. You’re not lying, just being resourceful! Of course if you are asked during an interview situation, then ‘being creative’ won’t work - just tell the truth and own it!
I’m not condoning what Mr. Thompson did - I always believe in being honest and truthful; of course, the law is the law and you can’t falsify documents. However, if we’re thinking a little broader; the guy was the CTO, SVP AND President of PayPal, as well as CIO of Barclays Global Investors...does he really need a Computer Science degree to prove himself?! That’s like asking Jamie Oliver to whip out his Food Science A-Level. The proof is in the pudding...so to speak ;)
RSS Feed