Learning a past employee lies on resume

Earlier this week, I used LinkedIn to research people in my network and learned that a former employee is out and out lying about their background working for me and the employer.  It makes me sick to think that this individual who I’ve always thought of very highly of is seriously misrepresenting their background.

I’m not going to disclose who this person is, but, given this person’s background and credentials, I’m astounded that this individual would do this.  It is completely unnecessary.

The dates of employment have been seriously altered as have the titles and roles this person played. The person was hired via a recruiter whose role was to do a thorough background check and resume verification.  I now wonder if I got what the company paid for?

When I discovered the lies, I didn’t want to share this with my wife or anyone for that matter.  I’m embarrassed for this person. I had always thought highly of this seemingly meticulous person.  This person was effective in the role I asked them to play.

I wondered why this person had never used me as a reference when seeking other positions.  I now know why–I would be unable to vouch for the background this person is offering to potential employers.

I’m sick about this.  This is one of the last people I would suspect of doing such a thing.  A person I held in high regard is greatly diminished in my eyes now.

Some day, this will catch up with this person.  When you live a lie, it eventually all catches up with you.

Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

Dave Gardner’s “Thank God It’s Monday” 01NOV10

“Thank God It’s Monday” is to help companies thrive!

This week’s focus: ethics

Ethics is about meeting expected, professional standards of conduct—“doing the right thing”—especially when no one is looking.

This past week, GlaxoSmithKline, one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, agreed to pay a whopping $750 million fine to settle with the FDA for serious quality control breaches (read my blog post here).  We do not know if people died or suffered significant side effects as a consequence of this ethical lapse—it is certainly possible.

The Gulf Oil spill was no accident—repeated warning signs were ignored. Besides the economic and ecological catastrophe that ensued for BP and the Gulf region, we should not forget that eleven people lost their lives, a horrific outcome for such an ethical lapse.

In both instances, the quest for profits trumped safety.

Companies that thrive instantiate a culture imploring employees to “do the right thing” irrespective of the implications.

Thought for the week:

“We must look for the opportunity in every difficulty instead of being paralyzed at the thought of the difficulty in every opportunity.”
- Walter E. Cole

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Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

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