Embellished Resumes - A Real Problem

Written by Sarah Hightower


Takerepparttar jobseeker in Alabama who, knowing that his IQ was far above average and that inrepparttar 107096 course of his life had learned valuable skills allowing him to function at a very high level, embellished his resume by adding a doctorate that he had never earned. And knowing that because he had never graduated from college or earned a degree he was forever kept away fromrepparttar 107097 best jobs andrepparttar 107098 highest salary. So it seemed only a little white lie to add Phd., torepparttar 107099 academic credentials on his resume. After all he could talkrepparttar 107100 talk and walkrepparttar 107101 walk in his defense industry specialty.

The gentleman was so wrong – in any high security position a background check will be a priority and he, of course, did not survive his. Now, he may have had a good job for a short time, but because of this indiscretion, could be forever ruined in that industry. Fortunately for him, his employer did recognize his value and decided to keep him on and send him to school. This story has a happy ending but it is certainlyrepparttar 107102 exception rather thanrepparttar 107103 rule.

The truth is, lying on your resume is just plain stupid, and ranks right up there withrepparttar 107104 other 10 most stupid things people do in their lifetimes. In fact, lying at any time isrepparttar 107105 single act that gets most people inrepparttar 107106 most trouble - trouble in work, in relationships, trouble everywhere.

If you have weaknesses in your work history, references, or credentials before you lie about it consider that a skilled resume development specialist can assist you in highlighting what you can do, have done, and will do well for an employer. That same specialist can assist you in ways to overcome other weaknesses on your resume such as age and termination.

All employers are looking forrepparttar 107107 right person to solve a particular problem. Your job is to convince that employer that you arerepparttar 107108 right person – most employers know that there are very skilled job seekers out there, not all of them with impeccable credentials, and will be willing to overlook certain weaknesses if everything else is in place.

Smashing the Gray Ceiling

Written by Virginia Bola, PsyD


For decades, women have chaffed atrepparttar invisible glass ceiling which prevents their moving intorepparttar 107095 high executive brackets that their competence, knowledge and skills have earned. The same amorphous barrier confronts older workers both in terms of advancement within a company and, most especially, when a job change is required. There is an adage inrepparttar 107096 military that if a rank above major has not been obtained within twenty years, it never will be. The ranks of early military retirees are sprinkled with majors who knew that ten or fifteen more years would never bring a Colonel's cluster.

How can such "unwritten rules" be fought? No lawsuit can prove that you wererepparttar 107097 best individual forrepparttar 107098 job. No employer is unintelligent enough to state that your age isrepparttar 107099 stumbling block. You senserepparttar 107100 discrimination, you become aware ofrepparttar 107101 sideways glances andrepparttar 107102 emotional response of an interviewer, but you feel powerless to change their perspective and their bias.

Sitting across an interviewing desk, often facing an individualrepparttar 107103 same age as your son, your esteem erodes and your confidence self-destructs. Impotent, humiliated, and angry, you accept that nothing you can say is going to change anything. You continue job hunting with a mounting sense of frustration and an indisputable anticipation of failure.

If you have nothing to lose, why not attackrepparttar 107104 problem head-on? Prejudice and discrimination survive only inrepparttar 107105 silence of unexamined judgments and, often unconscious, illogic. Confrontrepparttar 107106 situation and at least you createrepparttar 107107 opportunity forrepparttar 107108 white light of reason to enterrepparttar 107109 fray.

Try these approaches to prompt more honest interaction and possibly more rational conclusions.

1. You need to berepparttar 107110 one to putrepparttar 107111 age issue onrepparttar 107112 table. Offer it gently, as one area of needed exploration regarding why you fitrepparttar 107113 employer's needs. Bring it up objectively, as something that can be discussed unemotionally, without triggering lethal interviewer defensiveness.

2. Acknowledge your age as a basis for emphasizingrepparttar 107114 experience of a lifetime andrepparttar 107115 value that such experience can provide to any employer. Concentrate on describing how business has changed overrepparttar 107116 course of years and how deftly you have adapted to those changes and incorporated new ideas and technical advancements into your work performance.

3. Acknowledge common misperceptions aboutrepparttar 107117 weaknesses of age: hard-to-break habits, lack of flexibility, technological ignorance, and distrust of authority, especially if young. Then use your sales ability to eliminate those misperceptions, probably already resonating inrepparttar 107118 interviewer's head.

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