17 Successful Executives Who Have Lied On Their R�sum�s

Mid-level workers aren't the only ones fudging their experience

Business Insider

By Hope Restle and Jacquelyn Smith

Your r�sum� is a place to highlight your biggest accomplishments and showcase your most valued skills. It's what hiring managers use to determine whether you'd be good at the job, and whether you're worth meeting in person.

So, it's no surprise that a majority of people lie on their r�sum�s. A 2014 poll from CareerBuilder found that 58% of hiring managers caught applicants exaggerating or fudging details about previous roles, skills, or awards. And entry- or mid-level workers aren't the only ones guilty of fibbing. Top execs have done it, too.

Here are 17 successful executives who were caught or admitted to fudging, exaggerating, or straight up lying on their r�sum�s.

David Tovar, former VP of corporate communications for Wal-Mart

1/17

In September 2014, David Tovar, the vice president of corporate communications for Wal-Mart, resigned from the company after it was discovered that he had not, in fact, received a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Delaware, like his r�sum� stated, according to Bloomberg.
The New York Times reported that he didn't remember what he had put on his r�sum�. He said, "I definitely didn't disclose that I didn't have a degree, and there were times where it was probably an error of omission." He said he was a few credits shy of his degree, and had even participated in the graduation ceremony.

Sandra Baldwin, former president and chairman of the US Olympic Committee

2/17

In May 2002, Sandra Baldwin, the first woman to be appointed the president and chairman of the US Olympic Committee, resigned after admitting she had put false information on her r�sum�, according to The New York Times.
She had stated on her r�sum� that she received her bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado in 1962, and her doctorate from Arizona State University in 1967.
She eventually admitted that she only attended the University of Colorado for three years, but received her bachelor's from Arizona State � and that she never actually earned her doctoral degree because she didn't have time to finish the dissertation.
Baldwin came forth because a University of Colorado student interviewing her for an alumni publication intended to disclose the truth, according to The New York Times.

David Geffen, billionaire entrepreneur

3/17

Decades ago, looking for an "in" into Hollywood, David Geffen lied about attending and graduating from UCLA in order to obtain a mail room job at talent agency William Morris.
According to Fortune, Geffen soon became worried because he heard of someone else who had lied on their r�sum� � and subsequently got fired.
So he went into the workplace early each day for six months, and waited for the university's letter to arrive, stating he had never attended.
When it finally arrived, he intercepted it and replaced it with another that stated he had indeed graduated.
Though Geffen didn't specify during the Fortune interview, he insinuated he learned a lot and left the agency on his own terms (without them discovering his CV fib).
He also added in the interview: "Look, I'm not setting an example � But it's an idiotic thing that you have to be a college graduate to be an agent � Did I have a problem with lying to get the job? None whatsoever."

Job offer? Ask yourself 5 questions

If your carefully crafted Resume, job searching and a few interviews have finally landed you a job offer, what now?  No longer is it necessary for job seekers to jump at the first opportunity that comes along; if you�re talented, experienced and personable enough, there will be more where that came from.

But for candidates, simply realizing they have a certain amount of agency and leverage in the job hunt is only the first step. After all, having a measure of power is one thing, but making a power play is another. If in the course of your search you land on a job that, on the surface, appears to suit your interests, it�s important to ask some difficult questions of the position, the company, and yourself before saying yes.

See five key issues to consider here.

Contact Hiring Managers Directly

Wish you could contact hiring managers directly? And without necessarily sending out your resume first? Today's technology is literally changing how this is possible. 

The Switch Job App is a new way to test the job searching market without necessarily looking for a job. There are no time-consuming applications to fill out and no job searching needed. It takes only a few minutes to sign up with nothing being posted on the Internet for full security. You complete a short profile on-line in four minutes or less with two major ingredients: 

• Provide your Linkedin URL and identify the specific job titles that you are most interested in. The Switch Job App does the rest by regularly sending you directly the jobs that best meet your expectations.
• Your Linkedlin posting is your calling card! But have your resume and other credentials ready to go when you receive contact information of each job's hiring manager if you both match up through your social media postings.

Presently, there are over 1,000 employers connected to the Switch Job App which is totally free and it is growing exponentially. The rest of what happens is rather innovative. If your Linkedin account is razor sharp and meets the needs of the posted jobs, learn more about this new way to directly contact hiring managers here.

50 Best Job Search Sites

There�s a lot that goes into searching for a job. From crafting the perfect cover letter and resume, to finding the best-fit niche jobs to apply for, to acing the big interview, to using social media to your advantage,

Fortunately, you can use a number of job search websites, tools, and apps to make the hunt for your perfect job easier.

See 50 of the best job search sites, apps, and tools here.

The 8 Biggest Mistakes on Resumes, and How to Correct Them

When you�re an entrepreneur, you do a lot of searching for the right candidates to join your team. Hiring takes up a tremendous amount of time, so one of the best things you can do if you�re looking to get hired, or you�re looking to hire someone, is to pay attention to the common mistakes on resumes.
As a job seeker, keeping these mistakes off your resume will help you get through the stacks of applicants to potentially get hired at a great startup. As a hiring entrepreneur, identifying these key mistakes early on in the resume process will save you time as you sort through applicants.
Here are the eight biggest mistakes I see on resumes and how you can correct them.

1. Saying too much

Having a lot of experience is a great thing. However, put yourself in the mindset of the person hiring and take a good overview of your resume�s length. I typically like to see nothing longer than a page, maybe a page and a half, but really you should try to pare it down to a page.

People will fight me on this all the time and say they have so much experience that it simply won�t fit on one page. My argument is that when a candidate can show me that they can succinctly and effectively summarize their experience onto one page, it demonstrates you already are practicing two important skills you need at any startup or business. Also, don�t be afraid to put your LinkedIn profile link on your resume, and then list all the details there on your LinkedIn page, which will be the second place I go after reading your great, brief resume.
It�s always best to think of your resume as a job eliminator, not a job getter. I want to see if you have core competencies that match my team needs, then I�ll dig deeper with a LinkedIn search, phone interview or email after you�ve made the first cut.
Saying more of the right thing in less space will get you further with your resume.

2. Saying too little

Obviously, the flip side of too much is not saying enough. You should have a complete, robust page offering that gives the best details and the most statistically significant information about your past. Include metrics. I�m always amazed when resumes are filled with flowery language about �tasked with� this job and �responsible for� that initiative, but then there�s no data to back it up.
How many files did you reorganize into a complete new system? How many sales did you increase from quarter to quarter? Put metrics in the mix and also include any leadership or management positions.

3. Skip objectives

There�s an old school of thought that objectives should be listed at the top. I�m not in that camp. I don�t think the objectives section of your resume is relevant or important at this stage. When you�re in my office and we�re interviewing together, I like to talk to you face to face about your objectives. All this does on your resume is take up space on your one-page, metrics-driven resume. Skip it and save the space.

4. Grammar

Did you know grammar and spelling are two different things? You can spell its correctly and still be using the wrong form of the word grammatically. There are their, there and they�re, as well as multiple uses for you are and yours, apostrophes, colons, semi-colons and more (oh my!).
Understanding grammar, verb-noun subject agreement, propositions and plurals are all basics of the English language that your spell check isn�t going to find each time. Have a second set of eyes read your resume and check for grammar.
One trick I always use is to read anything I write out loud. Read out your contractions to make sure they make grammatical sense in your sentence. That extra step of care shows me that you are considerate and deliberate in the quality of your work. Trust me, many aren�t, and your resume will do better.

5. Spelling

Spelling, like grammar, matters. Spell check and auto correct aren�t going to get it right 100 percent of the time, so make sure you read it out loud and have a second set of eyes on your resume for spelling as well. It will make a difference.

6. Gaps

Aside from metrics on a one-page resume, the other big thing I�m looking at are the timelines. If you have big gaps in your employment timeline, that�s not an automatically bad thing, but you should offer some kind of explanation. Gaps of more than about six months should either have an explanation in your cover email/cover letter or should include an entry on your resume timeline, like explaining that you took time off to travel the world, or started a business that failed.
Whatever it is, those are important and relevant details that can fill in a complete view of your history. When I see big gaps in a resume�s timeline with no explanation, it makes me wonder what was going on and why you wouldn�t mention it. It�s a distraction in a resume.

7. Inconsistencies, embellishments and lies

Don�t lie on your resume. It�s that easy. Actually, don�t lie in life at all. Trust me on this. It�s obvious when your years of experience don�t add up, when your timeline is all over the place, when you have massive unexplained jumps in responsibility or hop from job to job.
Inconsistencies and dramatic embellishments are white lies and I�ve seen it all from white lies to full-blown fiction on resumes -- don�t do any of it.

8. Relevancy

My final word of advice on resumes is to make sure yours is relevant to the position you�re applying to, or else don�t bother. If I am having a medical emergency, but happen to know an incredibly talented engineer, that doesn�t mean I�m going to stop by his place for medical care -- I need a doctor!

The same goes with your resume and applying for employment. If your skills really don�t match up to what the job requires, even if you are really smart, talented and have great experience at what you do, it�s just not a good fit. Save both sides of the table the time and don�t apply.

Courtesy: foxnew

Impress anyone in under 30 seconds

Experts estimate that 85% of your financial success comes not from your skills or knowledge, but from your ability to connect with other people and engender their trust and respect.

Within seconds, everyone you meet forms an impression that largely determines whether they�ll like, trust, and and respect you. Making a good impression is absolutely critical.

Whether you are raising money for your company, or you are managing your team or leading your business, connecting to people and making a great impression is very important.

For some tips to help win hearts and minds in 30 seconds see the article here.