Discussion Questions
1. Explain what motivates individuals to include false information in their résumés. Think about the risks, and give some examples of puffing versus falsehoods versus false impressions that you have heard of or seen in résumés.
2. Does the fact that Scott Thompson landed on his feet so quickly bother you? Does his experience teach you that dishonesty pays?
3. What do you learn from the tragedy of Ms. Green?
Peter Crist, a background check expert, said, "You can't live in my world and cover
stuff up. At some point in time, you will be found out if you don't come clean. It doesn't matter if it was 2 days ago or 20 years ago."
As you think through these examples, can you develop some important principles that could be important for your credo? Was the tragedy of Ms. Green avoidable? Was Duquesne Light justified in terminating her?
4. George O'Leary was hired by Notre Dame University as its head football coach in December 2001. However, just five days after Notre Dame announced Mr. O'Leary's appointment, Mr. O'Leary resigned. Mr. O'Leary's résumé indicated that he had a master's degree in education from New York University (NYU) and that he had played college football for three years. O'Leary had been a student at NYU, but
he never received a degree from the institution.
O'Leary went to college in New Hampshire but never played in a football game at his college and never received a letter as he claimed. When Notre Dame announced the resignation, Mr. O'Leary issued the following statement: "Due to a selfish and thoughtless act many years ago, I have personally embarrassed Notre Dame, its alumni and fans."
Why did the misrepresentations, which had been part of his résumé for many years, go undetected? Evaluate the risk associated with the passage of time and a résumé inaccuracy. Would it be wrong to engage in résumé puffing and then disclose the actual facts in an interview? Be sure to apply the models.
5. Suppose that you had earned but had never been formally awarded a college degree, due to a hold on your academic record because of unpaid debts. Would you state on your résumé that you had a college degree?
6. Suppose that, in an otherwise good career track, you were laid off because of an economic downturn and remained unemployed for thirteen months. Would you attempt to conceal the thirteen-month lapse in your résumé?
7. Is puffing a short-term solution in a tight job market?
8. James Joseph Minder was appointed to the board of gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson, headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 2001.
In early 2004, he assumed the position of chairman of the board. One month later, he resigned as chair of the board because the local newspaper,the Arizona Republic, reported that Mr. Minder had completed a three-and-a-half- to ten-year prison sentence for a series of armed robberies and an escape from prison.
He had carried a sawed-off shotgun during the string of robberies, committed while he was a student at the University of Michigan. Mr. Minder indicated that he had never tried to hide his past. In 1969, when he was released from prison, he finished his degree and earned a master's degree from the University of Michigan.
He spent twenty years running a successful nonprofit center for inner-city youth until his retirement in 1997, when he moved to Arizona. Mr. Minder's position is that the subject of his
troubled youth and criminal past never came up, so he never disclosed it.
Evaluate Mr. Minder's position and his silence. What do you think of Smith & Wesson's press release indicating that Mr. Minder "had led an exemplary life for 35 years"? Mr. Minder remains on the board. Why did the public react so negatively to his past and position?
9. Is there something for your credo that you learn from all of these résumé experiences?
Attachment:- Puffing Your Résumé.rar