CareerExcuse

In America today, we have record poverty and hunger: 50 million Americans, 17 million households, one in every six Americans. We have a real unemployment rate of 22% when discouraged and part-time workers are added; close to the highest levels in American history.  The numbers of new jobs claimed versus the number of unemployed make the odds of getting one of these jobs about as likely as getting into Harvard.

CareerExcuse.com mission is to help our subscribers in NOT  joining the statistics listed above.  Over 12 million Americans have been fired or quit their jobs in the last 5 years alone.  This can be devastating for anybody who has been laid off and is looking for a job in today’s job market.

Is It Illegal?

This question was asked at adminSecret.monster.com and this is what they had to say….

Surprisingly, the legal framework of CareerExcuse’s business is solid- except for their fake diploma offerings. According to law, falsifying information on a resume is not illegal unless you’re lying about your educational credentials.

Falsifying your work experience could, however, almost certainly get you fired, not to mention the fact that your lack of experience might lead to incompetence at a new job that would be telling and risky in and of itself.

The study concludes that it is illegal to commit résumé fraud only if the job seeker (1) is claiming an educational credential from a “diploma mill,” a bogus institution and (2) is using the résumé in a state that has enacted legislation to discourage the activities of these schools. However, an employer may be within its legal rights to terminate an employment relationship based upon misrepresentation of qualifications, depending upon the state and the nature of the falsification.”

In another online article,  a study by resume checker HireRight that shows: “Eighty percent of all resumes are misleading, 20 percent state fraudulent

Bottom Line:

It appears most new hires today are just as likely to be fired for “lying on their resume” as anybody else who uses a professional job reference service.

The key is to exceed your new employers expectations with your job performance and become a valuable asset to the organization.  Failure to do such, or to perform poorly for your new employer will only invite them to look for excuses to fire you.

Be sure to check the laws in your state and local area.

CareerBuilder.com did a survey of 3,169 HR managers and asked how many screened applicants by checking their profiles on social-networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace.

- 22% said they used the sites to do applicant-background checks, up from 11% a year ago.
- 34% of those who used the sites said they found something that immediately led to disqualifying the applicant as a viable candidate.
- 41% who disqualified candidates said they were motivated to do so because of profile info about drinking or drug use; 40% said they nixed candidates because of inappropriate photos.
- Another 9% said they didn’t do research on social-networking sites but planned to do so in the near future.
On the plus side, 24% said they found info that improved the candidate’s chances of getting hired — such as qualifications, good communication skills or imaginative use of social networking.

BOTTOM LINE

If you are job hunting, examine your profile at social networks and be careful what you are posting. It will not be difficult for a HR rep to contact one of your friends on a social network.  Examine what your friends are posting. If a friend posts about the great parties you are throwing, it may not go over well with HR.

What you can do is delete your account, and create a new profile tailored to appeal to potential employers.

You can also make your social networks private so only your approved friends have access.