Bachelor of Science in Misrepresentation

One of the many reasons why I hate liars is that it’s an insult to my intelligence. I can understand some of the reasons why people lie - not to hurt someone’s feelings, to get laid, not to get into trouble… and I try not to take it personally when someone lies to me, especially at work; they’re just trying to hold on to their job and their dignity.

These things considered, I will NOT tolerate lying on an application! Obviously, there are the exaggerations that people put on their resume, like they're an expert Excel user and barely know how to create a pivot table, or the “I have attention to detail,” line people give as one of their strengths in an interview and then consistently make spelling errors and formatting issues in their work once hired. But you really take it to a whole other level when you fraudulently add credentials to your resume that you don't have.

I have received a number of fake diplomas over the years: some with literal copy and paste marks, where they copied their name onto someone else’s diploma, GEDs that look nothing like GEDs, and employees who have submitted some realistic, but fake diplomas. All this has led us to verifying eduction credentials through a third party.

“Hannah,” a candidate an employee referred for a training role, almost got away with it. When we posted the job, we decided to upgrade the role by adding duties, requiring a bachelor’s degree and increasing the starting salary. Hannah seemed to meet all of the entry level requirements of the role, and had specific experience training in a similar industry. Plus, she was referred from an extremely trusted employee. It was a no-brainer to hire her.

But when Hannah started, we discovered she was a little rough around the edges. She began sharing stories about her family life that one would generally keep to themselves, i.e. the messy divorce, how she cheated on one of her husbands, certain details of her nephew’s sex life (which she told me, because I happened to know him), etc. In addition, she was giving her manager attitude, and was taking advantage of her flexible schedule (she wasn’t keeping her supervisor informed of her schedule, working from home more than what was allowable, and worked hours impossible for her to coordinate with her teammates outside of the training they were assigned to co-facilitate). She was basically a pain in the ass who didn't want to work. As all employees have this sixth sense, she caught onto her manager’s frustrations and filed for an ADA request when her manager was prepping to write her up for insubordination and attendance issues.

At roughly the same time, during an exit interview, one of Hannah’s co-worker explained that one of the reasons he was leaving was because there were no growth opportunities for him. He felt overlooked because he wanted to become a trainer, but did not meet the entry level requirements. He was further frustrated because he alleged that Hannah did not have a Bachelor’s degree and was able to be hired as a trainer, but he was not.

I didn’t want to say I didn't believe him, but I didn’t believe him. But he also said it so nonchalantly, making it feel like it was common knowledge that Hannah did not have the degree. In the moment, equal parts flabbergasted and confident in our hiring procedures, all I could respond was that all employees had to meet the entry level requirements of the role, and Hannah was no different. I explained that beyond that, I couldn't go into more details. He looked at me like he didn’t believe me. We finished the exit interview and he left.

When the meeting was over, I didn't walk, I ran to the file room. I opened up Hannah’s file and my jaw dropped. I discovered that although she indicated that she received a Bachelor's Degree on her application, she only indicated to receiving an Associate's Degree while completing your Background Check Form. The HR Generalist, who was brand new when we hired Hannah didn't realize the difference between the application and the background check form, and was unfamiliar with the entry level requirements of the role.

After my blood pressure stabilized, I contacted Hannah’s manager, Garcelle, to explain my findings. Garcelle explained that while talking with Hannah in her office, Hannah commented on Garcelle’s diploma and Garcelle asked her where she went to school. During that conversation, Garcelle said Hannah insinuated that she had a Bachelor's degree.

I decided to meet with Hannah and Garcelle to discuss the situation and to deliver her a Condition of Employment that explained she had 7 days to prove she had the Bachelor’s degree. I started by explaining that a few employees brought to my attention that Hannah did not have a Bachelor's degree that she identified as having on her application. Before I could finish, Hannah interrupted and stated that she didn’t have a Bachelor’s degree, but neither did one of her co-workers. I explained that the entry level requirements changed before we hired her, and that we weren't here to discuss her co-worker, who was grandfathered into the role. I further explained that she was given an offer based on our belief that she had a degree and that the offer came with a different salary than an employee who didn't have a degree.

She then responded that she never said that she had a degree, and that the application would not let her move forward without her being able to submit it as she did, and that the employee who referred her told her to continue with the application the way she submitted it. She further explained that when she was completing the application that when she was on the "Education" section, that she put Bachelor's degree because that was the degree that she was pursuing, not that she actually had the degree. She argued that because the application did not allow her to move forward without entering a “Diploma Issue Date", that she entered the end of the last semester that she was enrolled. She explained that it was not her intention to mislead us. As an aside, she also entered her full name in the field labeled "Your Name as it Appears on Your Degree.” She was full of shit.

Hannah was certain that there was a place on the application, in a notes field, where she indicated that she did not have the degree. She also explained that she told the two people that interviewed her that she did not have the degree. I showed her the application, and asked her to show me where she indicated that she did not have the degree. She was unable to find the note. As I previously stated, she was full of shit. I reiterated that to the HR Department, it appeared that she had a degree based on the application, and therefore she was offered the position with a higher salary than she should have received.

She continued to explain that she was enrolled in a Bachelor's/Master's Degree program where she would eventually get her Bachelor's degree in a semester and then a Master's degree a few semesters after that. When we pressed further, she indicated that she was on a leave of absence from school for several years. (Because she was full of shit).

Suspicious of us as if we misled her to get a job, she asked us when we came to the conclusion of giving her a condition of employment, and asked Garcelle, “Is this why you asked me where I got my degree?” She made a remark to the effect of, “You just don't like me, why don't you just say that…”

To defuse the situation and because there was “new information” regarding this issue, I wanted to ensure that her explanation was considered. I explained that she was able to review the application on her end (she wanted to log into our applicant portal from her applicant account) to find out where she denoted that she did not have a degree, and that she was suspended without pay until we reached a final determination. In the meantime, we agreed to look at the interview notes to determine if the individuals that interviewed her noted her lack of degree.

I mentioned a few times that just because we did not make a final decision, did not mean that the decision would change, and that she was still subject to termination (because we knew she was full of shit). I further explained that her electronic signature on her application certified that the information provided on the application was true, correct and complete to the best of her knowledge and belief. She also acknowledged that should an investigation disclose any misrepresentation, omission or falsification, that her employment would be terminated.

After no one in the interview process remembered her telling them she didn't have a degree, reviewing their notes, which also did not indicate such a conversation was held, and Hannah herself could not find the notation on the application, she was terminated for falsifying documentation that led to her offer of employment.

To our surprise, a few months later, we received an EEOC Claim from Hannah.

She alleged that we discriminated against her for being a Jewish woman, whereas someone who was black and a man, was able to hold a job without a degree but she wasn’t. After our responses to the claim were sent into the EEOC, Hannah’s lawyer’s suggested a non-monetary settlement of a neutral reference (which we do anyway) and changing her status to “resigned,” with the understanding that she was ineligible for rehire.

We agreed to this, as it was a small price to rid our lives of Hannah. Clearly the neutral reference and the idea of us changing our records was the foundation for her to misrepresent herself in future employment. Good luck to them.

Until next time…