Career Power Resume
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For 20 years, Doug Morrison has revived the flow of adrenaline to the stagnant careers of more than 2,000 Sales and Marketing Managers. He knows first hand the impact of job discontent and employer conflict. Doug's expertly written resumes pave the way to new accomplishments, greater fulfillment and stimulating work environments...

Your new resume begins with a comprehensive, personal interview. Doug partners directly with you to ensure the accuracy of information and the appropriate assessment of your career goals. Doug's service is unique - you don't fill out page after page of questions...

Revising One's Educational History


MoneyWise Reader Question...“I've been having trouble finding steady work since getting laid off last fall. Lately I've been tempted to embellish my resume by changing "attended Ohio State University" to "graduated from Ohio State University." I was only a couple of credits shy of officially graduating. I'm thinking that being a graduate looks better than saying I attended and it might give me a leg up. What are the downsides to revising my educational history?”
Doug Morrison's response...
The state of resume "re-do" is nothing new.
According to Jude M. Werra, of Jude M. Werra & Associates, a Brookfield, Wisconsin-based recruiting firm, there is what Werra calls a Liars Index®. Werra created the index in 1995. "It's the number of people who've misrepresented their education divided by the number of people whose education we've checked." In short, it's the percentage of people who invented a degree. In its 10th year, the percentage was at its peak in the first half of 2000 (23.3%). Today, he says, the figure for the first half of 2003 was 10.59%. The average over the last two years was 11.25%.

“There has been a definite downward trend over the last two years, with the current percentage at half the rate of early 2001,”says Werra. “The cases we have surfaced include altered majors and changed graduation dates, but the majority of those who misrepresented themselves claimed degrees where their attendance was only for a semester or two, or not at all.” Werra’s surveys show that 95% of the time employers immediately eliminate candidates who claim nonexistent degrees. Since education is a credential easily verified, common sense should indicate not to lie. (Figures for the last half of 2003 are not yet available, but projections suggest a downward trend, he notes.) Apparently, this is good news.

For anyone thinking about embellishing their resume, consider these recent statistics:

  • In the first six months of 2002, coaches at Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt and Notre Dame were deposed for embellishing their resumes. Notre Dame coach George O'Leary (claimed master's degree in education) lost his job over his fabricated resume.
  • Later that year, Washington, D.C. fire chief Ronnie Few was forced to resign when his college degree and a fire-chief-of-the-year award were aired as fabrications.
  • So did Sandra Baldwin, the first woman named chairman of the U.S. Olympic Committee. Baldwin may have in essence been an honest woman (now perhaps Diogenes can extinguish his lamp), but she told a whopper of a fib when she presented her resume to the Olympic Committee. Not only did she misrepresent the school from which she earned her bachelor's degree, but she listed a Ph.D. she never completed.
  • Closer to home, former CEO of Charlotte-based TransAmerica Insurance, Bill Simms' claims of Olympian prowess led to his disgrace and resignation.

I could add to the list, but you get the point.

"A good man is hard to find," novelist Flannery O'Connor once wrote. "Honesty is such a lonely word," lamented Billy Joel in a song. "Sewing a lie to a credulity," as the late poet Dylan Thomas pointed out, may work for a while, but eventually the light of day exposes it.

I would suggest that anyone who contemplates claiming any unearned degree, however desperate, consider the consequences: Is one lie worth a ruined career?

Additional Resources

Getting Your Resume Noticed by Hiring Manager


account executive resume

For the past 20 years, Doug Morrison's resumes have positioned over 2,000 sales and marketing managers with exceptional account executive resumes. You used to enjoy your work, but now it's become just a job. Perhaps you need a change but don't know where to start.

cover letters for resumes

Cover letters for resumes help provide a good first impression so that your career documents end up in a potential employer's hands instead of their file. Many recruiters do judge the book by its cover, so a professionally written cover letter will open the door to challenging new career opportunities.

creative resumes

For the past 20 years, Doug Morrison's creative resumes have positioned over 2,000 sales and marketing managers to move from ho-hum work routines to challenging careers. In 2002, Doug was nominated for two TORI Awards in the categories of Best Creative Resume, and Best Cover Letter categories.

effective resumes

Effective resumes bring your qualifications to life and provides compelling proof that a potential employer must hire you. Now you can have a resume and cover letter that showcases your contributions and performance which will allow you to land the best job offer and end your job search quicker!

examples of resumes

Are you looking for examples of resumes? A new sales and marketing resume will jump-start your career satisfaction. The key to refreshing your career is to identify a personalized career marketing strategy, flesh out and frame your accomplishments, highlight your strengths, and accentuate your value.

executive resume writing

Executive resume writing has become an extremely sophisticated art. For the past 20 years, Doug Morrison's resumes have positioned over 2,000 sales and marketing managers to move from ho-hum work routines to challenging careers.

executive resumes

Doug Morrison builds executive resumes based on a personalized marketing strategy. Doug works best with senior management and executives in sales and marketing who have been downsized, terminated or who suffer from "greener pasture syndrome".

professional resume examples

For the past 20 years, Doug Morrison's resumes have positioned over 2,000 sales and marketing managers to move from ho-hum work routines to challenging careers.

project manager resume

Do you need a project manager resume that will jump-start your career? For the past 20 years, Doug Morrison has written resumes that give you the competitive edge to land a job you'll love.

resume building

Your resume is your calling card - your introduction that either makes or breaks your opportunity for an interview. Don't leave that to chance. Make sure that your resume is at the top of the stack with Doug Morrison's expertise and proven track record of writing executive sales and marketing resumes that win challenging, top-level positions.

resume cover letters

An expertly written resume cover letter creates a powerful introduction that convinces the reader that your resume is one they've got to read! Many recruiters do judge the book by its cover, so a professionally written cover letter will open the door to challenging new career opportunities.

resume example

Would you like to see an example of a resume from a Certified Professional Resume Writer? In the past 20 years Doug Morrison has revived the flow of adrenaline to the stagnant careers of more than 2,000 Sales and Marketing Managers.

resume guidelines


resume objectives

What's wrong with using resume objectives? While including an objective generally doesn't hurt a candidate's chances, writing one that's too narrow will prompt a hiring authority to judge your credentials and potential only against that specific objective. The key to a compelling resume is to identify a personalized career marketing strategy, flesh out and frame your accomplishments, highlight your strengths, and accentuate your value.

resume preparation

Resume preparation is the first step in a successful career search. An up-to-date, compelling resume will serve as proof that your potential employer must hire you.

resume samples

You can review different types of resume samples on our website including resumes for career entry and career change to sales reps, engineers, and for executives from a variety of fields.

resume service

Why use a professional resume service? Your resume is your calling card - your introduction that either makes or breaks your opportunity for an interview.

resume writing service

Why hire a professional resume writing service? Doug has found the secret to balancing the strategy of identifying what you do best, what you enjoy doing, and the value you have added to your employer with style and presentation.

senior executive resume

Are you looking for a senior executive resume writer that will will jump-start your career? If you're at the senior management level, you understand the importance of a resume written to executive standards.

senior executive resume writing

If you're ready for your career excitement to go from 0 to the top, a new executive resume is the answer.

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Toast of the Resume Industry TORI Award Nominee, Best Cover Letter & TORI Award, Best Cover Letter