Lying

[Documania <dcma -at- MAIL1 -dot- NAI -dot- NET>]

Eric says, "I still haven't figured out why people lie on resumes and at
interviews  ... I just don't get it."

I do, because I fight temptation constantly to do it.

I have missed many opportunities to try for editorial and desktop
publishing jobs because I do not have a degree or experience with a
particular software package. Yet I can hold my own against, and often
outperform, people with these qualifications. But when an advertisement
states, "MUST HAVE X degree, MUST HAVE 5 years of Quark experience" (etc.)
and I DO NOT HAVE those specific requirements, even though I have
equivalent experience that would allow me to perform the advertised job,
then I am really, really tempted to lie. Often I will submit a resume
anyway, but as other posters have noted, sorting through the avalance is a
time-consuming, irritating process. So, since I don't have the REQUIRED
qualifications, my package is tossed in the first cull.

This gives a lot of weight to Tim's "radical" job-seeking process. Indeed,
I've gotten most of my editorial and desktop publishing positions through
connections, or by entering an environment as a temp or lower-level
employee and demonstrating my ability. Promotion has followed.

In case you're wondering, I have never lied on a resume, because I could
not endure the humiliation of getting caught. I don't lie in interviews,
either, which is why I often don't get the job.

Before you waste list space suggesting the obvious, please note that I have
reasons for not returning to school or taking a Quark course (etc.), which
would likely help. For now I'm simply trying to answer Eric's question. And
the simple answer is, I want to lie because a label is between me and
opportunities I am qualified to compete for.

Carolyn Haley
DocuMania
dcma -at- ct1 -dot- nai -dot- net

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