Yahoo exec's Resume

[katiesue]

My co-worker and I are having a disagreement about the Yahoo CEO resume bruhahah.

My co-worker feels the mistake really was an oversight that had probably been on his resume for years. He feels it has no bearing or relevance on his job qualifications so it doesn't really matter. Lots of CEO's in Silicon Valley are proud to be college drop outs at least he has a degree. He was hired for his proven abilities at his former employer not for his degree. His other argument is that since the degree wasn't offered at that time perhaps he'd taken the required classes for that degree just didn't have it because it wasn't offered yet (this is one of the wackiest justifications).

While I agree that the press is going a bit nuts and it's fueled by a disgruntled shareholder it does matter. You had a blatant lie on your resume. There's no way you "forgot" what you had degrees in. And even if you'd put it on there years ago to fluff up your resume, you knew it wasn't true. So you mis-represented yourself. Even if it was a "white lie" it wasn't true and you let it keep going.

I don't have a 4 year degree. I went for 4 years and I have an AA but I didn't finish up the BA part. So I do put on my resume "attended San Jose State" and the dates. I do not put a degree but it gets assumed there is one. Trick I learned from a former boss who doesn't have a degree either. So I do get implying something that's maybe not true. But I am very careful never to state a degree and if asked I will say no I never quite finished.

Thoughts?

[Alex]

My view is that if you don't have a blatant lie on your resume, you're doing it wrong.

Well, that's not quite true. Though I do generally have the opinion that you lie your way into jobs and then perform your way into keeping them.

I do feel that if you are hired because of words on a resume that implies a broken process worse than the lie. So I mostly shrug my shoulders. They're free to fire him if they want but I wouldn't care if they don't.

If a specific college degree or certificate or claim of classroom education is at all relevant to selecting a major CEO, then again, I think you're doing it wrong.

That said, for example, on my resumes for years I said I had a BA in American History from the University of Washington. There's no such thing (or wasn't then). There was just a BA in History and everybody who got one had some area of focus that had certain requirements. I just didn't want to have to explain it since the follow up question to "BA in History" is always "yeah, but what kind."

Now, 15 years into my career, I barely even mention where I went to school on my resume. It's nearly beyond irrelevant.

[Betty]

Originally Posted by Alex

My view is that if you don't have a blatant lie on your resume, you're doing it wrong.

Well, that's not quite true. Though I do generally have the opinion that you lie your way into jobs and then perform your way into keeping them.

Maybe this is what I'm doing wrong?

[Alex]

In my professional life I've never been qualified for jobs when I get them. I just say what is necessary (though I've never really lied about credentials, I don't have any that are relevant) to get it. And figure if I fail it'll almost be more interesting than success.

So far I haven't found out.

[Moonliner]

He has been fired from Yahoo.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Or he stepped down due to cancer

[Kevy Baby]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

Or he stepped down due to cancer

Oops (linky no worky). Found this story - don't know if it is the one you linked to, but it has the story

[Ghoulish Delight]

yeah, that

[Strangler Lewis]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

Or he stepped down due to cancer

Wasn't that a Seinfeld episode with Jon Lovitz?