Is it dishonest to omit things from your resume?

[JeanM]

As a brief background, dh has been out of work since the beginning of January. I've been tutoring online, but it doesn't pay very much and we really need benefits. I have a PhD, but haven't worked full time in my field for many years (pre-kids). I've been trying for several months to get work in my field, but have had no success.

 

I'm getting to the point where I'm feeling desperate, and I'm willing to accept almost any job that has benefits. Would it be dishonest to leave the PhD and postdoctoral work off of my resume? I think if I'm applying for administrative or retail positions, the PhD is probably not going to help me and might put off potential employers.

 

Is this dishonest? Morally wrong? Opinions needed.

[Trish]

As a brief background, dh has been out of work since the beginning of January. I've been tutoring online, but it doesn't pay very much and we really need benefits. I have a PhD, but haven't worked full time in my field for many years (pre-kids). I've been trying for several months to get work in my field, but have had no success.

 

I'm getting to the point where I'm feeling desperate, and I'm willing to accept almost any job that has benefits. Would it be dishonest to leave the PhD and postdoctoral work off of my resume? I think if I'm applying for administrative or retail positions, the PhD is probably not going to help me and might put off potential employers.

 

Is this dishonest? Morally wrong? Opinions needed.

 

I've definitley done that! (1990s recession) I can guarantee you it makes a difference -- I got a lot more callbacks without the master's. And a job, too. (Ironically, years later my boss asked me if I ever considered getting an MBA, at which point I revealed I already had one, haha!)

 

I don't see how it's dishonest -- a resume is designed to get you the job, not serve as a complete listing of everything you've ever achieved. In a natural progression, the ealier jobs fall off the resume as you gain better experience.

 

If the Ph.D. doesn't help you to get the job, why include it? Just as you wouldn't put down your Red Cross CPR course for a job in accounting, but you WOULD if you were maybe working in a daycare or something like that.

 

We're in a Depression. You do what you gotta do. You're only omitting what isn't relative to the job you're applying for. Of course, if ASKED if you have a Ph.D. I wouldn't lie. You still have to keep your integrity.

 

Good luck!

[jewellsmommy]

I do not see a problem with it. I do not think it is wrong. Good luck. :D

[ThatCyndiGirl]

I'm with Trish. It's a Need To Know Situation and the potential employer doesn't need to know. It's not as if you are hiding something NEGATIVE like sex offender status or something.

[JeanM]

Wow, I'm feeling much better about the whole idea now. I was worried that I was going to be doing something illegal or somehow dishonest.

 

Thanks for the encouragement! I'm off to work on my resume...

[Tap]

ON a resume, no, it is not dishonest unless you specifically state "I have a bachelors in xyz" and leave off the PhD. Even though it is true, it is a lie of omission and is purposeful in intent to deceive. If you do not list your education achievements individually, then I wouldn't consider it a lie of omission. No one puts every single detail on a resume, but the person hiring you would make a false assumption based on the BS degree.

 

On an application that asks "what is the highest level of education"....if you answered below your education level, it would be dishonest.

 

Now, that I have said that....I wouldn't see it as a harmful lie. It may be necessary to secure a job but it isn't 100% honest either.

[JeanM]

ON a resume, no, it is not dishonest unless you specifically state "I have a bachelors in xyz" and leave off the PhD. Even though it is true, it is a lie of omission and is purposeful in intent to deceive. If you do not list your education achievements individually, then I wouldn't consider it a lie of omission. No one puts every single detail on a resume, but the person hiring you would make a false assumption based on the BS degree.

 

On an application that asks "what is the highest level of education"....if you answered below your education level, it would be dishonest.

 

Now, that I have said that....I wouldn't see it as a harmful lie. It may be necessary to secure a job but it isn't 100% honest either.

 

Oh dear, it seems that you are very right. One of the companies I am applying to says, "I understand that if I misrepresent or leave out a fact on my application or resume, I may be refused employment or if employed, I may be terminated immediately. "

 

Do you think it is possible for me to get an administrative assistant or clerical type of job, even if I disclose my PhD? Who would have thought it would be such a liability!

 

 

[3littlekeets]

Ha! I have a Ph.D. and work as an assist. prof. When I applied for holiday retail, I left off Ph.D. and put "instructor" on the resume. I knew they wouldn't hire a Ph.D. Lane Bryant laughed at me months earlier!!! They think we make $$$$$$$$ and are too bossy.

 

I found a great position at upscale chain. Once I worked there, they found out b/c people who knew me would come in -- even students. The manager admitted he wouldn't have even looked at my resume. Now, they call me in whenever they are in a pinch :D.

 

eta: could you leave it off until you are actually interviewed? Then, explain it has been a horrible liability at the interview?

[JeanM]

Ha! I have a Ph.D. and work as an assist. prof. When I applied for holiday retail, I left off Ph.D. and put "instructor" on the resume. I knew they wouldn't hire a Ph.D. Lane Bryant laughed at me months earlier!!! They think we make $$$$$$$$ and are too bossy.

 

I found a great position at upscale chain. Once I worked there, they found out b/c people who knew me would come in -- even students. The manager admitted he wouldn't have even looked at my resume. Now, they call me in whenever they are in a pinch :D.

 

eta: could you leave it off until you are actually interviewed? Then, explain it has been a horrible liability at the interview?

 

I'm encouraged by your experience. I think that I'm going to have to read each job application carefully, since it seems that some are pickier than others about disclosure.

[Crimson Wife]

 

Here's an article on the topic with some good advice.

[JeanM]

Thanks! That was very helpful!

 

Jean

 

Here's an article on the topic with some good advice.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

"So let’s remember what a resumé is. It is emphatically not a detailed autobiography. Rather, it is a marketing piece in which the job applicant tries to sell herself to a prospective employer. Which means, simply stated, that you are not obligated, ethically or legally, to put anything in your resumé that you don’t wish to share with a prospective employer, unless it impinges directly on your potential job performance."

 

That is the part of the article I agree with. You should tailor your resume to the job for which you are applying. When I used to hire people, if they seemed overqualified, I wouldn't call them for fear they would leave as soon as something better came along. I would be honest if asked directly about your education level at an interview, but be sure to explain that your PhD is not an issue since you are specifically looking for a different type of job.

[Gwenhwyfar]

Oh dear, it seems that you are very right. One of the companies I am applying to says, "I understand that if I misrepresent or leave out a fact on my application or resume, I may be refused employment or if employed, I may be terminated immediately. "

 

Do you think it is possible for me to get an administrative assistant or clerical type of job, even if I disclose my PhD? Who would have thought it would be such a liability!

 

 

 

I wouldn't worry about that ~ it's more for situations such as someone making up jobs that they never had, lying about courses they never took, checking 'no' for criminal record sans pardon when they do have one, etc....

 

I don't think it means that you need to include every.single.detail about you.

[Jen in PA]

You can use the heading "relevant education" and include only what you want them to see, just as you can use the heading "relevant work experience" so that you can leave off jobs that have no bearing on the position you are applying for. I have definitely tailored my work experience section to suit the job by leaving off part-time things I did while in school or as second jobs.