RESUMES: YOU FAKE IT, WE MAKE IT!

If you want to submit a fake resume, several internet services will compose one for you

L.M. Sixel tells us how easy it is for a job applicant to submit an apparent authentic fake resume.

A FAKE JOB REFERENCE CAN BE JUST A FEW CLICKS AWAY
By L.M. Sixel

Houston Chronicle
November 19, 2014

Did I ever mention that I used to be the CEO of a fast-food operation based in San Francisco? And before that I boosted burger sales 100 percent in just one year when I was vice president of a growing but small fast-food chain on the East Coast?

None of it's true, but it would be really easy to fabricate that story by hiring a company that will design fake websites of my "companies," provide folks to verify my credentials and write dazzling letters I could show potential employers about my amazing on-the-job successes.

I know there are plenty of examples of people embellishing their resumes by adding degrees they never received or job titles they never had. But fabricating companies, supervisors, co-workers - essentially creating a whole new work history - takes the fakery to a whole different level.

At CareerExcuse the motto is, "You fake it, we make it!"

Among the services it advertises is "Eliminate Gaps in Resume." The company's "blue collar plan" will establish a five-page company website along with a "professionally located street address," local phone number, corporate voicemail greeting and one live reference provider acting as "your supervisor."

That basic plan, which is designed for those who don't make more than $20 an hour, costs $100 followed by a $25 monthly subscription.

Optional upgrades include a reference letter from your supervisor for $50, a real company office that will receive mail monthly for $150 and registering the company in your state for $150.

A more expanded white-collar version that includes more live references, including "co-workers," and more elaborate website design is $195, followed by a $50 monthly subscription fee.

The company did not return a request for comment.

"Oh my gosh," said Bill Bux, an employment lawyer with Locke Lord in Houston. Like several
employment experts, Bux was stunned to hear about the fabrication services.

Bux, who represents management clients, said he's run into cases in which people have printed fake diplomas or claimed they graduated from a school that no longer exists. But to create a fictional company and fictional references and go so far to register it with the secretary of state? Never.

The chance of detection is minimal, Bux said. Most companies contact a reference and that's as far as it goes. Most of the time, the previous employer won't say much beyond confirming the dates and location of employment.

And most aren't willing to take on the expense of hiring a private investigator to find out whether the company really existed or whether the employee received income, he said. Unless it's a high-level job, the cost would be prohibitive.

"We've seen job candidates dropped from consideration for providing erroneous start and end dates, inflated job titles, unsubstantiated accomplishments, and made-up degrees," said Keith Wolf, managing director of Murray Resources, a Houston recruiting and staffing firm.

"It probably goes without saying that any candidate who would knowingly supply misinformation when applying for a job has a high likelihood of demonstrating similar integrity issues once brought on board," he added.

At Fake Your Job - which offers fake job and fake landlord references - job seekers can get "professionally written job recommendations on company letterhead" for $30 each or a dedicated phone line in your local area code for $30 a month. Those seeking a more corporate-like atmosphere can pay $45 a month to add extensions to the line so callers can hear a greeting or music while they wait.

The company doesn't provide anyone to answer the phone but it does forward the calls so the job seeker or the job seeker's friend can answer the call, according to the company's website.

Fake Your Job also did not respond to a request for comment.

"The potential employer and/or landlord will never know the call was forwarded," according to Fake Your Job's website. The transfer system is designed so the person receiving a call will see the business name and number on their caller identification and not the actual number that the call originated.

"Our service is very authentic," according to the website. "Unless you tell someone, the party calling will never know your reference was given by us."

At a recent luncheon sponsored by the greater Houston chapter of the Labor and Employment Relations Association, Joe Bontke, outreach manager for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Houston, drew laughs when he pointed out the frequently asked questions cited on the website. First on the list: "Is what you are doing legal?"

The answer, on the site: "In short, yes. Although people may find this type of act to be unethical, it is legal as long as you are not trying to defraud or fabricate yourself to your local, state, or federal government."

Another common concern on the list is whether someone can go to jail or be arrested for using the company's services.

"If you're doing this for employment or for renting a place to live, no," according to the company. "However, if you are trying to deceive any government agency, you very well can get fined and thrown in jail. This is why we only offer this service for personal endurance. Any place that is not government run is eligible."

But it could raise an issue of liability, said Bux.

Say a company hired an engineer to design a product but there were dangerous defects. A good lawyer will find out that the engineer was hired under false pretenses and the company providing the false credentials could face liability, he said.