Yahoo fires CEO due to resume fraud

resume fraud. Only a few months into the job, Yahoo’s CEO, Scott Thompson, has resigned after it was revealed he lied on his resume.

What is resume fraud?

Resume fraud is a sub-section of negligent hiring, and presents itself when an applicant lies about information on their resume. This information usually relates to dates of employment, past accomplishments and skills, and enhancing job titles and responsibilities.

Resume fraud usually occurs when an individual wants to boost their chances of finding employment – and has been particularly prominent in recent years as the county has seen high unemployment.

What happened at Yahoo?

Scott Thompson claimed on his resume that he had a degree in computer science. A simple background check performed once he was hired proved that this, in fact, was not the case.

While it is then up to the discretion of the employer as to whether they allow the employee to continue to work at the company, Scott Thompson saved any more potential embarrassment by stepping down from this high profile position.

What can job seekers learn from this?

While a certain amount of  “puffery” on resumes is needed to stand out from other applicants, flat-out lying can land you in big trouble. Brad Taft from Taft Resource Group says applicants should “definitely tell the truth…it is a document you can massage, you can change, as long as you’re keeping it truthful.”

What can employers learn from this?

Be sure to perform background checks, ideally prior to hiring someone. Imagine if Yahoo had never run a background check on Thompson – he could have cost them a lot, both in terms of business and potentially bad publicity.

If you’re an employer and would like to find out more about running background checks on job applicants and your staff, get in contact today.