Ethical Dilemma: The Resume Part 2
I shared a post with you I found over at BossHatch on Monday. Here is the ethical dilemma:
Frank is your go-to guy in sales. You recently hired him after you decided to expand your business. His résumé was put together incredibly well and he had a long list of references. With his charismatic approach and a long list of credentials, you hired him. About one month later, you decided to do a little searching. You find out he lied on his application… not just one lie, but 50% of his references have never met him, and he had only minimal experience in the sales industry.
Before you pull him aside to talk, you have a few things to consider. This guy is ranking top in sales… granted, you don’t have many employees; but he has potential. Then again, he has only been working for about 2 months. Should you continue his employment if you can’t fully trust him? Should you terminate him? Where should you draw the line?
Here are my thoughts on this issue:
The owner/manager is completely at fault in this situation. That said, he absolutely has a responsibility to do more than pull Frank aside. He must deal with this issue. Whether he fires him or not, really should come down to what the standard is in the organization. If there is no standard for situations like this, than the owner/manager needs to make a determination for future situations - because it will happen again until the organization comes up with a formal process for hiring employees.
Frank should not have been hired without the owner/manager picking up the phone and doing some research. Ultimately, the company is at fault. The candidate has probably been doing this longer than a minute. As a result, I would determine that he cannot be trusted. Employees that can not be trusted, probably shouldn’t be working for you.
The conversation from the owner to the employee, Frank:
First the owner/manager should set up a meeting. This is not a conversation that should be held on the fly. Especially if the end result is termination. Second, the owner/manager should begin the conversation with an apology for not doing hi/her do diligence prior to extending an offer.
Next the conversation should communicate what you know. If 50% of his references do not know who he is, be specific and communicate that information. REMEMBER, do not accuse Frank of anything, just state the facts as you know them and then allow him to respond to the information. If he admits that he “doctored” his resume, then the conversation should be easy from there. You just have to decide whether you want to maintain his employment with your company.
If Frank does not ‘fess up immediately, ask him to explain why the people on his reference list are unwilling to admit they know him. Ask for supporting documentation for the jobs he claims he worked. In other words, put the responsibility on him to bring supporting documentation for all jobs, references, education, etc, that are on his resume. If Frank is unwilling to do that, you again, should have an easy decision, terminate his employment and move on.
Did I miss anything? What do you think?
Tags: Boss Hatch, Ethical Dilemma, For Managers Only, Hiring employees, interview-chatter, owner, Sales, What would you do?Related Stories
POSTED IN: Ethical Dilemmas
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