Your Weirdest Résumé Lies

A couple of weeks ago, we wrote about a survey that identified 10 of the most bizarre lies on résumés. We wanted to see if you and other readers have encountered even stranger stretches of the truth in the hiring process. Here's a look at the best responses.

Institutional Knowledge

"When I was phone screening a candidate for an hourly manufacturing position, he claimed he was a 'cook' at the Department of Corrections. I had to ask him several times if he was incarcerated, but he always sidestepped the question. I finally had to ask if he was able to leave the facility anytime he wanted or if he was required to return to a cell at the end of his shift before he admitted to being jailed! The same candidate also had the nerve to claim he had no convictions on his record." -- A reader who wished to remain anonymous

Three Applicants, One Social Security Number

"Hiring for a fast food restaurant in the late 1980s, we had three young men apply at the same time. My first assistant manager made the time to at least chat with the group of three as they visited the restaurant to turn in their applications. In a few minutes of chatting, he ended the pleasantries, as he found himself explaining to them that they could NOT all have the same social security number. That's right, three applications, delivered at the same time, one Social Security number among them." -- Anonymous

Oui, Je Parle Espagnol

BLR's Hiring the Best is a step-by-step program that tackles the ins and outs of finding and hiring great employees.

"I was recruiting a bilingual (Spanish) candidate for a call center. The candidate stated that he was quite proficient in Spanish, having learned to speak the language after spending a great deal of time in Mexico. We brought him in to interview with me and a manager who was fluent in Spanish. She was to conduct part of the interview in Spanish to test the skills of the candidates as I do not speak the language. After she had asked a couple of questions, she stopped and looked at me kind of funny. I asked her what was wrong, and she looked at the candidate and me and stated that she didn't know what the applicant was speaking, but it wasn't Spanish. He finally admitted he didn't speak Spanish at all, but didn't think we would actually test him." -- Anonymous

We'll Put You on the Short List of Candidates

"I was hiring for a painting position and this 'gentleman' walked in with baggy shorts, an obscene T-shirt (naked couple), and flip-flops. I asked him some general questions and then painting-specific questions, which he answered. Suddenly, he stood up and said: 'What the h*** are you hiring for? It sounds like a (swear word) painting job' Yes, that is what you applied for, I said. He said, 'Well, that sucks, man--I don't do painting any more. That (another cuss word) wrecks your lungs.' He then walked in front of my desk, lost his shorts on the floor, and kept walking. I threw the shorts away. Probably should have kept them for a good laugh." -- Anonymous

That's One Way to Leave a Job

"Applicant's listed reason for leaving the last position: 'Deceased.'" -- Anonymous

Source: Our loyal and truth-finding readers

Age is the current hot dynamic, with candidate John McCain just celebrating his 72nd birthday as he runs for president. And in the September 8 issue of BusinessWeek, the magazine heralds senior execs over 75 who still run the show.

Stating that "80 is the new 60," the article says there are a surprising number of senior-citizen moguls who can "kick Boomer and Gen Y butt" in the business world. The magazine asked its correspondents around the world to send in lists of moguls age 75 and above. Here are some examples from the list (some you have heard of, some not):

• Run Run Shaw, 100. Chairman, Television Broadcasts (TVB) in Hong Kong
• Jack LaLanne, 93. Fitness entrepreneur
• Kirk Kirkorian, 91. President and CEO, Tracinda (still plays tennis)
• Yung-Ching Wang, 90. Founder, Formosa Plastics
• Harold Burson, 87. Chairman, Burson-Marsteller (PR firm)
• Basant Kumar Birla, 87. Chairman, Birla Group (Indian conglomerate)
• Stanley Ho, 86. Chairman, SJM Holdings (casinos)
• Sumner Redstone, 85. Chairman, CBS Viacom
• Hans Riegel Jr., 85. Chairman, Haribo (German candy, creator of Gummy Bears)
• David Murdock, 84. Chairman, Castle & Cook, Dole Foods
• C. P. Krishman Nair, 84. Chairman, Hotel Leela Venture (hotel chains)
• Hank Greenberg, 83. CEO, G.V. Starr (former CEO of AIG, not the baseball player)
• Hugh Hefner, 82. Editor in Chief/Creative Officer, Playboy Enterprises
• Ingvar Kamprad, 82, Founder, IKEA
• Albert Frere, 82.Chariman and Managing Director, Groupe Bruxells Lambert
• Chuck Dolan, 81. Chairman, Cablevision (and founder of HBO)
• Paul Volcker, 81. Former Chairman of the Federal Reserve and Obama advisor
• S.I. Newhouse, 80. Chairman, Advance Publications (Vanity Fair, Vogue, etc.)
• T. Boone Pickens, 80. Founder, Mesa Power and BP Capital
• Li Ka-Shing, 80. Chairman, Cheung Kong Holdings (power, property, ports)
• Jack Gogle, 79. Founder, Vanguard Group
• Warren Buffett, 78. CEO, Berkshire Hathaway (the Oracle of Omaha )
• Osamu Suzuki, 78. Chairman, Suzuki Motors
• Rupert Murdoch, 77. Chairman, News Corp.
• Tom Perkins, 76, Founder, Kleiner, Perkins Caulfield & Byers (and ex of Danielle Steele)
• Robert Lutz, 76. Vice Chairman, General Motors.
• Muriel Seibert, 75. Founder, Muriel Siebert (woman Wall Street pioneer)
• Sheldon Adelson, 75. Chairman, Las Vegas Sands

Source: BusinessWeek

You wouldn't want any of these employees to charge you with age discrimination! Keep out of compliance trouble with BLR's What to Do About [Personnel Problems] in Your State.

Do you want your employees to sharikni? Yes, if you are like the employers in Dubai , who have been instructed by the government to encourage this practice among their employees. It's carpooling!

Why would officials want to encourage carpools in the United Arab Emirates, a country dotted with productive oil wells, you may ask. Well it's not the price of gas that's concerning the Public Transport Agency. It's traffic jams and parking spaces!

Evidently, the increasing price of gas has enabled more people in Dubai to buy their own cars, resulting in American-style back-ups during rush hours.

The initiative does mention reduced stress on workers, who can relax when not driving everyday, as well as reduced mileage and costs for vehicle maintenance. A press release on the subject also mentions the goal of reducing emissions into the environment.

You'll learn practical, hands-on steps for recognizing, preventing, and defusing travel pay issues during this 90-minute audio conference on September 23.

However, the prime objective seems to be getting at least half the cars off the nation's highways and lessening the need to build more parking lots. Another objective is finding rides for workers other than in illegal--and often dangerous--private taxis.

So the UAE government is setting up a database for workers wanting rides and car owners searching for passengers "with whom they may travel to and from their residences."

To put a positive spin on the program, the press release says carpooling will " promote and strengthen the social ties between the staff of a company or several companies through ... chatting and exchanging ideas, adding to the trip an atmosphere of fun and smoothness." Let's sign up!

Source: AME Info