Will Employers Pop the Resume Balloon?

Everyone's doing it.

Or at least it seems that way.

As it becomes more and more difficult to gain acceptance into elite investment banking firms, law schools and medical schools, some Harvard students are trying to gain an edge--by inflating their resumes.

Others are deterred, in large part by the belief that they may be caught in lies. But is anyone checking?

In many places--from the personnel bunkers of financial firms to the back rooms of overstuffed graduate school admissions offices--the answer is no.

"I have no reason to believe that you would lie, but if you did, we wouldn't bust you on it," says Alec Haverstick, the managing director and head of hiring at Lehman Brothers.

Acceptance

While the vast majority of students interviewed for this article say they are completely honest on their resumes, they also say that resume inflation, like grade inflation, is an accepted part of the Harvard culture.

"I think in general, people inflate their resumes," says Derek C. Araujo '99. "I've been guilty of that myself in the past."

Law school applicant Dan Kalish '97 heads his resume with his presidency of the Arnold Culture Society--a society which serves to promote and discusses the movies of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"It's right at the top of my resume," says Kalish. "Most people don't think it is a serious club but it is.... We give out press releases, lead discussions, and I try to present it in a serious way on my resume."

While many students simply try to inflate existing credentials, others join organizations and acquire titles in order to craft a favorable image of themselves.

Avery W. Gardiner '97, the head of the Institute of Politics student advisory committee, says she is not worried about resume stuffing at the IOP. But she is sure that many students, particularly low-level representatives, use the organization for the title.

"I think there are people who would claim that they put more time into the IOP than they do," says Gardiner. "Anyone can say that they have been a part of the IOP without it ever being found out."

But the problem cuts both ways. Students leaders also claim to have taken on responsibilities they never had, says Eric L. Ha '97, the managing editor of the Harvard College Economist.

He says a former editor-in-chief of the Economist told an interviewer that he had resurrected the Economist from the throes of oblivion, when in fact he had quit shortly after he became editor in chief.

The student was caught when the firm interviewed the succeeding editor-in-chief the next year.

"I think with a lot of student organizations, people tend to blow up what they do, not just people lower on the totem pole," Ha says.

The primary reason cited by students in their decision not to inflate their credentials was a sense of moral responsibility. But students also admitted that another strong motivation was a simple fear of getting caught, of being asked to produce documentation of their activities.

"All I try to do is sugar-coat," said a first-year law student who did not want to be identified. "I never say anything untrue.... There is too much on the line. It seems stupid to do something like that."

Harvard as Little Brother?

Harvard has eschewed the open honor code of Princeton. Professors have been known to make students drop off assignments in locked boxes.

But the University can be both indifferent and trusting when it comes to checking on its own students' graduate school applications.

Each student applying to law school or medical school is required to submit a letter written by the student's resident or non-resident house tutor. This letter must include the student's disciplinary record.

And that's it.

Beyond the letter, the University does not take any formal responsibility for its students' records, according to various sources within the Office of Career Services (OCS).

Undergraduates often submit their resumes to OCS for review, but counselors maintain that this review is purely for the students' benefit and does not constitute a check of the resume's content.

"[Inflation of resumes] is something we have no control over," says Marc Cosentino, the assistant director of OCS. "It reflects badly on the University overall, but you don't blame the head of a department if a student plagiarizes."

Career counselors emphasize they are not a line of defense.

"We are here to help you craft a piece of paper," says career counselor Nancy Saunders. "Any counselor would [tell a dishonest student], that the path you are following will catch up with you someday."

In addition to jobs and graduate schools, Harvard students also apply for fellowships. It is in this department that OCS has greater control.

Fellowships are split into those that are regional and those that are specifically designated for Harvard students.

In either case, students are recommended by their houses and then considered by committees of professors and administrators, according to Paul Bohlmann, the director of fellowships.

Bohlmann says that in these committees, exaggerations or lies can be spotted because the faculty members or administrators often have specific knowledge about the groups.

"Occasionally a faculty member who advises an organization will see that someone has claimed to one of five co-founders, when there are only two," Bohlmann says.

Still, Bohlmann acknowledges that in many cases it is impossible for the faculty members to check up on the activities of the 100 to 120 candidates who apply for a given scholarship.

He stresses that hyperbole is the exception, not the rule.

"For every person who does stretch the limit there are dozens of people who undersell themselves," says Bohlmann.

Do You Trust Your I-Banker?

This spring, more than 40 investment banking firms will descend upon Harvard, looking for superstars who will increase already astronomical profits.

It is well known that these firms often make candidates travel hundreds of miles for multiple rounds of grueling interviews. But despite their investment in candidates, many firms say they do not spend time checking the applications of their future employees.

"Basically we trust that the people we are dealing with are honest," says a Harvard recruiter at a leading Wall Street firm. "In 20 years I have never found something of really material fact to be untrue."

Several firms say they check schools and past employers and run credit checks on those who they are considering hiring. But such a review is only a formality, considering that an aspiring stockbroker has to undergo the same check before becoming a member of the New York Stock Exchange.

Investment banking executives say that not easily quantifiable factors--such as leadership in extracurriculars--are often very important in the selection process.

Dana Cooksey, a marketing associate at Alex Brown, says her firm deals with the ambiguity of student extracurriculars by using College alumni within the firm to verify data provided by undergraduates.

"We are sensitive to fluff in resumes," says Cooksey. "When we are under consideration we always talk to alumni."

Surprisingly, important figures such as high school SAT scores and membership in large organizations are often not verified by firms. Some firms do not even request an official College transcript.

Students who participate in on-campus recruiting are required to submit a resume to OCS in order to participate in recruiting. But Murray and Cosentino say the purpose of this rule is simply to have one available if the student or recruiter needs it--not for an office verification of the information.

While in most cases firms say they have little way of knowing whether they are being fed true information, the cost of being caught in even the most minute lie can be great.

According to career counselors at OCS, the most commonly exposed lie is about language proficiency.

"I always warn students to be cautious [in claiming language ability]," says Saunders. "Employers have been known to conduct interviews entirely in that language."

Judy Murray, the recruiting director at OCS, tells the story of a student several years back who applied for a job where all applicants needed to have at least a 3.0 average.

The student took his average--which was between 2.9 and 3.0--and rounded it up to 3.0. He applied for the job, and got it.

Later, when the company found he had slightly fudged this one piece of data, it terminated his contract.

Firms say there is a clear distinction between misrepresenting information such as in the case of grade "rounding" and presenting information in the most favorable light possible.

"If someone tells me that he played three years of varsity football, but he never got off the bench and into a game, I don't consider that major," says one recruiter.

Firms emphasize that exaggerations such as this one are few and far between. And so they treat their new applicants with a great deal of trust.

"It all depends on your view of man," says Haverstick. "These are essentially good people trying to find jobs, not cheaters trying to prosper."

Graduate Schools

Most law school and medical school deans admit a startling inability to verify data supplied by students--intangible data which are crucial in the decision to accept or reject.

"We look for students who have utilized the resources of the University in some substantial way, be it in terms of leadership roles, the fine arts, athletics or research," says David Trabilsy, assistant dean for admissions at Johns Hopkins University.

Despite the importance of such factors, graduate schools are often limited in their ability to check up.

"I doubt that any admissions committee in the world has either the time or the personnel," says M. Lynne Wootton, director of admissions at Yale Medical School.

The medical school interview process--which can often include several rounds--is the primary way lies are caught, admissions officers say.

Lee Ann Michaelson '77, the health careers advisor at OCS, says that over-programmed responses from students who are simply trying to please the interviewer can be easy to catch.

Michaelson says she once did a mock interview with an aspiring med school student and asked him the stock question: What field of medicine do you want to go into?

He promptly replied, "primary care."

"What is primary care?" Michaelson asked.

"I don't know, but I know I'm supposed to say it," replied the student.

Both med school and law school deans say letters of recommendation are crucial to the process. But they acknowledge that Harvard's decentralized advising structure makes it difficult for one person to know everything a student has done--or hasn't done.

"When you have 8,000 applicants it is impossible to check every aspect of every file," says Andy P. Cornblatt, assistant dean for admissions at Georgetown Law. "The best check I know is to listen to the person's letters of recommendations, which should echo [from one writer to another]."

And Beyond?

While some students surely exploit the possibilities for deception which lie within the process, others emphasize the long-term ramifications of being honest with oneself.

"No doubt everyone went through this process of preening your background in high school," says Andrew H. Ahn, a Harvard medical student who is nine years out of college.

"But it never ends," he adds. If you are constantly "buffing up your resume for the next launching pad, you're wasting your worthwhile time.

But the problem cuts both ways. Students leaders also claim to have taken on responsibilities they never had, says Eric L. Ha '97, the managing editor of the Harvard College Economist.

He says a former editor-in-chief of the Economist told an interviewer that he had resurrected the Economist from the throes of oblivion, when in fact he had quit shortly after he became editor in chief.

The student was caught when the firm interviewed the succeeding editor-in-chief the next year.

"I think with a lot of student organizations, people tend to blow up what they do, not just people lower on the totem pole," Ha says.

The primary reason cited by students in their decision not to inflate their credentials was a sense of moral responsibility. But students also admitted that another strong motivation was a simple fear of getting caught, of being asked to produce documentation of their activities.

"All I try to do is sugar-coat," said a first-year law student who did not want to be identified. "I never say anything untrue.... There is too much on the line. It seems stupid to do something like that."

Harvard as Little Brother?

Harvard has eschewed the open honor code of Princeton. Professors have been known to make students drop off assignments in locked boxes.

But the University can be both indifferent and trusting when it comes to checking on its own students' graduate school applications.

Each student applying to law school or medical school is required to submit a letter written by the student's resident or non-resident house tutor. This letter must include the student's disciplinary record.

And that's it.

Beyond the letter, the University does not take any formal responsibility for its students' records, according to various sources within the Office of Career Services (OCS).

Undergraduates often submit their resumes to OCS for review, but counselors maintain that this review is purely for the students' benefit and does not constitute a check of the resume's content.

"[Inflation of resumes] is something we have no control over," says Marc Cosentino, the assistant director of OCS. "It reflects badly on the University overall, but you don't blame the head of a department if a student plagiarizes."

Career counselors emphasize they are not a line of defense.

"We are here to help you craft a piece of paper," says career counselor Nancy Saunders. "Any counselor would [tell a dishonest student], that the path you are following will catch up with you someday."

In addition to jobs and graduate schools, Harvard students also apply for fellowships. It is in this department that OCS has greater control.

Fellowships are split into those that are regional and those that are specifically designated for Harvard students.

In either case, students are recommended by their houses and then considered by committees of professors and administrators, according to Paul Bohlmann, the director of fellowships.

Bohlmann says that in these committees, exaggerations or lies can be spotted because the faculty members or administrators often have specific knowledge about the groups.

"Occasionally a faculty member who advises an organization will see that someone has claimed to one of five co-founders, when there are only two," Bohlmann says.

Still, Bohlmann acknowledges that in many cases it is impossible for the faculty members to check up on the activities of the 100 to 120 candidates who apply for a given scholarship.

He stresses that hyperbole is the exception, not the rule.

"For every person who does stretch the limit there are dozens of people who undersell themselves," says Bohlmann.

Do You Trust Your I-Banker?

This spring, more than 40 investment banking firms will descend upon Harvard, looking for superstars who will increase already astronomical profits.

It is well known that these firms often make candidates travel hundreds of miles for multiple rounds of grueling interviews. But despite their investment in candidates, many firms say they do not spend time checking the applications of their future employees.

"Basically we trust that the people we are dealing with are honest," says a Harvard recruiter at a leading Wall Street firm. "In 20 years I have never found something of really material fact to be untrue."

Several firms say they check schools and past employers and run credit checks on those who they are considering hiring. But such a review is only a formality, considering that an aspiring stockbroker has to undergo the same check before becoming a member of the New York Stock Exchange.

Investment banking executives say that not easily quantifiable factors--such as leadership in extracurriculars--are often very important in the selection process.

Dana Cooksey, a marketing associate at Alex Brown, says her firm deals with the ambiguity of student extracurriculars by using College alumni within the firm to verify data provided by undergraduates.

"We are sensitive to fluff in resumes," says Cooksey. "When we are under consideration we always talk to alumni."

Surprisingly, important figures such as high school SAT scores and membership in large organizations are often not verified by firms. Some firms do not even request an official College transcript.

Students who participate in on-campus recruiting are required to submit a resume to OCS in order to participate in recruiting. But Murray and Cosentino say the purpose of this rule is simply to have one available if the student or recruiter needs it--not for an office verification of the information.

While in most cases firms say they have little way of knowing whether they are being fed true information, the cost of being caught in even the most minute lie can be great.

According to career counselors at OCS, the most commonly exposed lie is about language proficiency.

"I always warn students to be cautious [in claiming language ability]," says Saunders. "Employers have been known to conduct interviews entirely in that language."

Judy Murray, the recruiting director at OCS, tells the story of a student several years back who applied for a job where all applicants needed to have at least a 3.0 average.

The student took his average--which was between 2.9 and 3.0--and rounded it up to 3.0. He applied for the job, and got it.

Later, when the company found he had slightly fudged this one piece of data, it terminated his contract.

Firms say there is a clear distinction between misrepresenting information such as in the case of grade "rounding" and presenting information in the most favorable light possible.

"If someone tells me that he played three years of varsity football, but he never got off the bench and into a game, I don't consider that major," says one recruiter.

Firms emphasize that exaggerations such as this one are few and far between. And so they treat their new applicants with a great deal of trust.

"It all depends on your view of man," says Haverstick. "These are essentially good people trying to find jobs, not cheaters trying to prosper."

Graduate Schools

Most law school and medical school deans admit a startling inability to verify data supplied by students--intangible data which are crucial in the decision to accept or reject.

"We look for students who have utilized the resources of the University in some substantial way, be it in terms of leadership roles, the fine arts, athletics or research," says David Trabilsy, assistant dean for admissions at Johns Hopkins University.

Despite the importance of such factors, graduate schools are often limited in their ability to check up.

"I doubt that any admissions committee in the world has either the time or the personnel," says M. Lynne Wootton, director of admissions at Yale Medical School.

The medical school interview process--which can often include several rounds--is the primary way lies are caught, admissions officers say.

Lee Ann Michaelson '77, the health careers advisor at OCS, says that over-programmed responses from students who are simply trying to please the interviewer can be easy to catch.

Michaelson says she once did a mock interview with an aspiring med school student and asked him the stock question: What field of medicine do you want to go into?

He promptly replied, "primary care."

"What is primary care?" Michaelson asked.

"I don't know, but I know I'm supposed to say it," replied the student.

Both med school and law school deans say letters of recommendation are crucial to the process. But they acknowledge that Harvard's decentralized advising structure makes it difficult for one person to know everything a student has done--or hasn't done.

"When you have 8,000 applicants it is impossible to check every aspect of every file," says Andy P. Cornblatt, assistant dean for admissions at Georgetown Law. "The best check I know is to listen to the person's letters of recommendations, which should echo [from one writer to another]."

And Beyond?

While some students surely exploit the possibilities for deception which lie within the process, others emphasize the long-term ramifications of being honest with oneself.

"No doubt everyone went through this process of preening your background in high school," says Andrew H. Ahn, a Harvard medical student who is nine years out of college.

"But it never ends," he adds. If you are constantly "buffing up your resume for the next launching pad, you're wasting your worthwhile time.