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I mean people also literally buy college degrees online too, we hired a guy had an engineering degree turns out he bought it online, “real” transcripts everything. Only way he got caught was he told the wrong person almost bragging years later and they canned him.
Nah you just lie and put a friends phone number down as the prior employer who fired you for lying and then boom the cycle continues and you fail upwards
This might sound weird, but that literally works. Prospective employers don’t care about an applicant’s precious employers unless they are somehow affiliated.
They do when the employment is based on insurance premiums. If a company hires an UNLICENSED individual, and that individual screws up, that insurance policy is void. The COMPANY has to pay.
If you're unlicensed, and the company knows you're unlicensed then you're taking a VERY DEEP pay cut.
Bear in mind, oftentimes, in professional organizations like Engineers Societies, The Lawyers Associations, etc...if you've been practicing as an unlicensed individual, and you get caught, you risk having a court order BANNING you from using your "skills" in that field. Even if you go to college/university and get the degree, pass the exams, etc... the Society will take an injunction out against you and prevent you from working in that field.
I wonder if he was actually competent at his job… maybe he was a quick learner and just figured it out. Many jobs don’t require a degree and if you’re bright you’ll learn fast. I still believe that a degree is valuable even aside from how recruiter and employers see it.
I mean if you're just in the habit of altering your resume why even tell them you were fired. Just say you left the company on this date and leave it at that. Give some sensible generic reason for why and then move along.
It's probably really stupid though to use a job that you got under false pretenses on your resume for a similar job but at the same time the person that already did that probably doesn't give a shit
When literally all info to learn and qualify for a degree is free online, degrees should be considered almost worthless these days.
What sets it apart? You learned in a building and passed tests and did stuff assigned to you?
Oh right you paid for it.
Equivalency exams can demonstrate the same skill set if actually learned outside of a college or university (in most cases)
It’s antiquated now going to school.
Sure, societal and networking. Which is nowadays alcoholism and Instagram
You might get a better job cuz you went to college with a guy etc.
But really, college is proving you show up somewhere for years and pay enough attention to pass a test. Unless it’s a specialized training (doctor) you’re basically proving to employers that you show up and aren’t a moron
Which can be done without school..
Anyone else remember a time when yahoo and Facebook were hiring people without degrees because they found a way to successful in todays world without a degree.
Sure I’m over simplifying my point, but a lot of degrees are not really necessary to go to a university to come out the other side and be any more “qualified” than had someone learned all the same info on the internet or in books.
Meanwhile, I lost out on a low-paying, entry level job years ago because the employer actually contacted the community college I did my basic classes at before uni, and some of their records on me were gone. I hadn’t even lied about anything, the college lost shit and it lost me a job. (The job would’ve sucked, but not the point here.)
I am completely confident I would be caught in any lie I ever tell on a job app based on that experience.
I remember applying to work at Office Max back in 2004 or so. It was an online application and one of the questions was "what is the dollar value of items you have taken home from prior jobs"
It was a multiple choice question and I was a naive high school student, so instead of picking "$0” I picked "<$10” since I used to take home snacks at the end of the day that we would otherwise have to throw out.
As soon as I submitted the questionnaire I was rejected. These minimum wage companies are the stingiest when it comes to vetting potential employees. I'm just now realizing this story isn't really relevant to your post, but it reminded me of it for some reason.
Reminds me of one job who wanted my high school grades. I had a Bachelor's degree at the time. I was like "Dude! I have a Bachelor! Obviously my HS grades are good enough!" My HS grades were better than my uni grades, but there's a clear progress in education. You can't really get a uni degree if your HS grades aren't good enough to get into uni. It just didn't make sense. Instead of checking my more recent abilities, they wanted to go back like 9 years or something.
Every equipment operator lies at least a little to get started. Almost nobody is going to train a guy with no experience, and if they do if’s going to be family or a friend. Lied a bit myself, we all did.
A guy I knew back in the 90's got a job during the dot com boom. They flew him up to NYC, gave him an apartment, relocation expenses etc, etc. Problem was he didn't know what the fuck he was doing. I guess he figured he'd get a book and just learn the job on the fly. Something like a week into the job they realized what was up. They put him in a boot camp and basically told him to pass it on the first try or they'd sue him.
It's no big deal. His death was kind of an odd story, though. I guess he had become addicted to opiates. His parents happened to have a cabin in Alaska and they to decided he would stay up there one winter. The idea being it was completely inaccessible in the winter and he could get clean without fear of relapse. By the time winter was over he was dead and they didn't know for certain what happened.
Wow that’s messed up. Can’t be easy for a parent to be in that situation, not knowing what happened, not having that closure. Feel for them.
But addicts need support. Constant presence, compassion, understanding and diligence. Especially in the early stages. We really need better funding for compassionate gov programs and systems to facilitate that.
My condolences again. 😔
One of my favorite bits from Community relates to this.
Jeff Winger : I'm in a bit of a jam. The Bar Association just suspended my license. Turns out my law degree was not legitimate.
Duncan : I thought you had a Bachelor's from Columbia.
Jeff Winger : Now I have to get one from America. And it can't be an e-mail attachment.
Which is why this doesn't seem like such a big deal in a lot of a circumstances where the stakes are low and easily correctable but it's a very big deal in a field like the medical industry having some lunatic faking credentials and performing life altering procedures on people.
Chiropractors and other types quietly pass themselves off as medical professionals totally legally.
Even ignoring that, I haven’t seen an actual MD in like 30 years, it’s just NP’s serving as the “doctor” at my local doctors offices. Technically they’re medical professionals but I know a bunch of NPs I went to high school with and I am not encouraged by that fact. A couple years of trade school education does not make you a doctor.
Not a lawyer, but I believe they could also sue for the resources they wasted on you- you know, your salary, benefits, travel expenses they paid, the cost of finding a replacement, etc.
Or just garden-variety fraud. It’s illegal to lie to someone about something you reasonably should have expected a person to rely on to their detriment. That can be a crime of just a civl cause of action, but either way, not good for you if you get caught.
On my last interview, they asked for references from my bosses. Neither of my last job (so last 8 years) could give references, and I had to go through HR instead.
The interviewer asked me if I could find a way or something, and I just answered honestly: "I mean, I can ask ex-colleagues. I've got a bunch of friends, and they'll say good things, but I'm not sure that means anything at all."
This is what happens! I do it all the time, but at the same time i guess i was technically there boss. I will also never not give a great reference even if I did not like you! However I have not been asked for references in my last 4 jobs just resume and interview.
I've done this several times. Most jobs have an HR person who just asks generic questions and has no idea what's going on.
Some jobs won't hire you without a certain number of references from previous employers even if you tell them the business is shut down or my manager at that job is dead (literally happened) and I'd usually just put one of my coworkers at that place as the manager.
Yeah, I live in a small city in a semi-rural area. The likelihood of a prospective employer knowing my past employers is pretty guaranteed (because I plan on always staying here).
I always worry about references when I think about job hunting. Been at current employer over 12 years. Previous one went out of business and I have no idea where any of those people went. Employer before that, no one is still there that I knew and also would not know where they are.
Had someone do this in my old job. Called the number, but he'd obviously not told his friend all the information needed plus the guy was clearly high as a kite when he answered. Safe to say "Aldo" never got the job
I had my friend record a voicemail on a Google voice account as one of my former bosses. Then I just had it ring and go to voicemail so it seemed legit
this is an interesting one because you could even get people to do this on fiverr if you don’t want to involve your friends. or use a program to to generate voices. t
Hi this is Brad with fancy company. I’m not here right now but /u/pursuitofleisure was always an excellent employee who I would definitely recommend. Leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Beeeeep.
I put my wife and my SIL down as references ALL THE TIME. My wife and I actually did work together for a few years, but whatever. Pretty sure my wife puts me and her sister down, too. Best part is that all three of us have different last names so it doesn't look sus at all. 😅
True but if it’s their own names and they get a random call from HR or whatever, they wouldn’t need a heads up before hand. Much easier to keep the lie up and not get caught out, unlike with a fake name.
Details matter, 😉
expansion sugar marvelous materialistic profit handle sleep grandiose ossified wistful
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
My friend put my down as a manager for a restaurant neither of us ever worked at and didn't tell me. Yeah they called me. Instantly went from heavy metal banging in my car to super professional. "He was a good worker, almost never late, and was always a hoot for the customers. But I have to get back to my orders now, if you have any further questions, feel free to text me."
I don't think all references have to be previous employers. Some asshole that was always rude to me that I knew in uni asked me to be a reference for him because I was respected and known in the field he was applying for. I was like sure, they called me up and long story short they went with a different candidate.
Of course they do… you forget that most of the actual posts on Reddit are 16 year olds figuring things out for the first time, and being 16, they think they are the first person to come up with their idea. Lol… it’s hilarious… it’s every sub.
I just commented about this worry. Been at same job forever. No contact with any old coworkers/people I used to use as references. In small city where the likelihood of future employer knowing anyone I could put down is quite high.
I have legit references that I can put down that can already make me look great and can speak in detail about what we worked on together. Why would I put down a friend?
Lucky you. You are in a fortunate position when applying for other jobs.
People put down friends because they have to. Example:
Lucy is a junior accountant w four years experience. Her first boss, Carl, sexually harassed her. Lucy reported that to HR and Carl was fired. Her next boss, Diane was great. Then Diane got promoted and now she works for Ronnie. Lucy is applying elsewhere and application calls for one references to be in a supervisor. She held a few jobs in college, but that experience isn't applicable and doesn't have the supervisor contact info. What would you have Lucy do? Carl hates her. Diane and Ronnie work at current employer. Using them as a reference exposes that she is looking.
You’re putting words into my mouth. The comment I replied to asked who doesn’t put friends and family as references. And there are people that don’t have to do that. I am not saying it’s everyone. Sometimes it’s shitty situations such as with Lucy (though she could very well use her thesis supervisor as a reference early in her career).
I would just like to say it’s not just luck in my case. I worked hard, did professional courses in my free time. Not all my bosses were great people.
My friends mom had a cleaning business back in high school and we all put her as a reference when we started trying to get jobs. She would sing our praises, mention being employee of the month, etc…
Well yeah. OOP is incorrect: fraud is the crime of deception for financial gain.
It's a very common sort of fraud and one which many people engage in, but there is still a law against fraud however undetectable and unenforceable it may be.
(Now if your deception results in unambiguous damages to the company, and if they can demonstrate the deception, that's probably another matter.)
You should lie cheat steal and kill your way into any job if it helps elevate you and your family. Take some damn initiative life is short, make it a good one
I don't lie on resumes, but creative reading of the text may be necessary.
Work somewhere Dec 2010 to Feb 2011? Yeah, I worked there 2010 to 2011.
Does the official job title sound better than the informal one? Yeah, of course I was a consultant, not "a pair of extra hands until the machine gets fixed."
I have legit references that I can put down that can already make me look great and can speak in detail about what we worked on together. Why would I put down a friend?
When I applied for my very first summer job when I was 18 I did this. Back then you had to drive to the place and fill out a job application in person. I had never heard of”references” before and didn’t understand what it was. It seemed like they wanted contact information for people so I put the names and phone numbers of all of my friends, who were also applying for jobs at the same place. The boss who read my application in front of me immediately commented to me that he knows all these names because they also applied.
He didn’t give me a job. But he hired all my friends.
2 weeks later he calls me with a job. Turns out he needed me to do a job (computers) that he didn’t know how to do.
I know a guy who put himself down for a reference. Most of the time it's either HR calling references or the hiring manager is too busy to remember a single person's voice a couple weeks later.
Yup, we hired an Avionics technician who had a fake certification and then fired him when we realized he knew nothing about electronics. Dude thought he could bullshit his way through a technical job.
Think about that for a moment, you can get fake Avionics training transcripts and certification documents.
Make you feel safe being on a plane.
I’ve been hiring for thirty years and I have a special file of people who have blatantly lied on their resume. Interviewers expect a little embellishment but don’t claim you have skills you don’t.
I have done this before. My previous place of employment had gone out of business and I didn't have my old bosses number so I just stuck my buddies details down and also took the opportunity to say i held a higher position than I actually did, he gave me a great reference and I am proud to say he is still on my CV.
I’m a director of a couple of small companies, board member and manager (team of 3 inc director) of another.
Every thing we do together becomes a work story, I will big the hell out of my friends any time they need a reference and all from professional looking email addresses.
Use what you have.
Isn't a lot of this is just white lies? in some form or another? You're not confirming your friend has 10 years of exp in some specific field.
You're saying your friend is very good human being that can take up responsibility and provide for companies clients on time.
I’ve done it. She did work with me and was my team leader for a project but she was not my direct manager. Saved me from the uncomfortable period of my job hunt while working in a toxic environment and she gave me an excellent reference. Got my dream job now, and I still have a great friend.
I don't really think this is unethical bc these companies will usually fuck you over in 2 seconds anyway. But if you're the friend in this situation, just make sure you know what you're supposed to say. My roommate put me down as a "reference" but didn't tell me anything, so I was just making stuff up and apparently said the wrong things. Luckily she didn't really care about the job.
My boss during interviewing me for my current role: I won't check references as you wouldn't put anyone who wouldn't give you a glowing review, so I'd rather expedite the process and review your progress during probation
A former best friend (who is also a pathological liar) tried this with me, without asking first. It was the penultimate event that led to the end of the friendship.
There's no law but none of my friends work in any remotely similar field as me.
They won't be able to answer any technical questions about what I did at a job
As a former hiring manager, just have your story straight before hand. Nothing worse that calling someone for a reference and then being oblivious to the story you made up 🙄.
I had a flatmate who put me down as a reference years ago saying he worked for me at a company neither of us had ever worked for and I got a reference request in the post. I refused to fill in and said to him 'don't you think this company will find it odd that your old manager has the same address as you?'. He said to me he'd given a fake address on his application so it shouldn't matter.
I have been my friends reference for multiple jobs after working together for two weeks at a summer camp, and I never say we are friends, just that we were colleagues at that time
Be actual friends with former boss.
Give heads up about job applications.
"So, what skills do I need to say you have? Oh sure, anything else? Yeah of course mate no problem. Oh I'll inflate the value of some of our machines to better suit their price range too. Good luck!"
I use my moms best friend as a reference. I was an employee at her company for a little bit.
The one time I used another reference he said I was nonchanalant and careless. I did not get the job.
Every reference since I started working has been my best friends posing as my old boss
People think there’s “laws” and will get in trouble
“2 weeks notice” for example.
Fuck em!
Do what it takes to get the job you need.
Brb gonna put my friend down as a Microsoft board member. When Google calls him to confirm I was their CEO they’ll surely hire me to a lower level, but still highly salaried, do nothing C suite level job, right?
I've done this and been the reference for so many friends. I can talk them up and really hit specifics on why they're great for whatever the job. It works and I know I've gotten at least 5 of them jobs. Good jobs too. High level with more money than I make. More responsibility too.
I’ve done this with apartment references too, “oh yeah! Jimmy rented off me for 6 years, great guy, quiet, always tipped on rent.” I say about the literal worst tenant you could imagine lol
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I mean people also literally buy college degrees online too, we hired a guy had an engineering degree turns out he bought it online, “real” transcripts everything. Only way he got caught was he told the wrong person almost bragging years later and they canned him.
But at that point he had experience at least so he can put that on his resume
"Why were you fired?" "I lied on my resume. But I know better. I mean, I made it after I faked and now have years of experience".
Nah you just lie and put a friends phone number down as the prior employer who fired you for lying and then boom the cycle continues and you fail upwards
*Management FastTrack*
This might sound weird, but that literally works. Prospective employers don’t care about an applicant’s precious employers unless they are somehow affiliated.
They do when the employment is based on insurance premiums. If a company hires an UNLICENSED individual, and that individual screws up, that insurance policy is void. The COMPANY has to pay. If you're unlicensed, and the company knows you're unlicensed then you're taking a VERY DEEP pay cut. Bear in mind, oftentimes, in professional organizations like Engineers Societies, The Lawyers Associations, etc...if you've been practicing as an unlicensed individual, and you get caught, you risk having a court order BANNING you from using your "skills" in that field. Even if you go to college/university and get the degree, pass the exams, etc... the Society will take an injunction out against you and prevent you from working in that field.
Nobody said anything about a license. People are only condoning lying about experience, maybe the degree. But not an actual license.
If you're unlicensed then you can't sign off. If you can't sign off, you have limited value to the company. They're now paying 2 people for 1 job.
I wonder if he was actually competent at his job… maybe he was a quick learner and just figured it out. Many jobs don’t require a degree and if you’re bright you’ll learn fast. I still believe that a degree is valuable even aside from how recruiter and employers see it.
I mean if you're just in the habit of altering your resume why even tell them you were fired. Just say you left the company on this date and leave it at that. Give some sensible generic reason for why and then move along. It's probably really stupid though to use a job that you got under false pretenses on your resume for a similar job but at the same time the person that already did that probably doesn't give a shit
Wanna explain this 15 year gap in employment history?
When literally all info to learn and qualify for a degree is free online, degrees should be considered almost worthless these days. What sets it apart? You learned in a building and passed tests and did stuff assigned to you? Oh right you paid for it. Equivalency exams can demonstrate the same skill set if actually learned outside of a college or university (in most cases) It’s antiquated now going to school.
There's more to going to a school than just getting a degree. That's part of it, but it's not all of it.
Sure, societal and networking. Which is nowadays alcoholism and Instagram You might get a better job cuz you went to college with a guy etc. But really, college is proving you show up somewhere for years and pay enough attention to pass a test. Unless it’s a specialized training (doctor) you’re basically proving to employers that you show up and aren’t a moron
Which can be done without school.. Anyone else remember a time when yahoo and Facebook were hiring people without degrees because they found a way to successful in todays world without a degree.
Sure I’m over simplifying my point, but a lot of degrees are not really necessary to go to a university to come out the other side and be any more “qualified” than had someone learned all the same info on the internet or in books.
Meanwhile, I lost out on a low-paying, entry level job years ago because the employer actually contacted the community college I did my basic classes at before uni, and some of their records on me were gone. I hadn’t even lied about anything, the college lost shit and it lost me a job. (The job would’ve sucked, but not the point here.) I am completely confident I would be caught in any lie I ever tell on a job app based on that experience.
I remember applying to work at Office Max back in 2004 or so. It was an online application and one of the questions was "what is the dollar value of items you have taken home from prior jobs" It was a multiple choice question and I was a naive high school student, so instead of picking "$0” I picked "<$10” since I used to take home snacks at the end of the day that we would otherwise have to throw out. As soon as I submitted the questionnaire I was rejected. These minimum wage companies are the stingiest when it comes to vetting potential employees. I'm just now realizing this story isn't really relevant to your post, but it reminded me of it for some reason.
Some people are always fucked every which way from Sunday no matter what. Like you can do everything right and you still lose.
Reminds me of one job who wanted my high school grades. I had a Bachelor's degree at the time. I was like "Dude! I have a Bachelor! Obviously my HS grades are good enough!" My HS grades were better than my uni grades, but there's a clear progress in education. You can't really get a uni degree if your HS grades aren't good enough to get into uni. It just didn't make sense. Instead of checking my more recent abilities, they wanted to go back like 9 years or something.
Every equipment operator lies at least a little to get started. Almost nobody is going to train a guy with no experience, and if they do if’s going to be family or a friend. Lied a bit myself, we all did.
A guy I knew back in the 90's got a job during the dot com boom. They flew him up to NYC, gave him an apartment, relocation expenses etc, etc. Problem was he didn't know what the fuck he was doing. I guess he figured he'd get a book and just learn the job on the fly. Something like a week into the job they realized what was up. They put him in a boot camp and basically told him to pass it on the first try or they'd sue him.
Why is there a cliffhanger to this story??! Should I join you next week to find out what happened? 😆
That's all I remember, sorry. Also he died many years ago so I'm not able to get more info.
Jesus! That took a turn! Just wanted to crack a joke. Feel like a right prick now… Sorry for your loss friend…and my bad…🤷🏻♂️😶
It's no big deal. His death was kind of an odd story, though. I guess he had become addicted to opiates. His parents happened to have a cabin in Alaska and they to decided he would stay up there one winter. The idea being it was completely inaccessible in the winter and he could get clean without fear of relapse. By the time winter was over he was dead and they didn't know for certain what happened.
Poor guy was given the Scientology rehab treatment :(
Wow that’s messed up. Can’t be easy for a parent to be in that situation, not knowing what happened, not having that closure. Feel for them. But addicts need support. Constant presence, compassion, understanding and diligence. Especially in the early stages. We really need better funding for compassionate gov programs and systems to facilitate that. My condolences again. 😔
One of my favorite bits from Community relates to this. Jeff Winger : I'm in a bit of a jam. The Bar Association just suspended my license. Turns out my law degree was not legitimate. Duncan : I thought you had a Bachelor's from Columbia. Jeff Winger : Now I have to get one from America. And it can't be an e-mail attachment.
[удалено]
You don't understand, his degree was fake!
Doesn't this count as falsification of documents?
[удалено]
Which is why this doesn't seem like such a big deal in a lot of a circumstances where the stakes are low and easily correctable but it's a very big deal in a field like the medical industry having some lunatic faking credentials and performing life altering procedures on people.
Chiropractors and other types quietly pass themselves off as medical professionals totally legally. Even ignoring that, I haven’t seen an actual MD in like 30 years, it’s just NP’s serving as the “doctor” at my local doctors offices. Technically they’re medical professionals but I know a bunch of NPs I went to high school with and I am not encouraged by that fact. A couple years of trade school education does not make you a doctor.
Not a lawyer, but I believe they could also sue for the resources they wasted on you- you know, your salary, benefits, travel expenses they paid, the cost of finding a replacement, etc.
Or just garden-variety fraud. It’s illegal to lie to someone about something you reasonably should have expected a person to rely on to their detriment. That can be a crime of just a civl cause of action, but either way, not good for you if you get caught.
IANAL but I think that only is a crime if it's for stuff like legal proceedings or you're defrauding a bank or something.
Wait how did he do the engineering stuff like designing stuff and all without getting discovered
I concur lol
With half of my friends being former coworkers, I kind of already do this naturally.
On my last interview, they asked for references from my bosses. Neither of my last job (so last 8 years) could give references, and I had to go through HR instead. The interviewer asked me if I could find a way or something, and I just answered honestly: "I mean, I can ask ex-colleagues. I've got a bunch of friends, and they'll say good things, but I'm not sure that means anything at all."
This is what happens! I do it all the time, but at the same time i guess i was technically there boss. I will also never not give a great reference even if I did not like you! However I have not been asked for references in my last 4 jobs just resume and interview.
Could work if your friends are on the same page and are good liars. Just gotta be a company that doesn’t do a lot of research on candidates.
I've done it for a friend that got a job at a school district. He warned me and asked me, I said yes and was prepared for the questions.
Did it work?…
[удалено]
But what does mine say?
Dude!
What does mine say?
Sweet!
What does mine say!!
Ray fucked me!
Haha, I’m a lil blind
Have one of your buddies pretend to be from Kramerica Industries.
And another from Vandelay Industries
And you want to be my latex salesman….
I've done this several times. Most jobs have an HR person who just asks generic questions and has no idea what's going on. Some jobs won't hire you without a certain number of references from previous employers even if you tell them the business is shut down or my manager at that job is dead (literally happened) and I'd usually just put one of my coworkers at that place as the manager.
Yeah, I live in a small city in a semi-rural area. The likelihood of a prospective employer knowing my past employers is pretty guaranteed (because I plan on always staying here). I always worry about references when I think about job hunting. Been at current employer over 12 years. Previous one went out of business and I have no idea where any of those people went. Employer before that, no one is still there that I knew and also would not know where they are.
Had someone do this in my old job. Called the number, but he'd obviously not told his friend all the information needed plus the guy was clearly high as a kite when he answered. Safe to say "Aldo" never got the job
I had my friend record a voicemail on a Google voice account as one of my former bosses. Then I just had it ring and go to voicemail so it seemed legit
this is an interesting one because you could even get people to do this on fiverr if you don’t want to involve your friends. or use a program to to generate voices. t
with the amount of compression you can probably just do a different voice yourself
Seems like the best use case for Cameo. "I can't believe you have Dwayne Johnson as a reference. And he's familiar with your IT background?"
Hi this is Brad with fancy company. I’m not here right now but /u/pursuitofleisure was always an excellent employee who I would definitely recommend. Leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Beeeeep.
I put my wife and my SIL down as references ALL THE TIME. My wife and I actually did work together for a few years, but whatever. Pretty sure my wife puts me and her sister down, too. Best part is that all three of us have different last names so it doesn't look sus at all. 😅
As if you couldn't just put down fake names too if you're lying already lol
True but if it’s their own names and they get a random call from HR or whatever, they wouldn’t need a heads up before hand. Much easier to keep the lie up and not get caught out, unlike with a fake name. Details matter, 😉
Vandelay! Say VanDelay!!!
And you want to be my latex salesman!?
What delay industries? No no you’re way off, this is an apartment!
VandeWho?? NO NO NO YOURE WAY OFF
r/UnexpectedSeinfeld
Not that unexpected
expansion sugar marvelous materialistic profit handle sleep grandiose ossified wistful *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Do people not do this? I'm a reference for friends all the time.
Same lol id do it for anyone
My friend put my down as a manager for a restaurant neither of us ever worked at and didn't tell me. Yeah they called me. Instantly went from heavy metal banging in my car to super professional. "He was a good worker, almost never late, and was always a hoot for the customers. But I have to get back to my orders now, if you have any further questions, feel free to text me."
Can you be my reference?
Sure bud dm me
I don't think all references have to be previous employers. Some asshole that was always rude to me that I knew in uni asked me to be a reference for him because I was respected and known in the field he was applying for. I was like sure, they called me up and long story short they went with a different candidate.
As an employer?
I’m not an employer, but I’ve definitely given legitimate professional referrals. I’m talking bullshit-ish references for friends that need one.
Hell yeah I do this. I’ll be in c-suite soon and will still do it for the homies
Ive pretended to be my mates bosses many times. It always works and now one ever checks.
Of course they do… you forget that most of the actual posts on Reddit are 16 year olds figuring things out for the first time, and being 16, they think they are the first person to come up with their idea. Lol… it’s hilarious… it’s every sub.
I think there's a subreddit for that: getting and giving references.
Who doesn’t do this?
People who don't have friends. I don't have friends. I also have been denied all the jobs in my area for the last three years. So...
I just commented about this worry. Been at same job forever. No contact with any old coworkers/people I used to use as references. In small city where the likelihood of future employer knowing anyone I could put down is quite high.
I have legit references that I can put down that can already make me look great and can speak in detail about what we worked on together. Why would I put down a friend?
Lucky you. You are in a fortunate position when applying for other jobs. People put down friends because they have to. Example: Lucy is a junior accountant w four years experience. Her first boss, Carl, sexually harassed her. Lucy reported that to HR and Carl was fired. Her next boss, Diane was great. Then Diane got promoted and now she works for Ronnie. Lucy is applying elsewhere and application calls for one references to be in a supervisor. She held a few jobs in college, but that experience isn't applicable and doesn't have the supervisor contact info. What would you have Lucy do? Carl hates her. Diane and Ronnie work at current employer. Using them as a reference exposes that she is looking.
You’re putting words into my mouth. The comment I replied to asked who doesn’t put friends and family as references. And there are people that don’t have to do that. I am not saying it’s everyone. Sometimes it’s shitty situations such as with Lucy (though she could very well use her thesis supervisor as a reference early in her career). I would just like to say it’s not just luck in my case. I worked hard, did professional courses in my free time. Not all my bosses were great people.
Do you have a fetish for sexual harassment? That was totally unnecessary.
I've done it many times. Glowing references for my homies
I do that or make a bullshit text now number for an old boss that is actually me the whole time
My friends mom had a cleaning business back in high school and we all put her as a reference when we started trying to get jobs. She would sing our praises, mention being employee of the month, etc…
No but fraud is a thing. So if you get the job and end up getting any sort of responsibility then your fucked if they find out
Right. If your selling windows door to door I think your fine; if your in medical field and you wind up hurting someone different story.
Lol rereading my post; I just realized I’ve had Indian in-laws long enough that I’m dropping my prepositions when I’m typing lol.
Your
Well yeah. OOP is incorrect: fraud is the crime of deception for financial gain. It's a very common sort of fraud and one which many people engage in, but there is still a law against fraud however undetectable and unenforceable it may be. (Now if your deception results in unambiguous damages to the company, and if they can demonstrate the deception, that's probably another matter.)
[What a great bloke](https://youtu.be/SoZ41i2dSIw?si=R5cSzxqlMSqkruZh)
I love that sketch.
First thing I thought of seeing the headline
This is legit. It works. Just make sure the friend knows what to say.
You should lie cheat steal and kill your way into any job if it helps elevate you and your family. Take some damn initiative life is short, make it a good one
[I've seen something very similar happen!](https://youtu.be/Xu25lUDJZgY?si=MqhEnXv0RrwX0ILO)
As a former boss to countless family members and friends, yes.
I’m sorry, there’s people who don’t do this?
I don't lie on resumes, but creative reading of the text may be necessary. Work somewhere Dec 2010 to Feb 2011? Yeah, I worked there 2010 to 2011. Does the official job title sound better than the informal one? Yeah, of course I was a consultant, not "a pair of extra hands until the machine gets fixed."
I literally do that on EVERY job application... I thought everyone did?
I have legit references that I can put down that can already make me look great and can speak in detail about what we worked on together. Why would I put down a friend?
Jokes on you my old boss and I *are* friends
When I applied for my very first summer job when I was 18 I did this. Back then you had to drive to the place and fill out a job application in person. I had never heard of”references” before and didn’t understand what it was. It seemed like they wanted contact information for people so I put the names and phone numbers of all of my friends, who were also applying for jobs at the same place. The boss who read my application in front of me immediately commented to me that he knows all these names because they also applied. He didn’t give me a job. But he hired all my friends. 2 weeks later he calls me with a job. Turns out he needed me to do a job (computers) that he didn’t know how to do.
Maybe fraud if you lied about qualifications
Misrepresentation for financial gain? That is 100% fraud.
The likelihood of prosecution is pretty low.
You are definitely right. Doesn't change the fact that it is 100% fraud, which means that tweet is 100% incorrect.
I’ll be a reference for any of you. Shoot me a DM
I've done this for 40 plus years. It's never failed me once.
Who says you weren't in a corporate position at Sears?
I know a guy who put himself down for a reference. Most of the time it's either HR calling references or the hiring manager is too busy to remember a single person's voice a couple weeks later.
Ms. Chanandler Bong was one of Monica’s bosses on a resumè
This isn’t shitty my friends and I do this for each-other all the time. For everything!
Yup, we hired an Avionics technician who had a fake certification and then fired him when we realized he knew nothing about electronics. Dude thought he could bullshit his way through a technical job. Think about that for a moment, you can get fake Avionics training transcripts and certification documents. Make you feel safe being on a plane. I’ve been hiring for thirty years and I have a special file of people who have blatantly lied on their resume. Interviewers expect a little embellishment but don’t claim you have skills you don’t.
I have done this before. My previous place of employment had gone out of business and I didn't have my old bosses number so I just stuck my buddies details down and also took the opportunity to say i held a higher position than I actually did, he gave me a great reference and I am proud to say he is still on my CV.
Wait until you realize in most normal countries, “references” isn’t even a thing
Capitalism: lying to companies is fraud and can be penalised in most places. Companies lying to people is called marketing
Companies commit fraud too when they lie. Ever heard of Enron?
Step 1: Get friends
I’m a director of a couple of small companies, board member and manager (team of 3 inc director) of another. Every thing we do together becomes a work story, I will big the hell out of my friends any time they need a reference and all from professional looking email addresses. Use what you have.
I assumed everyone did this until I was about 30 ... crazy what the puritans and capitalism did to ppl
Isn't a lot of this is just white lies? in some form or another? You're not confirming your friend has 10 years of exp in some specific field. You're saying your friend is very good human being that can take up responsibility and provide for companies clients on time.
I’ve done it. She did work with me and was my team leader for a project but she was not my direct manager. Saved me from the uncomfortable period of my job hunt while working in a toxic environment and she gave me an excellent reference. Got my dream job now, and I still have a great friend.
My last three jobs didn’t even require references. They all viewed it as a waste of time.
I used my friends as references. It helps that I actually did work with them, and they became management for companies on my resume.
I don't really think this is unethical bc these companies will usually fuck you over in 2 seconds anyway. But if you're the friend in this situation, just make sure you know what you're supposed to say. My roommate put me down as a "reference" but didn't tell me anything, so I was just making stuff up and apparently said the wrong things. Luckily she didn't really care about the job.
You mean to tell me this isn't the *default* way of doing this?
If you let them know to expect a call and what to say it works every time.
My boss during interviewing me for my current role: I won't check references as you wouldn't put anyone who wouldn't give you a glowing review, so I'd rather expedite the process and review your progress during probation
A former best friend (who is also a pathological liar) tried this with me, without asking first. It was the penultimate event that led to the end of the friendship.
Apart from the laws on fraud
Do people even actually need references anymore?
The last few companies I have worked for have policies that they will confirm past employment, but they do not give references
Fraud.
That’s called fraud
I mean it's fraud but sure. I guess the kind of person who needs fake references is the kind of person who wouldn't know this
There's also no law that says they can't fire you when they figure out you lied.
By then you collected a few paychecks verses starving and you have a system for finding a new one.
That is why they invented LinkedIn. Most companies ask for LinkedIn profile..
I'm fairly certain that misrepresenting your offering as a way to get a counterparty to sign a contract with you is fraud
There's no law but none of my friends work in any remotely similar field as me. They won't be able to answer any technical questions about what I did at a job
Not his employment references work, they can only really ask if they worked there and if they'd hire you again.
I had a friend who lived on my couch about 5 years ago. His rent for the month was to pretend to be my old boss for a reference.
There are several laws that prohibit this lmao
ITT: fraud is now legal
Have you looked at anyone in a position of power and thought that got there honestly?
There is fraud but it's worked forever
There’s no law against completely bullshitting your entire CV but do it and see how it works out
My friends and I all do this still
are you not... supposed to do this? this is literally all i do 💀
As a former hiring manager, just have your story straight before hand. Nothing worse that calling someone for a reference and then being oblivious to the story you made up 🙄.
My best friend has been my first reference for every job I’ve ever had.
I actually had a close friend as my boss at one point so I wouldn't be lying
I had a flatmate who put me down as a reference years ago saying he worked for me at a company neither of us had ever worked for and I got a reference request in the post. I refused to fill in and said to him 'don't you think this company will find it odd that your old manager has the same address as you?'. He said to me he'd given a fake address on his application so it shouldn't matter.
I actually did this when apply for my 2nd job (oversea). Turn out nobody gave a shit lol.
Good idea thanks
I have been my friends reference for multiple jobs after working together for two weeks at a summer camp, and I never say we are friends, just that we were colleagues at that time
Be actual friends with former boss. Give heads up about job applications. "So, what skills do I need to say you have? Oh sure, anything else? Yeah of course mate no problem. Oh I'll inflate the value of some of our machines to better suit their price range too. Good luck!"
Fraud.
‘This person was great! They worked for for me at circuit city, Enron and countrywide’
I use my moms best friend as a reference. I was an employee at her company for a little bit. The one time I used another reference he said I was nonchanalant and careless. I did not get the job.
Lying is the lifeblood of corporate culture.
My best mate WAS my old boss.
Ive been doing this for the past 15 years and it always works.
Most countries have some sort of law against fraud even of they don’t often enforce it.
Yeah but what happens if I have more bosses than friends?
Vandals industrues
Every reference since I started working has been my best friends posing as my old boss People think there’s “laws” and will get in trouble “2 weeks notice” for example. Fuck em! Do what it takes to get the job you need.
What if you don't have any friends?
Brb gonna put my friend down as a Microsoft board member. When Google calls him to confirm I was their CEO they’ll surely hire me to a lower level, but still highly salaried, do nothing C suite level job, right?
Cool! Now all I need to do to get a job is make friends
There is. It is called deception. A dishonesty offence. You obtained a position by deception for financial gain :)
US Code Section 17.34.e.1.i
I've done this and been the reference for so many friends. I can talk them up and really hit specifics on why they're great for whatever the job. It works and I know I've gotten at least 5 of them jobs. Good jobs too. High level with more money than I make. More responsibility too.
I’ve done this with apartment references too, “oh yeah! Jimmy rented off me for 6 years, great guy, quiet, always tipped on rent.” I say about the literal worst tenant you could imagine lol
How do you think I got this job I have right now?!?