Employment - resume - lying about exams?

[Gagan]

Hi just have a question.

Some students from my school who have taken FM already are putting down P as well on their resume when applying for jobs even though they haven't passed P yet. The idea is that after (in a perfect world) getting hired for a summer job or co-op position they will have passed P by then (because they can take in the next month or so and get the result right away).

My question is, is there *really* any problem with this? This is regarding students and summer/coop positions. Not someone who's planning on working F/T for years to come (iono if these should be treated differently).
I know it is morally and ethically wrong, but can someone tell me the truth as to whether there is any harm in this?

Do companies always double check with the SOA to make sure you did indeed pass the exams? I don't recall hearing about employers checking on this? They don't even ask for your score nor do they care, so long as you passed...


any feedback would be appreciated
thanks

[DW Simpson]

Originally Posted by Gagan

Hi just have a question.

Some students from my school who have taken FM already are putting down P as well on their resume when applying for jobs even though they haven't passed P yet. The idea is that after (in a perfect world) getting hired for a summer job or co-op position they will have passed P by then (because they can take in the next month or so and get the result right away).

My question is, is there *really* any problem with this? This is regarding students and summer/coop positions. Not someone who's planning on working F/T for years to come (iono if these should be treated differently).
I know it is morally and ethically wrong, but can someone tell me the truth as to whether there is any harm in this?

Do companies always double check with the SOA to make sure you did indeed pass the exams? I don't recall hearing about employers checking on this? They don't even ask for your score nor do they care, so long as you passed...


any feedback would be appreciated
thanks

Yeah, there's really a problem with this and I hope they get nailed.

If you can't tell the truth at this stage of your career, don't enter this industry.

[glassjaws]

You don't get the result right away, do you? Isn't it a preliminary pass; i.e. not guaranteed to be a pass? Also, they can look and see if you are on a passing list for a sitting and if you're not, you could be in some hot water. Plus at the intern level, they aren't investing as much in you and can fire you on the spot with little real impact to their operations.

[Barney Fife]

That is IDIOTIC.

[DudeMan]

It's not lying if they don't get caught. An employer can verify by checking the corresponding pass list on the SOA/CAS website. The risk the candidate takes is whether or not the employer chooses to do this. Personally, I'm too risk adverse for such practice. Others may feel different.

[vividox]

This is more than just ethically wrong, it is business suicide. If you provide false professional qualifications and get caught you are shooting yourself in the foot hard core. Talk about burning some serious bridges.

Every place I've ever applied to has come back requesting documentation of said qualifications, I don't suspect this kind of an act to go unnoticed.

The other thing is, it is perfectly fine to say something on your resume to the effect of "Taking FM in May" or "Awaiting results of November FM testing". This not only tells them you are pushing forward with testing, but isn't lying.

Seriously. Don't lie on your resume.

[JMO]

Originally Posted by GraffixMan

It's not lying if they don't get caught.

Originally Posted by Barney Fife

That is IDIOTIC.

Another case where the correct answer preceded the post it could have replied to.

[Gagan]

Yeah that's exactly what I thought. I'm in the same boat as those students (passed FM but not P) but I have "taking P in march" for instance on my resume instead of "passed P" or something like that.

As much as it sucks having one exam+taking another in your resume amidst a pile of 2+ exam resumes for a coop position, I guess it's not worth it to lie.

Thanks for the responses.

[JMO]

Originally Posted by vividox

Seriously. Don't lie on your resume.

I think I've heard this advice somewhere before.

[tommie frazier]

i used to check for passing names-which are public. I would ask someone when they passed it. (I don't care how many times they took it-just when they passed it)

so, this person would not really make it through my screen all that well.