With the increased competition for open job roles, thanks to a lack of availability or financial security for companies to hire widely, it has led some people to turn to drastic measures in order to get ahead in the employment game. One of these drastic measures has seen candidates deploy the use of falsified educational transcripts or certificates as a way of convincing an employer that they have the background they’re looking for.
However, the use of these types of documents is considered credential fraud. Whilst the term specifically covers everything from using a password and email to access a digital account that isn’t yours to academic and professional fraud, in this article, we will look specifically at the falsification of documentation to get ahead in the workplace and therefore the impact this type of activity can actually have on your career.
Academic and professional fraud are not trivial matters
The definitions of both academic fraud and professional fraud are very wide. For this article, we will focus specifically on the use of false credentials. In this sense, for academic fraud, this means providing forged documents, such as medical notes or transcripts, to gain special consideration or acceptance. In terms of professional fraud, this means fraud committed by an organization’s employees and for our article today, when an employee uses forged or falsified documents, such as academic transcripts and certifications, to gain meaningful employment.
Whilst some people feel that “needs must” in order to get a job, those individuals who have been found using fake college transcripts can suffer the strongest of consequences. We’ll come to those later. Ultimately, the use of fabricated documents for qualifications that have never been earned by the individual does constitute both academic and professional fraud. Often, this is represented most by transcript manipulation. This means altering grades or titles to meet the requirements set by a prospective employer. By making these changes, a candidate feels they can show not only that they have the credentials that make them employable, but often things can go too far, and grades get shifted up by a large amount to try and put themselves at the front of the pecking order.
It is this particular form of misrepresentation that is causing problems both for employers and the candidates themselves. By falsely claiming licenses or certifications, candidates who get hired by an employer under these circumstances can cause any business several potential issues in the future, especially if there is a catastrophic mistake made by an unqualified employee. Whilst the business can be sued for misconduct by a disgruntled customer or client, the employee concerned is also liable for internal investigation and dismissal. We will also go onto discuss the exact contractual ways that an employer is able to dismiss an employee involved in a situation like this shortly.
Engaging in this particular type of educational or occupational fraud can land an individual in hot water, and the consequences of which are mammoth. A candidate who is considering taking these falsified steps to get ahead in their career has to seriously consider the potentially devastating outcomes.
Misrepresentation can severely impact your career prospects
Earlier, we discussed how the strongest of consequences would be faced by individuals found out for using fake college transcripts. What we mean by this is that the impact on your career can be severe and cause major problems for your job prospects in the long term. The number one outcome that employers will rely on to protect themselves is to terminate the contract of an employee due to gross misconduct. If you read your employment contract thoroughly, you will see that there are several criteria under which the business can justifiably fire an employee. Misleading an employer would be considered gross misconduct, and falling foul of this not only gets you the sack but it will also mean that you will not be considered a worthy candidate by the business for a future reference, too, making getting a replacement job incredibly difficult.
Gross misconduct is classified as serious behaviour, such as theft, violence or gross negligence, that breaches an employment contract. These actions destroy the trust between the business and employee and enable immediate dismissal without a notice period. For a company to be able to enact this clause, it must be a fundamental breach of the terms between an employee and the business. This tends to mean that the action must be deliberate, wilful or due to a severe lack of care (negligence).
It is usual for an incident of gross misconduct to remain on someone’s employment record permanently, in essence, impacting any future chances of getting a job. This is because once you have your first job, an employer will often require you to provide two referees from previous jobs – plural – which the new employer can question about your background, abilities and suitability for the new role. Having a recent employer dismiss you due to gross misconduct will mean that they are unable to provide you with a strong reference for your next job, and on top of this, any candidate who applies for a job and chooses not to provide a contact at their most recent employer for a reference can immediately raise a red flag for the new company. This means there is a long-lasting impact on your career and employment prospects.
Honesty is truly the best policy for long-term success
Ultimately, it is your responsibility to represent yourself honestly and accurately throughout all stages of your academic and professional careers. Whilst the shortcuts to get ahead may be tempting, there are just too many potential downsides that can cause long-term issues to justify using these so-called solutions.
Whilst there are many leading platforms out there that can provide fake college transcripts to interested customers, some of which do offer an extremely accurate service at a very competitive price, it is certainly fraudulent to use these particular documents to gain an employment opportunity.
It is therefore, surely, best in the long haul to represent yourself accurately and get a job at the entry-level of the business and industry you want to work in and earn your way up the career ladder, building up a great amount of experience and strong future references!