The other day I heard about a company that provides fake references for job applicants, renters, and others. And from what I understand, the length it goes to in order to “lie” on behalf of its clients is unbelievable—even if the references it provides are believable.
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This company will provide you with a reference from a person who works for a company that is completely fabricated. You get to choose the area code from which the reference will come, along with the industry in which you work. It guarantees the company will pass the sniff test. That is, when someone searches the Internet for your fake employer, he or she will find a company complete with an address and driving directions.
The company provides the same type of service for renters. Need to show employment to rent that house or apartment? No worries. You don’t need a job; you just need someone to say you are gainfully employed. This company will do that for you.
It’s hard to believe a ruse this elaborate really works. What’s the saying? “What a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.” Can you imagine a job applicant lying in an interview by trying to match his work history to a company at which he never worked and learned about only from a conversation with the liars who are providing the reference? Simple questions about management, the area in which the company supposedly is located, or its products and services could completely derail the interview.
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I must admit that when I heard about this service, I was incensed. It makes me incredibly angry that a company would be in business to lie on behalf of its customers. While I assume it’s not illegal to provide false references for job applicants, it’s certainly unethical and immoral. What does it tell its employees when it hires them?
I can imagine the company’s job ad reads something like this:
Can you lie through your teeth while you smile? Have you been telling fish stories since you were a child? Are you willing to lie unabashedly on behalf of strangers? If so, do we have a job for you! We’re a growing company looking for talented professional liars. The better you can lie, the bigger the opportunities are with our company. So if you’re a liar, we want you. Apply today! (And if you don’t have any references, we can help with that, too.)
If a great working relationship is based on trust, what must this company be like? I can’t imagine the employees trust their employer—its whole business model is predicated on lying. And on the other hand, the employer can’t trust the employees—they lie for a living. What could anyone believe?
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And what’s the company’s mission statement—“We strive to be the best liars in the business” or “We won’t rest until every unqualified job applicant has a host of fake references on which to rely”?
As I write this, I become angrier with every sentence. Imagine the company provides a reference for a supposed experienced heavy equipment operator. The applicant gets the job based on the glowing reference. The problem is the person has never operated heavy equipment in his life. He just liked the sound of the job and the salary associated with it. The first day on the job, he drives a bulldozer through a building or—worse yet—injures someone else because of his complete lack of experience. Is our friendly reference provider liable in any way for its part in this? I sure hope so!
I’m not sure what it says about our society that a company like this can exist, but in my opinion, it’s not good. Here’s hoping that your applicants have real references from real people at real companies! And if you’re afraid I’ve lied about all of this, here’s the link to the company’s site: www.careerexcuse.com. Of course, I guess they could be lying about even providing the service.
I agree with you Mr. Oswald on the points you’ve made and the question of is this what we’ve come to as a society. I do understand why this company exists and I have a pretty good idea about why someone would resort to using this company to get a job or a place to live and justify it’s use. When you’ve been lied to by big corporate entities about why you’ve been laid off or fired, or why you “aren’t a good fit” or you’re “over or under qualified” and then you watch them turn around and lobby the government to loosen work VISA requirements so they can bring in foreign workers at very cheap rates, you just might start to feel justified in lying to them. Corporations seem to have forgotten why they were allowed to exist in the first place and given great big tax exemptions to help them get set up and running. They were supposed to provide jobs for the community they worked in, not throw out all the employees and offshore everything.
Not a good idea and not a service I’d use myself, but… It’s the hiring companies themselves that created the demand for this sort of thing, and I can certainly see why people would feel they need to resort to this. I don’t think most people *want* to lie, but when so many companies refuse to hire otherwise qualified people because they “held too many part time jobs,” because they’re not currently employed, or because there’s a “gap in their resume” (especially following the recent economic meltdown) — or any other trumped-up “reason” that has nothing to do with the applicants’ ability to do the job — then they are essentially forcing people into deception. Many businesses took advantage of the economy and got in the habit of mistreating their applicants (and employees). Now they’re reaping the fruits of the environment they themselves created. I don’t have a lot of sympathy.
WOW! I cannot see justifying this whatsoever. The two comments sure what I thought I would see. It’s an integrity issue. It’s just like people who get fake degrees. I don’t believe people use this service who were let go so a company can bring in a cheap workforce. I don’t think they can that far ahead. They use this to lie and cheat and get further than they should or could. I deal with people lying every day to get more money and per diem. But with a little digging you can usually find out, but by using this service, it makes it much more difficult to find out the truth behind what someone is telling us.
WOW!! Again I can’t believe this exists…but then again I can!
While I certainly understand that not all companies are ethical or treat employees the way they should, I cannot subscribe to a line of thinking that says that people have been “forced” into using this type of service or that doing so is justified based on the behavior of those employers. That’s like saying that a retail establishment deserves to have its merchandise stolen and they’ve forced customers to steal because the prices they charge are too high. We all have a choice as to how we behave. If a company is unethical or treats its employees poorly, then they will have a difficult time hiring and retaining high quality employees. That’s the price they pay for their transgressions. Just like that retail store that charges too much who loses customers to the competition.