It’s happened again, the fourth time in the last six months.
I’ve encountered a professional who is fudging their credentials.
Each is a little different. One is claiming to be something but their professional training was not that specialty – kind of like a doctor trained in cardiology who finds dermatology more to their liking so they call themself a dermatologist and set up a dermatology practice.
Another person is stretching their years of employment and their title. I like to refer to these as tenure stretch and title stretch.
The other two have Linkedin profiles that present them as an expert but they don’t have formal training, credentials, or certification to support the professional title they use (title stretch). You may think I’m being picky or petty but I know one of these “experts” did some “expert” work for an organization and the results were catastrophic.
This is the 21st century and in the new world of work you can be what you want to be. It is possible to be self-made and self-educated and trained in the school of hard knocks – that’s fantastic! In no way do I mean to de-value that path to success. However, in some professions, there are ethical principles governing what you call yourself and in some states there are laws regulating professional titles.
I don’t have close personal relationships with the people I described above but there is enough information on the internet that I can easily find what they claim does not check out.
Reminds me of the plot in daytime soaps where the new doctor moves to town, commences doing surgery and treating patients only for it to be discovered several months or years later that they have no medical degree. Of course, much drama ensues.
Fiction is one thing; however, reality is another.
Message to individuals – you can fool some of the people but other people know. Be transparent. Yahoo, Radio Shack, and Notre Dame are just a few high profile, instructive examples.
Message to organizations – background check, background check, background check.
What do you think?