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Original poster

Employer mumnetters - would you even shortlist someone for a job if...

67 replies

monkeytrousers · 23/03/2007 21:41

...they had a good degree but no qualifications to speak of from school?

I was a very good student at school but was bullied so missed a lot in my final two years and left with hardly anything. Now I have a good degree but because of my history no GCSE's or A levels. I've been applying for so many jobs - all of which I'm qualified for - but haven't been short listed for any of them. I'm literate, which is hopefully obvious from my applications. Is it this or am I being paranoid?

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Molesworth · 23/03/2007 22:43
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Molesworth · 23/03/2007 22:43

I wouldn't want to work for a company so anal as to ask for my "O" level certs anyway

funnypeculiar · 23/03/2007 22:43

I would put them in, but with explanation (due to personal circumstances my school results do not reflect m academic capacities or something) I would have noticed if they were wierd, tbh, and assumed something was going on...
I might try and make your SE bit look more 'formal'/consistant if you think that's what they're looking for - do you put in any longer stretches (inc x mths as...)/highlights of your glittering career on the boards - assume so?

I would also ring everyone who doesn't shortlist you and hassle them til they tell you why not - sometimes it's the wierdest stuff, ime

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edam · 23/03/2007 22:44

Nooo don't lie, if you fib even a tiny bit about a qualification you can be sacked immediately. Sadly true. (I worked with someone who was marched out of the building because she'd put 'BSC pt 1' on an application form and they said she'd pretended to have the full degree - even though she did have another degree-level professional qualification and they knew she did.)

edam · 23/03/2007 22:45

Or even BSc pt 1 ie she dropped out before the end of the course.

nanninurse · 23/03/2007 22:47

I'm with moley.....

Original poster
monkeytrousers · 23/03/2007 22:47

I have three separate CV's - one acting, one 'service ind' and one admin - I write a new one for every 'proper' application, though most only accept the app. form - as I found out for the bloody Baltic, which I was perfect for! (Sorry, bad bitter vibes, which completely spoiled the Brian Eno installation - though DS 2.5 loved it!)

Plus tell me honestly, when people give their numbers to discuss the appliaction form?

OP posts:
Molesworth · 23/03/2007 22:49

I would never lie about a degree

Sod's law the interviewer would have a PhD in the subject of the fictitious qualification

Tortington · 23/03/2007 22:51

lie? what kidn of job are you going for are they likley tocheck - who will know

records arnt even kept that far backare they
i lie on my cv - i sy i have maths gcse - when i failed it 3 time

Tortington · 23/03/2007 22:51

not about a degree about gcses or olevels

nightowl · 23/03/2007 22:58

so if you eff up your exams at 16 years old, for whatever reason, no matter what you've achieved since then with regard to experience and qualifications doesnt matter? not everyone thinks like that or i doubt i would have ever been employed!

JanH · 23/03/2007 23:03

It seems to depend if they ask for a CV or not, nightowl.

On a CV you can just include the relevant bits but if it's a large organisation they make everybody (?) fill out the same routine form from school-leavers on up.

nightowl · 23/03/2007 23:09

does anyone ever check though really? i dont think what someone did as a 16 year old reflects on who or what they are now. i certainly think very differently to how i did then, im not brain of britain but im not totally dense either, just at 16 i couldnt really be arsed .

Molesworth · 23/03/2007 23:11

I've never been asked for O or A level certificates in all my working life.

And if a company were to sack a good, degree-educated employee because they somehow discovered that the claimed O/A levels were fictitious: more fool them.

It's not a level playing field out there. If you haven't ploughed a completely conventional furrow it can be unjustifiably difficult.

trixymalixy · 23/03/2007 23:14

In my experience, when you have 50 or so CVs to sift through to shortlist candidates, there quite often isn't a lot to distinguish between them so you are looking for any little thing.

All the CV's I was looking at had first class degrees and fantastic work experience etc. so in the end one spelling mistake might cause one CV to be discarded and a B in a GCSE might cause another to be discarded.

I felt awful as I remember not being shorlisted for interviews and being livid as I thought my CV was great, but recruiting myself certainly opened my eyes to how difficult it can be to distinguish between candidates.

I personally think good work experience counts more than school level qualifications so i would emphasise that and would also mention as others have suggested the reasons for your lack of school level quals.

Molesworth · 23/03/2007 23:18

But if what you say is right, the lack of GCSE/A levels may well lead to the CV/app form going straight in the bin before any honest explanatory note has been read, surely?

As a recruiter do you really check up on GCSE and A level qualifications when the candidate has a degree?

nightowl · 23/03/2007 23:23

good gcse results to me does not automatically guarantee a reliable, dedicated employee. there are plenty of very hard working people who re took their exams later on. some people dont have the opportunity at the time to succeed in school, they make up for it later. its nice to know their cvs go straight in the bin!

Original poster
monkeytrousers · 23/03/2007 23:25

I wouldn't lie about my degree and I know I give a good account of myself in the flesh, so to speak -but you nee to be be stortlisted to do this.

Question, should I just say I'm educated to A level degree and leave it at that?

OP posts:
nightowl · 23/03/2007 23:33

actually trixymalixy said she disgarded several applications for not so good gcse results or spelling mistakes. she didn't however, say that she checked any of them were true. just lie, and use a spellchecker? .

sorry, im not making light of it at all, its a stupid system.

nightowl · 23/03/2007 23:34

discarded even

Chandra · 23/03/2007 23:47

Monkeytrousers, I have no GCSE's or A levels for the simple reason that all of my pre university education was completed in other country. Wonder if this has been afecting me?.

I have noticed that when I applied for big businesses I normally get an interview but if it is through an agency...good heavens!

I remember having an interview with an agency who asked me to present my web design portfolio, and then told me that those examples couldn't be web pages as there were no links, when I asked what she meant, she told me she couldn't see any words undelined in the example . I accept those were early years for Internet, but perhaps she should have noticed that I had a postgraduate degree in the subject and had been a lecturer on the same for 3 years? No... she didn't, and I was sent home to make my portfolio better!!!! Felt like sending a letter to recommend her to be sent to primary school to help her learn more about internet before allowing her to interview web desingers again.

trixymalixy · 24/03/2007 00:10

I personally wouldn't discard CVs without reading the covering letter, but the harsh reality is that it is possible it wouldn't be read before the CV was discarded due to lack of results. It might be better then to just leave them off.

You'd be amazed how many well educated people don't use a spellchecker and quite clearly don't read through their Cv before sending it out!!

And yes we do actually check A-level results as to be accepted by the professional body you need to have achieved certain results. Most companies probably wouldn't bother though.

Original poster
monkeytrousers · 24/03/2007 01:03

Hi Chandra, I have personal experience of what you mean. I actually temped in the agency that registered me (on numerous occasions) and they just weren?t educated in processing applications from other countries, including myself. I?d refer these cv?s but they were always rejected because of an unfamiliar format and educational history. I guess I?m answering my own question, anything not the norm and immediacy processable is passed on/by ? even I did it when I thought it needed a higher judgement; which in the interim, meant it was too much trouble. Hey ho, there we go

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Original poster
monkeytrousers · 24/03/2007 01:04

Thanks for that Trix

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scatterbrain · 24/03/2007 12:09

I am obviosuly living in a different world - but in answer to a question further down - I work in the public sector (civil service) and we check ALL certificates ! And keep copies for file. So of you say you have "A'levels" you have to bring the certificates in to prove it.

Our application forms also require (not optinal !) details of your entire education - if people do not fill in full details the form is returned to them for completion !

We have "let people go" many times as they have either lied or exagerrated their quals.

That said I also know someone who was kicked out after one term at uni yet claims a degree on his CV and he has gone far - and as yet had not been discovered ! He's 42 now and a director of something or other - I couldn't do that as I would constantly be watching my back !