I am a Ph.D. For close to 25 years I have been conducting empirical research on women in the workplace. My conclusion is definitive: Women lack the capacity for logic and reason. It is critical for hiring managers to keep this fact in mind when making hiring decisions.
Don't do it! If you punch the monitor and break it you will void the warranty. It won't be too great for your hand either!
No! That won't be any better. Throwing the monitor out the window will break the window and the glass and monitor will hit the ground. If they land on someone you will be responsible.
Take a deep breath. Have a sip of water. Now continue reading.
Let's assume since you are here you believe CAREEREALISM.com is a legitimate website with value. Let's also assume if they published this article, and “Approved" me as a “Career Expert," they must think I know what I'm talking about. Moreover, I said I have a Ph.D! So I must know what I'm talking about. After all, I conducted “empirical research." Impressive, ain't it?
OK. By now you have figured out I am not a complete idiot – although I can provide a list of people who will argue with you. So let's look at what I did.
I established my credentials. I mentioned I have an advanced degree and I am writing on a credible website. Thing is, my Ph.D. is in International Relations. In other words, to paraphrase from Gone with the Wind, I don't know nothin' 'bout biology or chromosomes. (Men are smarter than women because we have a Y chromosome and they don't. We're rational and logical; they're emotional and… well, you get the idea.) And what does “25 years of empirical research" mean? I've been working with women for 25 years (more really) and have watched and interacted with them. In other words, what I wrote is nonsense and I have no authority to say anything of the sort. It's absolute garbage.
My favorite commercials were for Budweiser – and no, despite what you might think, I don't drink. Remember the frogs? I wish they would bring them back. In the last commercial one of the creatures looked at the camera and said, “What does any of this have to do with beer?" So you are probably asking, “What does any of this have to do with career counseling or hiring?"
Sadly, a lot.
Here's my problem. (Be nice. I already said the beginning was nonsense and garbage!) I can't use names because I don't want to get the owners of CAREEREALISM in legal hot water and, naturally, I don't want to get myself into trouble either. So forget the details and consider the big picture:
I have a radio show, Bruce Hurwitz Presents. Every few months I look for guests on various topics. Right now, believe it or not, I am doing a series of shows on Women Entrepreneurs. But I also invite people to pitch any ideas they may have. There are some interesting people out there. (Feel free to send me a pitch. The e-mail is bh@hsstaffing.com. Don't be insulted if I reject it. There are only so many days in a week.) In any case, recently I have been receiving pitches from people presenting as Ph.D.s. I've also gotten a few resumes from Ph.D.s.
Let's take the first cohort first: Ph.D.s sending in pitches. They have websites. I visited their sites. Impressive. They have their bios. In a couple of cases they mention where they got their doctorates; in a couple they didn't. Bottom line, something just didn't feel right. A little research and I discovered their doctorates were from unaccredited universities.
Same thing for the second cohort: resume submitters. Something just didn't feel right. A simple Google search revealed the truth. Degrees from unaccredited colleges or universities.
I called a couple. They did not argue. They knew it. They were not scammed. They got caught and realized there was no point in arguing. An unaccredited degree is worthless, but they are also dangerous.
In one case the person presented as a “wellness" expert. She actually claims to be a sought after speaker and gives advice on health issues. That's dangerous. People expect her to have a legitimate education. She doesn't. They don't know it. Caveat emptor. Let the buyer beware! (Why event organizers wouldn't check a speaker's credentials is beyond me…)
So the point of all of this is to emphasize to hiring managers today, perhaps because of the economy, people are trying to take the easy and cheap way out and buy degrees. And for candidates, you will get caught. If I can find the cheats, anyone can. And if you are caught after you are hired, you will more than likely be fired because, if a degree is required for the position you were hired to fill, you don't have it! Moreover, even if the degree is irrelevant, who wants to hire a cheat or have one working for them?
(P.S. I dedicate this article to my friends Betty and Yael.)
Bruce A. Hurwitz, Ph.D., President and CEO of Hurwitz Strategic Staffing, Ltd., has been an executive recruiter and career counselor since 2003. CAREEREALISM users are eligible for a half-price discount on his Udemy.com course, How to Conduct an Effective Job Search. When prompted enter Coupon Code CR201101.
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