Ethics Alive! To Be Honest... Is It Okay for Social Workers To Embellish in Job Applications and Job Interviews?

by Allan Barsky, JD, MSW, PhD

     After years of hard work and personal sacrifice, Fama and André are excited to be graduating with their social work degrees. They are looking forward to their careers as professional social workers with enthusiasm, but also with trepidation. Each of them is wondering, “How long will it take to find a job? Will I like my first job? What do I have to do to find a great job?” Both have worked their way through university studies by taking on a variety of jobs. Both have student loans that they will need to pay. Although they hoped their current field practicum agency would hire them, it now looks as if they will need to find positions elsewhere.

     André and Fama decide to work together, supporting one another in their job search. They share their professional résumés so they can provide feedback to one another. Fama is shocked to see how much information André has provided. She thinks it’s too much information…and not exactly accurate. Conversely, André thinks Fama’s résumé is too sparse.

     “How are potential employers supposed to get a sense of who you are?” he asks. “All you’ve done is list a few jobs and your field placements. Nobody’s going to hire you if you don’t share information that shows what a great social worker that you’ll be?”

     Fama understands what André is saying, but she has grown up in a culture that values humility. She says she does not want to brag, and she certainly does not want to embellish her credentials. André says, “Everyone embellishes their résumés. Employers know that people take liberties with how they present themselves on their résumés and at job interviews. It’s not a crime to present yourself in the best light. Besides, we both need jobs, and we’ll prove to our employers that we are worthy of their trust.”

     Fama and André get into an intense discussion about honesty and the ethics of embellishing.

Be Honest: Isn’t It Obvious?

     At this point, you might be asking: What is the need for an article on the importance of honesty when applying for jobs? Isn’t it obvious? It’s not a challenging ethical dilemma. There are no conflicting ethical obligations. Wouldn’t all reasonable social workers, thinking prudently, suggest that lying about our backgrounds to secure a job is unethical? We’re supposed to be honest, clear and simple. Integrity is a core principle in the NASW Code of Ethics (2021). If we don’t act with honesty and integrity, how can employers, clients, and others trust us?

     Although it may seem obvious that “honesty is the best policy,” we are all familiar with situations in which people seeking jobs are not completely honest. A well-publicized example arose after George Santos won a 2022 election for a Congressional district in Nassau County, NY. While campaigning, he told people that he was Jewish and his grandparents were Holocaust survivors. He publicized that he had a finance degree from Baruch College and an MBA degree from New York University. He said that he worked at Goldman Sachs and Citibank. None of this information was true.

     After Santos won the election, various news outlets reported that these claims and others about his background were false. Mr. Santos admitted that he had “embellished” his résumé but claimed he did nothing wrong or illegal. [1] Some of Mr. Santos’s supporters have agreed that he did nothing wrong, while others view his false claims as egregious. How can people trust someone to represent them in Congress when he misrepresented so much of his background and qualifications? Even if he retains his seat in Congress, his reputation will forever be sullied (Pellish & Morales, 2023).

     People who embellish their résumés may put forth various justifications for doing so. Some argue that everyone does it, so it must be okay. However, not everyone misrepresents their backgrounds when applying for positions. Even if they did, it does not make such behavior ethical. Ethicality is determined by the rightness or morality of particular behavior, not by the number of people who behave in a particular way.

     Some may argue that they need to embellish their résumés to have an even playing field. That is, to have a fair chance at being hired for a particular job, they have a right to embellish their backgrounds just as other people do. Again, ethicality is not determined by what others do. Fabricating one’s background is dishonest, even if dishonesty by others makes the system unfair. If the problem is that people who act dishonestly have an advantage in being hired, then the solution is not to allow further dishonesty.

     Rather, the solution is to take away the incentive for being dishonest. Accordingly, many employers check the veracity of the information put forth by applicants for positions. For instance, they check with past employers and other references, verify information with online background searches, or test applicants to determine whether they have the experience and skills that they claim to possess (e.g., having them demonstrate their communication, assessment, and problem-solving skills).

Aren’t There Gray Areas Regarding Embellishment?

     Some people distinguish between different types of embellishments or misrepresentations. Although some misrepresentations are blatantly unscrupulous, others are not as dishonorable. For instance, André said he graduated with a 3.7 grade point average (GPA). This information is inaccurate because, when he was calculating his GPA, he accidentally omitted a low grade that he received in a summer course. Although he inflated his GPA, he did not actually lie. Someone lies when they present false information, knowing the information is false, but wanting others to believe it is true. In André’s situation, lying would imply that he intentionally tried to deceive prospective employers about his GPA. An unintentional misrepresentation is not as egregious as intentionally fabricating one’s credentials to mislead others. Still, André should have used due diligence, avoiding recklessness or negligence in calculating and reporting his GPA.

     In his résumé, André stated that he provided clinical counseling to 220 clients in his field placement. Although he met with 220 clients in his placement, many of his contacts involved support and referral services rather than clinical services. His original statement is not only inaccurate, but also is intentionally misleading. André knows that the 220 figure was inaccurate. However, he views the distinction between clinical counseling and supportive counseling as relatively minor. Fama asks, “If the people interviewing you later discovered that you were providing only supportive counseling to many of your clients, do you think they would be concerned about your integrity?”

     André notes that while he may have embellished his résumé by adding information, Fama embellished her résumé by excluding certain information that potential employers would want to know. He asks Fama, “How do you think the interviewers would feel if they later discovered that you omitted relevant background information, such as the fact that you obtained your undergraduate education in Senegal or that you had to take a break from school when you were experiencing depression?” Fama thinks that withholding information is not the same as intentionally providing false information. Further, she contends that employers are not allowed to discriminate against people because of their nationality, race, mental health history, or other prohibited grounds of discrimination. Ethically, there certainly is a distinction between providing false information, particularly with intent to deceive, and withholding information, particularly with intent to avoid discrimination.

    André asks, “So what would you say if the employer asks you about your nationality or mental health history? Would you lie or tell the truth?” Fama suggests that she could inform the employer that it is inappropriate to ask about these topics in a job interview. As both discuss what they would actually do, they realize that regardless of how Fama answers the question, the employer may still discriminate when deciding whether to hire her. Still, they agree that it is more ethical to be honest about the reason for not answering a question rather than fabricating the information requested.

Applying Different Theories of Ethics

     Deontologists believe that honesty is a universal duty, meaning that people should always be honest, regardless of the situation. Applying this approach, Fama and André should fully disclose the truth to prospective employers. According to deontology, embellishing their résumés or withholding relevant information is not ethically justifiable. They should tell the truth, even if lying or withholding information could have led to better consequences.

     Teleologists believe that the ethics of how to respond in a particular situation are defined by which option would create the greatest good, maximizing utility or benefits for those affected by the decision. Teleologists believe that acting honestly is generally desirable, because when people act honestly, others will trust them and they will be able to maintain better relationships.

     According to teleologists, however, honesty and full disclosure are not universal principles. They contend that there may be ethical justifications for acting in a manner that is not fully honest. For instance, Fama’s decision to withhold certain personal information to avoid discrimination by employers could be justified if the benefits of withholding information outweigh the costs of doing so. Fama believes that avoiding discrimination and obtaining a job are good consequences. In contrast, Fama believes that André’s embellishments will do more harm than good. She says that the employer is likely to find out that he embellished his résumé. Even if he gets the job initially, he may be fired when his embellishments are discovered. He may ruin his reputation and also hurt the reputation of other social work graduates from BSW or MSW programs.

     André asks Fama, “How do you know that your employer won’t find out about your withholding information, but my employer will find out that I embellished my résumé?” Fama validates his point. “When assessing potential consequences of various courses of action, it is hard to predict the consequences with a high degree of certainty.”

     Whereas deontology focuses on the ethicality of the action and teleology focuses on the ethicality of the consequences, virtue ethics focuses on how to be a moral person (Barsky, 2023). Aristotle suggested that leading a morally flourishing life means living according to one’s core virtues. Virtues are enduring moral qualities, such as being caring, attentive, respectful, and honest. According to virtue ethics, being honest is good in and of itself.

     Virtue ethicists suggest that we can nurture our virtues so they become integral parts of who we are. Thus, it is important to practice being honest all the time. Being honest in some situations helps us to be honest in other situations, even in situations when being honest is difficult. Fama and André are both concerned about their finances and their ability to find appropriate jobs. Any incentive to be dishonest to obtain a job, however, is tempered by their virtue of being honest. Further, if they start embellishing their backgrounds in certain situations, then embellishment may become a habit, and it may become easier to slip into outright lies. Knowing the moral importance of honesty means that Fama and André may experience moral distress when they act in a manner inconsistent with this virtue:

Every time you do wrong, you bend your soul the wrong way, and when you act rightly, you give your soul a brighter shine, a little beauty. Acting rightly brings your soul into greater harmony; wrongdoing splits your soul into bits that make war on each other. That is why Socrates famously said that it is worse to do wrong than to have wrong done to you. (Woodruff, 2023)

Conclusion

     Although many people embellish their résumés and withhold relevant information, there are many good reasons for being honest with prospective employers. Being true to our values, virtues, and ethical principles means being honest with others. Even when we think that others are unlikely to discover our indiscretions, we know.

     There are many ways to enhance our chances of getting jobs when we graduate. During our BSW or MSW programs, we should not only strive to do well academically, but also, to do well ethically. When our classroom professors and field educators see that we are good, ethical social workers, they are more likely to provide us with stellar references and assistance in our search for jobs. We can also reach out for help at our universities to develop effective résumés, network with potential employers, and use other strategies for securing a good job in a timely manner. Rather than embellish our résumés, we can ensure that we actually have the credentials that we would like to promote on our résumés (e.g., getting a special certification in addictions, having particular clinical intervention skills, being involved in social justice advocacy, or publishing a journal article with a professor).

     Moral courage means doing the right thing even in situations when we face external pressures making it difficult to do so. When we feel stressed or pressured, we may be tempted to stray from honesty and full disclosure. In these situations, we may summon our moral courage and the support of others to be honest and do the right thing.

References

Barsky, A. E. (2023). Essential ethics for social work practice. Oxford University Press.

Pellish, A., & Morales, M. (2023, January 15). Republicans shy away from calling on Santos to resign as Democrats renew push for more information. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/15/politics/george-santos-republicans-resign-house/index.html

Woodruff, P. (2023, January 2). How I learned to heal my soul, with help from love and Socrates. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/01/02/after-vietnam-healing-my-soul

Allan Barsky, PhD, JD, MSW, is Professor of Social Work at Florida Atlantic University and author of  Social Work Values and Ethics (Oxford University Press).

The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of any of the organizations to which the author is affiliated, or the views of  The New Social Worker magazine or White Hat Communications.

[1] In some situations, lying is illegal. For example, lying about campaign finances violates campaign finance laws. Also, one could be sued in civil court for fraud if the fraud caused damages or harm to the person who relied on the fraudulent information.