Good degree, **** a-levels

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Is it wise to lie about my a-levels?

I have a pretty good Maths & Stats degree but my a-levels are awful only about 200 UCAS points. I saw one job offering accepting 2:2 degrees but wanting 320 UCAS points :eek:!

Is this just to put people off, if I tell them what I really go would they just bin my application? If they do bin it would I be better off just lying and hope they don't check, worst case scenario they do check and I don't get the job, don't lie and don't get the job, do you see my predicament?

I don't really care about the morality of lying, obviously it is wrong to lie and possibly even illegal but my a-levels don't reflect me as a person I'm 4 years older now, a lot wiser and more mature.

What are people's opinions on this? Is it completely job dependent, some companies will check some won't? Does anyone have any experience when it comes to having **** a-levels and applying for jobs?
 
I once said I have 4 grade c's in GCSE in a application form, I never got an interview so I guess id didnt really matter
 
desires said:
Is it wise to lie about my a-levels?
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No.

desires said:
I have a pretty good Maths & Stats degree but my a-levels are awful only about 200 UCAS points. I saw one job offering accepting 2:2 degrees but wanting 320 UCAS points :eek:!

Is this just to put people off, if I tell them what I really go would they just bin my application? If they do bin it would I be better off just lying and hope they don't check, worst case scenario they do check and I don't get the job, don't lie and don't get the job, do you see my predicament?
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Apply anyway. The worst case scenario is you get the job, they find out you lied, sack you and give you a rubbish reference.

desires said:
I don't really care about the morality of lying, obviously it is wrong to lie and possibly even illegal but my a-levels don't reflect me as a person I'm 4 years older now, a lot wiser and more mature.
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Whilst the A-Levels may not relfect on you as a person, lying on an application form certainly could. It seems that maybe you need to be a little bit wiser still.

desires said:
What are people's opinions on this? Is it completely job dependent, some companies will check some won't? Does anyone have any experience when it comes to having **** a-levels and applying for jobs?
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I have it is a silly thing to do as it could lead to more problems than it solves.
 
Generally speaking I would say lying on an application form is always bad, no matter what the situation. When you say you have a pretty good degree what do you mean? 2:2, 2:1, 1st? From my experience a good degree means a lot more than A levels do when applying for a job... and interviewing really well trumps either. I dont think telling the truth will / should impact your chances of at least getting an interview.
 
I've applied for a lot of jobs and not once have I been asked what my A-level results are. They're on my CV but meh.
 
I wouldn't lie, these things have a habit of coming back to haunt you.

FWIW, i've just graduated but my A level are **** - but I wouldn't dream of lying about them.
 
Tute said:
I wouldn't lie, these things have a habit of coming back to haunt you.

FWIW, i've just graduated but my A level are **** - but I wouldn't dream of lying about them.
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^This - they may not check up front, but imagine 5 years down the line, needing the job because you have a mortgge etc, and someone who takes a dislike happens to do a little background search on you? You could be dismissed over it long after you have got the job.
 
I don't really care about the morality of lying, obviously it is wrong to lie and possibly even illegal but my a-levels don't reflect me as a person I'm 4 years older now, a lot wiser and more mature.
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'Wiser' and 'more mature' don't mean what you think they mean.

Over here, all companies check everyone. You cannot lie without being found out. In the UK, and in particular the Retail sector, almost all did (mid 90's to mid 00's) but I don't know what they do now.

You should bear in mind that faking a CV is one thing; pulling the wool over an interviewer's eyes is something completely different.
 
I don't even put my a-levels on my CV anymore, they were 15 years ago now so on one cares (or if they do, I tend to think less of the employer as how is my current employability linked to exams I took 15 years ago?). I work in IT btw and have industry certifications instead now, which prove I can do the job I'm employed to do.
 
They'll generally only be interested in the highest level. So you can say what you want for GCSE and A-Level. If they see you have a degree then they'll want to see that.
 
RomanNose said:
How did you get on the degree without good a levels out of interest?
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Probably a case of my university wanting to up the numbers a bit more and happy to take the money off me. I was very lucky, the grades I got weren't enough for what they advertised.

TheCenturion said:
What do you think?

If you lie about your A-Levels and then they ask to see your certificates, you're screwed aren't you?

Don't lie.
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But if I don't lie they don't even give me an interview to ask for certificates. Or do they? This is what I'm asking. Do companies simply bin CVs that fall short on the a-level requirements or is it more to do with putting off people that perhaps don't even have enough confidence in themselves to apply for the job?
 
desires said:
But if I don't lie they don't even give me an interview to ask for certificates. Or do they? This is what I'm asking. Do companies simply bin CVs that fall short on the a-level requirements or is it more to do with putting off people that perhaps don't even have enough confidence in themselves to apply for the job?
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You're lying to improve your chances of getting the job right? Well there is a chance that they will check, and if you're found out chances are that you won't get the job/ you'll be sacked.

Don't lie, but apply anyway despite not meeting the requirements. You could always apply and contact them, letting them know of your situation, and explaining why your A level are not a true reflection of you?
 
desires said:
I don't really care about the morality of lying, obviously it is wrong to lie and possibly even illegal but my a-levels don't reflect me as a person I'm 4 years older now, a lot wiser and more mature.
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No "possibly" about it. It is classed as fraud and would be a criminal matter. A former colleague obtained his position by forging a degree certificate, ending up in chokey once he was found out and prosecuted.

Stick to the truth with an explanation.
 
Bluffing a few a-levels and forging a certificate aren't on the same level though.

Most employers will see the gap in qualifications and just bin it. Jobs are getting hundreds of CV's these days. They're looking for any excuse to shorten that pile. Typing error in opening paragraph? Binned.

Lying isn't cool, but in this day and age you need to be ruthless. You're fighting for a job here.

Hate me if you will but, that's the way it is.
 
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