CAREERS NOW 01-09-08

Diploma Mills Hard To Kill Off

DEAR JOYCE: I never finished college and I know that's held me back in my career. Lately I've been getting e-mail offers from degree mills for fake degrees. I probably know the answer but is it possible the fake degrees could actually work in a job search? - T.D.

Like Dracula, every few years a new wave of counterfeit degree vendors rises up from the nether regions to stalk Web land gullibles. The vendors slip through spam filters by misspelling words, such as one that came to my screen last week:

"Get Your Univerrsity Diploma. Hey jlk! There are no vital tests, classes, books, or interviews! Earn a Bachelors, Masters, MBA, and Doctorate (PhD) diploma. Inherit the assets and exaltation that comes with a diploma! Absolutely nobody is rejected. Confidentiality sealed. We work with all countrys. Dial Today ..."

Setting aside the misspellings and ignorant use of "diploma" for "degree," do pieces of paper generated by sludge like this ever fool employers? Not a company I'd ever want to work for.

But sophisticated fake credentials may be accepted at face value if a company's HR department is asleep at the switch. Telling the difference between a fraudulent document and a legitimate online academic credential has become ever more challenging ever since the Internet popularized authentic distance learning.

Companies that peddle phony online degrees and diplomas come and go like the thieves in the night that they are. They often operate from overseas, making them hard to nail and shut down.

I expect educational credential scams to get worse before they get better (if ever). Legislation within the past half-dozen years that was intended to protect job seekers from discrimination has parented the widespread use of job descriptions with more specific distinctions between qualifications that are required and those that are simply preferred. A degree is usually one of the requirements for professional jobs.

Lacking a required degree and the certainty of being locked out by software at the applicant database gate will lead to even more job seekers being willing to take the risk of getting caught with an "overnight MBA." And fired.

Avoid the degree mill time bomb by enrolling in a well-regarded and campus-based institution that also markets distance degrees. If you're willing to tackle the accreditation factor in an iffy situation, you'll find it to be annoyingly complex. Start with the Federal Office of Postsecondary Education, and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation.

DEAR JOYCE: I think I have good Web skills, although I don't use blogs, instant messaging or text messaging. I do apply for open positions I see on job boards, such as Monster and Yahoo, but I'm not hearing back. Just a polite auto-response and that's it. What could be wrong and how can I overcome whatever it is? - P.U.G.

Doug Berg, founder and chief gigster of HotGigs Inc. (hotgigs.com), a marketplace for consultants and staffing companies, has a hunch that you may do better by using what he calls the "Go Employer Direct" strategy of Internet job searching. Here's Berg's idea:

1. Use Google and Yahoo to search directly with employers for jobs in your local area. When you go through a job board, your application resides on the job board's database until recruiters log in and look at it. When a recruiter has hundreds of positions in the job board's database, it may take a very long time for your application to enter the employer's system and be looked at.

2. Even when you are on job boards, go to the company's Web site, try to find the job and apply directly. What you're trying to do by eliminating the middleman is speed up the process of being considered for the position.

Several more ideas to Web-up and improve your job search results:

- If you have lots of time, try using industry blogs to find people who are in the place you'd like to be and ask for their advice.

- Online message boards and discussion sites are hunting grounds to find connected professionals who may have inside leads on unadvertised job openings.

- When your resume isn't getting a response, maybe it's because you're not saying the right things. Even generic resumes should reflect the most popular job requirements in your field and match them with your qualifications.

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