You’ve heard now former Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson is the latest resume creep right? His official Yahoo and eBay bios said he had a a degree in computer science. He does not. But did you know he is blaming the discrepancy on an executive placement firm?
The recently deposed executive, who agreed to resign over the weekend, after just being hired in January, says he never provided incorrect information to Yahoo. In fact, he says he never even supplied them with a resume at all.
Thompson made these latest comments during a “private” meeting last week with Yahoo executives, calling the whole thing an “inadvertent error.”
He goes further than that though, playing the blame game in the process. Thompson says before he was placed into a job at eBay subsidiary PayPal in 2005, he had an interview with an executive placement firm. After the interview, this executive placement firm produced a document that said he has a degree in computer science. But Thompson told Yahoo employees he never reviewed the document/resume.
Here’s where it goes from there. After Thompson was eventually hired by PayPal/eBay, this document was used – perhaps by a PR or corporate communications person – to create an “official bio.”
Only thing is, Thompson didn’t ever look at that either. Now isn’t that exactly the kind of detail-oriented person who you want running a struggling, billion dollar company, with or without a degree in computer science? I mean c’mon.
Now in his defense, Thompson admits to at least some culpability. He told Yahoo employees “I probably should have reviewed all these bios and documents and that not doing so was a mistake.” Do ya think? Yahoo indeed!
I probably should have reviewed all these bios and documents and that not doing so was a mistake.
From there Business Insider and Bloomberg report the bio spread, and it began to be circulated widely by others who used it when he joined boards, spoke at conferences and so on. So the resume got a veritable life of its own.
There is one more step in this convoluted chain. After Thompson was hired at Yahoo, the person who wrote his official bio there simply did a Google - or maybe Yahoo – search for his official eBay bio, found it, added his new title to the top and away we go. And of course, true to form, Thompson says he did not review this bio either.
At least he is consistent when it comes to the inconsistency.
At least he is consistent when it comes to the inconsistency.
Finally , Thompson failed to correct a National Public Radio interviewer who asked him about his degree in computer science. He claims he only answered the question and did not say “yes I had that degree.” It’s being reported he also told Yahoo employees it is a little awkward to correct someone in the middle of an interview.
Like it’s less awkward now?
What do you think? Should he have been fired? Or allowed to remain on the job? Is this much ado about nothing? What about the blame game? What about the oversight? Should the placement firm take the fall for this? The board?
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
He deserved a seat on the canned bandwagon from the start — you simply canNot lead with integrity after such an incident. Game over. And his purported defense demonstrates that that’s the right outcome.
What it amounts to is “I didn’t happen to lie to THESE guys, yet.” It forgives past practice as if there was a statute of limitations, and “gives the lie” to his prior apologies — now clearly exposed as insincere. He.doesn’t.get.it.
Farewell, Scotty — we barely knew ye, and already we feel the need to wash-up.
Like or Dislike:
1 
0
Sloppy work by HR Department
No back ground check, improper interview, no credential check.
Scott”s fault? Yes, but Yahoo is more at fault by not doing there home work.
Our interviews are always followed up with a background check.
JP
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Joe, what do you think of the recent ruling on background checks? Under Title VII of our civil rights laws, employers may not deny employment based on a conviction except when the offense is job-related.
As relevant to this particular happening, I personally have worked in a professional staffing company where they fabricated resumes for top execs due to the fact that the execs would say they would send their resume but they wouldn’t. Of course you would get winded emails stating experience and qualifications but never a resume as requested. So in crunch time when the client is asking for this great candidate’s resume, it would be generated by a system or typed out by the receptionist based on the info given. He must have said at some point that he met all of the qualifications for the position or that he had his degree in computer science. The guy was doing a good job since January, right? Why have him resign?
Like or Dislike:
0 
1
For sure there was plenty of sloppiness – and blame – to go around on this one. A lack of vetting and verification on the employer side for sure, and a lack of honesty and forthrightness on the employee side. A crisis of confidence that obviously could not be overcome.