Stretching the truth

[Brighton Rock]

Sometimes, one finds out the most surprising things about colleagues.  All our computer folders are networked and we have access to everyone's folders. 

I report directly to the CEO in my company and have an Assistant plus new extra help.  Extra Help is an Admin Assistant, and her grade is the bottom of the hierarchy of jobs in our company.  She splits her time between me and another department.  I'm her senior in more ways than one and earn almost double her salary, never mind about the extra responsibilities I have.

So this afternoon, when I'm looking for a document that I know Extra Help has in her folder, I come across her CV.  That's fine; we should all keep our CVs up-to-date.  However, it comes as a surprise to me that she lists, as part of her duties and achievements, responsibilities that are mine and where she has accompanied me to certain events (but listed as though she is the principal member of staff dealing with that matter).  She's also included an organizational chart where I and her other report are shown at exactly the same level as her - and reporting to her other director (not the CEO). 

Perhaps someone else is doing my real job and I'm just imagining it.  And it's a rather silly thing to keep your CV in a place where it is easily read by other people, especially one of the people you report to.

[gee4]

I agree BR and that is why sometimes people in positions such as hers, are not as clever as they might think they are!!

In my company we have many shared drives, including our own personal drives.  IT back up information on all shared and personal drives.

[Jackie G]

This is a very difficult one.  Someone once applied for a job I was leaving and in it, listed something I would know about.  My boss asked me and I told him it was untrue.  I don't know if she was interviewed for the role, but it made me aware that people will big up things that they don't do.

You either address it and suggest she rewords her CV accordingly - after all if she is assisting in these tasks, they can still be included - or you simply ignore.  The facts would out themselves in due course at any interview if queried anyway.

[Brighton Rock]

I especially like the responsibility that Extra Help has to "manage the CEO's office".  I'm sure the CEO isn't aware that the office is being "managed" by this person.

I've decided to give her a memory stick and suggest that she keeps all personal documents on it.  If she asks why, then I will advise her about what I read in her folder.  If she has a problem with that, she's welcome to speak to my manager, but somehow I don't think that will happen.  Well, Extra Help is very young and we sometimes need to learn a few lessons when we are starting out on our professional careers.

I'm sure everyone tries their best to make their CV read well, but downright lies are such a waste of time. What you say about yourself is very easily checked and people have been known to lose their jobs over such matters. 

[P]

It always amazes me what people put on shared drives.  I have found their iTunes music, family photo albums, resumes, health information and the best one a list of their passwords for their private life! I admit I have a copy of my resume buried in my drive that is only supposed to be accessed by me, not on our share drive.  I've been caught flat footed so to speak where we were asked to provide resumes for our current position the same day it was asked.  That time I called my husband to email it to me.

[Katie G]

Even with our fairly permissive computer policies (one of the little perks of an academic environment), I don't keep anything private on my work computer, other than a few vacation photos (scenery only, no people) that I use as my screen saver.  It's all on a thumb drive that I carry with me.

[gee4]

We aren't allowed personal screensavers.  Everything is standardised and locked down.

[countrigal]

If I had an option, I would have my information on a thumb drive.  Where I work, these are not allowed in the building (there are some IT has approved, but only for official use, so still no-go).  With that, and needing quick access to some items like a resume and such, I do keep these on my folder out on the network.  We are not allowed to really store anything on the internal harddrive, as we move desks so often and it's easier for IT to just have us move from PC to PC, log in, and everything is still there.

In your situation, BR, I might be more willing to talk to ExtraHelp in a sort of mentoring capacity.  You saw it, read it, and found things that are definitely untruths.  Take this opportunity to believe that she was not trying to misconstrue her duties but more trying to highlight them in the best light... she did it wrong and show her how to do it correctly.  Point out to her that these are things that are easily verifiable and that she wants to be extra cautious when wording duties and responsibilities so that they are verifiable truths, but still with what "wow" you can put in them.  Now if this had been someone with a bit more experience, might not be so nice.... but that's me.