TheJobBored

I don’t particularly like to “review” or speak ill about other employment services or companies on this blog. If people are genuinely try to help others find new and better work, then god bless I say.

But in this particular case, I think I’ve stumbled across something that is such a bad idea, I feel compelled to talk about it.

The site is called CareerExcuse.com (or, probably better named, Careercheat.com… both urls return the same site). What they will do, if you can believe it or not, is sell you fake career references.

How do they do this? For a (seemingly inexpensive) monthly fee they claim they will go to the trouble of setting up a fake company, fake letterhead, fake 800 number… the whole ball of wax. Then when your prospective employer calls to get references, they will of course give you glowing reviews, based on your desired background/expertise level.

Is it legal to do this?I would guess in a strict, grey-area kind of way, it’s probably not illegal. But I guarantee when your employer finds out you lied, they will fire you and they will have cause to do so. And then you’ll have created a definitively bad employer reference for yourself going forward.

The website jumps through hoops to try to convince you that this is on the up and up and a good idea. Believe me, it is not. They have a lengthy but not very legal sounding disclaimer in their terms of service… but you can’t even read to the end of it. The text cuts off before it reaches the end.

And heck, the website looks like it was designed in 1995. If you can’t tell from the weird, shoddy scam-like feeling the website gives you, let me reassure you again: this is a bad idea. Stay away.

Related posts:

1. The 6 Most Effective People To Use As References For A Job Application
2. Ask Brian – Who Should I Use For My References?
3. $25 Buys You A Fake Doctor’s Execuse
4. A Bad Job Market Means Position Yourself For The Future
5. When A Bad Job Market Means Opportunities For The Future