Abstract
Applied ethicists say little about résumé embellishment. Presumably, this is so because résumé embellishment seems obviously wrong; an instance of ordinary lying, familiar moral prohibitions against which cover the case completely. Analysis of résumé embellishment merely as ordinary lying overlooks its collective action aspects. Taking account of those aspects and their implications, I argue on consequentialist grounds that, given some plausible background conditions, a limited form of résumé embellishment is morally permissible (and perhaps required). This outcome is a particular instantiation of a more general principle about how one ought to act when participating in a morally valuable co-ordinative practice. I conclude by identifying implications for how employers ought to use résumés in hiring decisions.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 183-194 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Journal of Business Ethics |
| Volume | 63 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 2006 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Business and International Management
- Economics and Econometrics
- Business, Management and Accounting(all)
Cite this
A counterintuitive argument for résumé embellishment. / Marcoux, Alexei.
In: Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 63, No. 2, 01.2006, p. 183-194.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - A counterintuitive argument for résumé embellishment
AU - Marcoux, Alexei
PY - 2006/1
Y1 - 2006/1
N2 - Applied ethicists say little about résumé embellishment. Presumably, this is so because résumé embellishment seems obviously wrong; an instance of ordinary lying, familiar moral prohibitions against which cover the case completely. Analysis of résumé embellishment merely as ordinary lying overlooks its collective action aspects. Taking account of those aspects and their implications, I argue on consequentialist grounds that, given some plausible background conditions, a limited form of résumé embellishment is morally permissible (and perhaps required). This outcome is a particular instantiation of a more general principle about how one ought to act when participating in a morally valuable co-ordinative practice. I conclude by identifying implications for how employers ought to use résumés in hiring decisions.
AB - Applied ethicists say little about résumé embellishment. Presumably, this is so because résumé embellishment seems obviously wrong; an instance of ordinary lying, familiar moral prohibitions against which cover the case completely. Analysis of résumé embellishment merely as ordinary lying overlooks its collective action aspects. Taking account of those aspects and their implications, I argue on consequentialist grounds that, given some plausible background conditions, a limited form of résumé embellishment is morally permissible (and perhaps required). This outcome is a particular instantiation of a more general principle about how one ought to act when participating in a morally valuable co-ordinative practice. I conclude by identifying implications for how employers ought to use résumés in hiring decisions.
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=29644435485&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10551-005-2412-5
DO - 10.1007/s10551-005-2412-5
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:29644435485
VL - 63
SP - 183
EP - 194
JO - Journal of Business Ethics
JF - Journal of Business Ethics
SN - 0167-4544
IS - 2
ER -