UNIT 10: ETHICS

READING 1: THE ETHICS OF RÉSUMÉ WRITING

Activity 1:(A, page 98, Course Book)
In groups, discuss the question.
Is there ever a time when it is OK to lie on a résumé?
 Some people tell very small lies and get away with it, but it’s simply not worth the risk. The most
likely scenario is you’ll be found out pretty quickly and excluded from the list of candidates. And
if you tell more than one lie, you might even struggle to keep track of them all yourself.
Activity 2: (B, page 98, Course Book)
Read the headline and subheading of the article. In pairs, predict five words that will
appear in the article. Include some words connected to dishonesty.
Check the article to see if you were correct. Underline all the words in the article connected
with dishonesty.

Activity 3: Useful Vocabulary

Part
Word/ of
Definition and Example
Phrase Speec
h
(adj) of or concerning morals, justice or duty: thuộc về
đạo đức
ethical
 (n) the act of hiding the truth, especially to get
an advantage:sự lừa gạt
deception

(v) to obtain something, esp. information or
a reaction: suy luận ra, gợi ra
elicit

(v) to give or to be a good reason for: lời bào chữa,

biện minh
justify

(v) to make someone want to have or do

something, especially something that
tempt is unnecessary or wrong: xúi giục, cám dỗ

to not consider someone or something to be
sell as valuable or good as he, she, or it deserves: hạ
sb/yourself/st thấp giá trị, bán rẻ
h short

(v) to have
or cause a general increase in prices and economic 
inflate activity: thổi giá lên

rationalizatio (n)
n an attempt to find reasons for behaviour, decisions,
 etc., especially your own: sự hợp lý hóa

(v) to think or believe something to
be true or probable: hoài nghi, ngờ vực
suspect

(v) to change something so that it is false or wrong,

or no longer means what it was intended to mean:
distort bóp méo (ý nghĩa)

(n) something that is successful, or that

is achieved after a lot of work or effort: tài năng,
accomplishm
thành tựu
ent

(adj) before a particular time or event: có trước,

quan trọng hơn
prior
The ethics of résumé writing
It’s never OK to lie on a résumé. But what about stretching the truth?
by Clinton D. Korver

How much can you “dress up” your résumé to make yourself as strong a candidate as possible
without crossing the ethical line of deception? Consider a few conflicting thoughts:
• Over 50% of people lie on their résumé.
• A Monster.com blog about the dangers of lying on your résumé elicited 60 comments from
job seekers recommending lying and only 46 discouraging it. Recommenders justified lying
by claiming, everyone else is doing it, companies lie about job requirements, and it's hard to
get a good job.
• Executives caught lying on their resumes often lose their jobs.

If you are reading this blog. you probably are not tempted by dishonesty. But what about the
following:
• Claiming a degree that was not earned because you did most of the work and were only a
few credits short.
• Creating a more impressive job title because you were already doing all of the work of that
position.
• Claiming a team's contributions as your own, because other members did not carry their
weight.
• Inflating the number of people or range of functions for which you had direct responsibility
because you really did have a great deal of influence over them.

These are called rationalizations –constructing a justification for a decision you suspect is
really wrong. You create a story that sounds believable but doesn't pass close examination. You
begin to fool yourself. You develop habits of distorted thinking.

So where is the line? You need to decide that for yourself. Here are some tests to keep your
thinking clear:
• Other-shoe test: How would you feel if the shoe were on the other foot and you were the
hiring manager looking at this résumé? What assumptions would you draw and would they be
accurate?
• Front-page test: Would you think the same way if the accomplishment in question were
reported on the front page of the Wall Street Journal? Or your prior employer's internal
newsletter?

But wait, you say. My résumé doesn't quite pass these tests, but there is something real
underneath my claims, and I do not want to sell myself short.

When in doubt, ask an old boss. While asking an old boss may be difficult, it has many benefits.
Precisely because it is difficult, it forces you to think clearly and sometimes creatively. Asking
also checks the accuracy of your claims, trains your old boss in how to represent you during
reference checks, and sometimes your old boss may give you better ways to represent yourself.

from Business Week

Activity 4: (C, page 99, Course Book)

Read the article again and answer the questions.
1.What reasons are given for not being totally honest on your CV?
Everyone does it, companies lie about job requirements, it’s hard to get a good job
2.What can happen to senior managers wholie ontheir CVs?
They can lose their job
3.Which of the four rationalisations do you think is the most serious? Why?

4.What happens to you when you start using rationalisations?

You begin to fool yourself and develop habits of distorted thinking
5.What are the advantages of asking an old boss?
It forrces you to think clearly and creatively, it checks the accuracy of your claims, it trains
your old boss in how to represent you during your reference checks, your old boss may give
you better ways to represent yourself
Activity 5: Understanding vocabulary
1. The phrase “stretching the truth” in the subheading is closest in meaning to
A.  making use of the supplies
B. not being completely honest
C. making it longer or wider by pulling it
2. The word “conflicting” in line 3 “…conflicting thoughts” is closest in meaning to
A. a violent situation or period of fighting
B. causing opposing ideas or opinions
C. a serious disagreement or argument
3. The word “short” in paragraph 2 “… only a few credits short” is closest in meaning to
A. small in length, distance, or height
B. being an amount of time that is less than average or usual
C. lacking
4. The word “inflating” in paragraph 2 “…inflating the number of people” is closest in meaning
to
A.  making something larger 
B. making something increase in size by filling it with air
C. increasing the price of something
5. The word “constructing” in paragraph 3 “…constructing a justification” is closest in meaning
to
A. building
B. drawing
C. forming

Activity 6: Pronoun Reference

What does the underlined pronoun refer to?
1. ‘everyone else is doing it …’ (para. 1, bullet 2, line 3)
lying
2. ‘… a great deal of influence over them.’(para. 2, bullet 4, line 2)
The number of people or range of functions
3. ‘My résumé doesn’t quite pass these tests ...’(para. 5, line 1)
Other-shoe test and front-page test
Activity 7: Words in Phrases
Go back to the articleon page 98. Find prepositions to complete the following phrases and
write them in the blanks.
1. A Monster.com blog ……about…………. the dangers of lying ………on………. your

résumé elicited 60 comments ……from…………. job seekers recommending lying.

2. Inflating the number of people or range of functions ……for…………. which you had direct

responsibility because you really did have a great deal of influence …over……………. them.

3. These are called rationalizations – constructing a justification … for……………. a decision

you suspect is really wrong.
4. How would you feel if the shoe were ……on………….the other foot?

5. Would you think the same way if the accomplishment …… in………….question were

reported ……on………….the front page of the Wall Street Journal?

6. When …in…………….doubt, ask an old boss.

Activity 8: Word Form

Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the word.
1. ethic
The committee judged that he had not behaved . ethic ………………………
Is it . ethic ……………………… to promote cigarettes through advertising?
The company was known for its poor business …. ethic …………………… and many people
refused  to  buy its  products.
Transplantation of organs from living donors raises …. ethical …………………… issues.
2. justify
We are duty bound to …… justify………………… how we spend our funds.
Her actions were quite … justify…………………… in the circumstances.
The Prime Minister has been asked to … justify…………………… the decision to Parliament.
I can see no possible justify……………………… for any further tax increases.
3. tempt
 I was …. tempt …………………… to take the day off.
How can we …. tempt …………………… young people into engineering?
It's very easy to yield to ……………. tempt ………… and spend too much money.
It was a …. tempt …………………… offer.
4. inflate
The media have grossly … inflate…………………… the significance of this meeting.
The principal effect of the demand for new houses was to … inflate…………………… prices.
Wage increases must be in line with … inflate……………………
5. suspect
It was …… suspect………………… that the drugs had been brought into the country by boat.
He is the prime … suspect…………………… in the case.
Three … suspect…………………… terrorists have been arrested.
I've got a sneaking … suspect…………………… that we're going the wrong way.
"I'm arresting you on … suspect…………………… of illegally possessing drugs," said
the police officer.
The public was warned to be on the alert for … suspect…………………… packages.
6. accomplish
She's a very … accomplish…………………… pianist.
The first part of the plan has been safely … accomplish…………………….
That's it. Mission accomplish……………………….
It was one of the President's greatest accomplish……………………….

Activity 9: Focusing on Words

Fill in each blank in the sentences below with one suitable word. When you finish, turn
back to page 98 and check your answers.
It is never OK to (1) lie on a résumé. But what about stretching the truth? How much can you

"dress up" your résumé to make yourself as strong a (2) candidate as possible without
crossing the (3) ethical line of deception?
Recommenders (4) justified lying by claiming: everyone else does it, companies lie about job

requirements, and it’s hard to get a good job. Executives (5) caught lying on their résumés
often lose their jobs. When you start using (6) ……………… -- constructing a justification for a
decision you suspect is really wrong -- you begin to fool yourself and develop habits of (7)

distorted thinking. When in doubt, ask an old boss. It forces you to think clearly and
creatively, it checks the (8) accuracy of your claims, it trains your old boss in how to
represent you during reference checks, and sometimes your old boss may give you better
ways to represent yourself.
Activity 10: (D, page 99, Course Book)
Discuss the two situations and decide what you would do in each case.
1.You discover that one of your top employees, who has done an excellent job for the last
15 years, lied about their qualifications when she joined the company.
2.One of your employees, who is not a good worker, has asked you to give him a good reference.
You would be happy if this employee left the company.