If you’re recruiting and get a resume that looks like it’s from a unicorn, you might get really excited. This person looks like exactly what you’ve been looking for plus more than you dreamed of! But beware. It might just be too good to be true.
The University of Utah is finding this out the hard way. In 2019, they hired Christopher Massimine to be the director of the Pioneer Theatre Company. Massimine “portrays himself as ‘the Mastermind,’ a major figure in the film, television, advertising, video game, music, and theatre industries.”
Massimine claimed to have been a “creative consultant with several leading companies and their brands,” listing on his resume that he had produced some very successful Old Spice ads and won awards for them. The ad agency that actually produced them said he never worked for them. Similarly, Massimine claimed to be responsible for a very successful KFC ad campaign as well as Coke’s campaign “Share a Coke.” However, both KFC’s ad agency and Coke have confirmed he didn’t work for them.
All in all, he listed about 100 companies, projects, and awards (even though he’s only 35 years old). He also put on his resume he received a bachelor’s and master’s from NYU in 3 years. According to NYU, he never received a master’s.
What makes this even more interesting is that Massimine did more than just put a bunch of false information on a resume and LinkedIn. There are also various website articles touting his accomplishments. Where did they come from? It appears Massimine himself published those articles to make this whole facade seem more credible!
The University of Utah hired him and has been paying him over $200,000 a year in salary and benefits, which is funded by donors and taxpayers. I would certainly not want to be the one having to explain this to donors, would you? Let’s avoid this.
Conduct background checks.
Always, always, always do a background check. Whether your organization is large or small, always do a background check. I’ve talked before about nonprofits being particularly vulnerable to theft and other financial crimes. I can easily imagine it being the same when it comes to background checks. Applicants could assume that a nonprofit, particularly a smaller one, doesn’t do all the double-checking that a for-profit company would. This makes it that much more important to do it.
Sometimes, there’s a thought that executive leadership positions shouldn’t require as thorough of a background check, but that’s not true. Do a thorough background check on every position. A background check would have quickly discovered that some items on Massimine’s resume (like education and the ad campaigns) were false.
According to the University of Utah, they used a search firm to recruit for this position and conduct the background checks. It’s very typical to use another company to do your background checks. In fact, it’s been that way in just about every organization I’ve worked with. When finding a background check company, do some research to make sure they’re credible. And they should always send you a copy of the background check. They’ll flag items as necessary based on your hiring criteria, but it’s up to you to make the final decision.
Always remember that you are ultimately responsible for your hiring decisions. Yes, the background check company has a responsibility to give you accurate information. But you’re responsible for what you do with it. And you’re the one who has to deal with any fallout.
Pay attention to red flags.
With a typical recruiting process, interviews are done before background checks. There’s no sense spending the money to do a bunch of background checks when you’re only going to hire one person. A resume is your first impression of an applicant. Pay attention to what’s there.
Most applicants won’t lie on a resume. In fact, I’ve seen very few blatant lies over the years. Some exaggeration here and there? Yes, probably. That’s a bit to be expected. Hiring leaders probably do some of that too. Talking really positively about yourself and how great you are is the name of the game. But that should be the extent of it. Nothing that gives a false impression or is dishonest.
But if someone says they got a bachelor’s and a master’s in 3 years, that should be a red flag. Listing 100 employers and accomplishments? Red flag – at age 35 or really any age. It might still be worth an interview, especially if the applicant’s experience is what you’re looking for. But ask a lot of questions.
Now, Massimine appears to have been really prepared to defend his resume, so he might answer all the questions perfectly. That’s where the background check comes in. If something seems impossible or seems too good to be true, it just might be.
Take the time to make the right decision.
The University of Utah had been recruiting for this position for 18 months. That’s a long time. And I have no doubt it felt much longer to the hiring leaders. I can only imagine how ready they were to find someone.
But now, they’re in an even worse position. They’ve hired someone whose background has now been investigated by the news and publicly exposed. They’ve got to figure out what to do with his employment. And they’ve got to fix their reputation with donors and the community.
Even if your search is taking FOREVER, be careful and thorough. Avoid rushing a decision. I know it can be hard in the meantime as the workload piles up around you. But imagine having to deal with hiring the wrong person and then being right back at square one?
Photo credit: By Andrii Zastrozhnov
