<p>OK kids - after 32 years in IT and being responsible for MANY hires and a few fires let me add my real life experience (at least to the extent real life and software engineering intersect).</p>
<p>1) Don’t try to hide anything on your application - there’s no point. Our ads always say something like “at least a BS and 3 years experience”. No one is going to automatically exclude you from a position if published requirements are met. </p>
<p>2) If you leave something like a degree off, it WILL be found in the background check every company of any size runs before making an offer. Even five years ago you MIGHT have gotten away with leaving a degree off, but not any more. If you’re invited back for an “offer interview” I promise you the first question will be “Why did you leave off your PhD?”.</p>
<p>3) Your PhD may or may not be relevant directly to the job, but it WILL be respected, especially if it is from a quantitative field (at least in IT). Everyone knows how hard it is to get a job in higher ed. - we don’t blame you for looking elsewhere.</p>
<p>4) If you’re applying at a large company, they may have salary bands that are at least partially dependent on the applicant’s level of education. If that is the case, the interview is the time to discuss your PhD and how it is (or is not) relevant to the position and the salary band it is in.</p>
<p>In 32+ years I have only once had trouble with a person who tried to hide an advanced degree. This was back in the late 70’s, with a JD who had failed the Bar exam. Back then we only did a credit check, so we missed the degree. The guy spent all day complaining about how unfair the world was to someone with his superior ability. When he tried to use our office to start a legal advice business (we found out when one of his “clients” called looking for his “company” and got ours instead) he was out the door within the hour.</p>
<p>So - keep that degree on the resume - odds are you’ll have to fill out a paper application that includes a line about “highest level of education” anyway. If you lie there, you’ve given the company an excuse to dump you at any time.</p>
<p>And - if you’re interested in the experience of actual people with real PhDs entering “the real world” be sure to check out:</p>
<p><a href=“http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/board,28.0.html[/url]”>http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/board,28.0.html</a></p>