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In some locations, it is a crime to provide certain types of false information to a potential employer. If this is the case where you are, or you are not sure, you should consider Eric Lippert's Answer. Otherwise read on:

Side note: they are very professional.

You should own up to the the lie, apologise, be honest about the reasons why you lied, indicate that you are committed to learning from the experience, ask for a second chance to prove your trustworthiness, and thank them for giving you an opportunity to explain yourself.

Then you should indicate what your actual highest level of education is, and don't lie this time.

Your chances are very slim. Hopefully you can rationalise why you were dishonest with them in a way that they are willing to accept. But I wouldn't hold my breath.

I lied about my education to my employer and background check revealed I did not graduate. How do I respond to my employer after they send me the following?

• The presupposition of the question is a bad supposition. You do not respond. You're in a hole of your own digging; stop digging.


• You stop soliciting legal advice from strangers on the internet and get it from a lawyer.


• Once you have a lawyer, ask them if you have committed fraud or any other crime, and how you should proceed so as to decrease your risk of being prosecuted if you have.

I would say that you take it as a life lesson, and be more scrupulous about preserving your integrity in the future. I would also say it's safe to assume that you've blown your chances of getting this job.

Honest people aren't people who are never dishonest, they are people who regret their moments of dishonesty, and are not dishonest in quite the same way again. By admitting that you haven't been entirely truthful, you've made a step in the direction of being an honest man, and a step away from the direction of being a dishonest one.

Now, you'll need to ask yourself why, and you probably ought to spend some time soul-searching before you try to explain it to the employer. (Things like being scared of not being able to find a job come to mind.) When you do attempt to explain yourself to the employer, you might start by saying that you recognize that you have blown your chances of getting hired, but that you wanted to speak on a personal level. Then pretty much bare your soul, in 100 words or fewer. (Not to try to get the job back, but to get it out of your system.) Then apologize and leave it at that. (You could thank them for the life lesson, too, if you can be sincere about it.)

(EDIT: Eric Lippert has pointed out that there are laws in some states that criminalize lying about your education on a resume. I would suggest that you get a lawyer's advice before telling the employer that you did this.)

Finally, you can be glad that you got caught now, instead of two or three years in. If you are an honest man, it would have eaten at you, and you would feel relieved when it finally came out in spite of the fallout. If you aren't an honest man, you'd probably find that you were unable to talk your way out of it, assuming you hadn't been fired already for some other lapse of integrity.

So, man up, face the consequences, forgive yourself (even if other people don't), do your best to put it right, and don't do it again.

How close are you to graduating?

If You're Not Close

If you're not close, the other answers are spot on. Please read them and come clean.

If You Are Close

If you are close, contact your school. Find out everything you need to graduate. It may not just be credits, there are often money issues that can prevent you from showing as graduated, too. Get the full list.

Now, respond to your employer along the lines of "I contacted my school, and it turns out you're right, I'm not showing as graduated to them. I spoke with a counselor and received the full list of what I need to show as graduated, and will be remedying the situation as soon as possible. I hope that this will not impede my ability to work here, as I am very excited to be here, etc etc."

It shows you admit that there's a problem, and that you're taking the initiative to remedy the problem. If they keep you on (and yes, that's still very much a big if), make sure you do take those steps, though.

Be as honest as possible. If you were on track to graduate but fumbled at last minute that is understandable. But otherwise very hard to save this, if there was a less positive explanation.

Keep whatever you say simple and truthful.

I am tempted to claim this as a duplicate of "How can I fix my relationship with my 7 month old cat after I've constantly abused her the past month?". While this may sound ludicrous, the problem is the same: you have broken a fundamental rule of social interaction for a relation that ultimately is dependent on mutual trust and trustworthiness. This is a question of the "how can I resume using a bridge I have burnt?" kind.

This bit will determine the stance of management and HR towards you in future because it casts into doubt everything that needs to be trusted at face value in a robust relationship.

You probably should consider polishing your resume. Or in this case, unpolishing it. It is quite likely that you'll be better off moving elsewhere even in case that your current employer can be made to swallow that toad (likely at a price).

You definitely need to own up to not having a degree. If you are close to having or it's a paperwork issue explain that.

Many companies do a minimal clearance when they hire and as the company takes on new clients or changes in insurance requirements, they will often do in depth background checks.

I worked for a company that did in-depth background checks every 5 years. The equivalent of an FBI Check. Be prepared that companies can retrieve information very cheaply on their employees and use it to their advantage.

Good Luck!

I'm confused as to why there is a background check after you are employed rather than before. I'd also need to know how long you have been employed. That makes a big difference. Also, is this a highly skilled position? And does your intended degree really matter?

If the job is software engineering and your degree was art history, then having the degree is largely irrelevant, and you could come right out and say that. A sales job is another job where your choice of degree is often not meaningful. So, it's still a lie, but it's not a grievous one. You can probably talk your way out of it.

If the job is software engineering, then you are lucky, because that is a field where being self-taught is not usually a liability, and plenty of people never finished their degrees. Famously, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, and lots of others who are lesser known. But you need some credibility. You need some kind of proof that a degree would make no difference to your performance, and that's where it would be nice if you had already worked there a year or more. If this is the case, then you can probably talk your way out of it.

If this is a job that you just started, and you have established no credibility or meaningful performance, then I the only reasonable option is to fall on your sword and offer your resignation. It's not likely they will keep an unknown entity that has been caught in a lie. I wouldn't even try to explain the lie. Note, I didn't say quit. I said offer your resignation. They may accept it (the most likely scenario), but they may not. If they don't accept it immediately, it's because they like you for some reason and they will probably call you in to explain the lie. If you don't have a really, really good explanation, then don't waste their time.