Many eager job applicants trying to impress a prospective employer embellish their resumes, saying they are accomplished skiers, for instance, even when they have only been on skis twice in their life. Some measure of embellishment is expected but when it becomes falsification the job can be lost.
In 1993 it was alleged that academic establishments in various countries in Europe were selling academic qualifications. In the UK in 1994 it was alleged that colleges for vocational education were effectively selling qualifications as a means of improving their financial situation. Lecturers were encouraged to pass students because failure would mean a reduction in government funding; lecturers failing students were reprimanded. Numerous reports allege that even academic institutions of the highest grade are amenable to facilitating the acquisition of qualifications in exchange for substantial donations in some form. This tendency is aggravated by the critical funding situation of some institutions. More dubious institutions, notably in the USA, have commercialized this process. USA managers falsify academic qualifications more often than any other item on their résumés. This is due to the fact that few companies actually check qualifications.