Should my children read this blog, there will be smiles and groans. This title phrase was the watchword of their youth.

May I just say how much those four words still hold true in my professional world. Don’t lie. Own your mistakes. Tell the truth. Your cover-up is or may be worse than the crime.

Resume: The embellishment of resumes is nothing new in DC.  We all know a few people have  gotten jobs and then lost those positions when the truth of their experience was revealed. How about those students in Kansas who outed their incoming principal?

College Degree: Don’t say you have one if you don’t. Even if you are really, really close—like a course or two away from that diploma. You can’t say you have a degree if you technically don’t.  Education checks are easy to do. For nanny positions, actual degrees while valued, are not required in most cases.

Previous work history: If you didn’t work full time at a job, don’t say that you did. Occasional babysitting is not a full time nanny job. It is what it is. Valuable and related but not the same.

Fake references: Seriously. Do not EVER do this. Do not use your friend who has no children for a childcare reference. Do not use your boyfriend who is living at his parents house and has no children (but lots of guns on his Facebook page) as your most recent reference.

I’ve always felt we are very good detectives when vetting our candidates. We definitely want to find out any falsehoods before our clients do and certainly before anyone is on a job.

Trust is the most important ingredient in a relationship. If you lie, no one will ever trust you. Certainly not with their children.