You're a few credits shy of your MBA, and you're tempted to go ahead and list the degree as having been conferred on your resume. After all, the company you're interested in says they won't even interview anyone without an MBA; if you don't tell this white lie, it'll take a miracle to even get your foot in the door.

Don't do it. Degrees are easy to verify, and most companies (and certainly most recruiters) will take the time to validate your educational qualifications.

Say the company does have a strict MBA requirement. What's the point of getting past the initial barrier, making it through a round or two of interviews, and then being found out during a credential check? Not only will you not get the offer, the deception could harm you down the road. Things like that have a way of sticking with a candidate.

My advice - tell the truth.

If you're actively completing coursework, the solution is simple. List the university and date of graduation something like this:

MBA, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, to be conferred December 2008.

On the other hand, if you don't have the degree, let your experience make the case that the company should talk to you even though you're lacking one of the requirements. You never know how firm the prerequisite is. There can be any number of variables (for example, maybe they've had difficulty trying to find quality candidates) so go ahead and give it a shot without embellishment.

If you're working with a recruiter, it's her job to try to convince the hiring company to make an exception.

Of course, people do slip through and get hired using falsified resumes, though the truth tends to come out in the end - sometimes in spectacular fashion. Stories pop up in the news regularly about high-profile executives who find themselves in trouble when the world discovers they didn't really have the educational background they said they did.

It happened again recently when one of the most powerful figures in the gambling industry (the Chairman and CEO of the MGM Mirage) resigned as questions swirled about his academic credentials. His corporate biography indicated he'd received an MBA from USC, but a private fraud investigator found otherwise. Initially, MGM officials stood by their man - but the story wouldn't die.

Apparently, this exec then tried to explain it away by claiming he completed coursework toward the degree, left to go to work, and was later awarded an honorary MBA. A USC spokesperson, however, said the school hasn't awarded an honorary MBA since 1933 - and they've only awarded five in their history.

And so a seemingly tiny lie, unquestioned for so many years, comes back with a vengeance.

Don't set yourself up for this kind of a fall. Do yourself a favor; tell the truth.

Rebecca Metschke is the author of The Interview Edge, a comprehensive career guide for those who are serious about their careers. Gain a professional advantage using proven tips, tools and strategies that will help ensure you're as marketable as you can be. http://www.TheInterviewEdge.com