One of the most popular ads for McDonald’s was this ’70’s classic, “You deserve a break today.”

Now, it seems, the world famous fast food chain is actually planning to give all young Americans a break from unemployment…not just college graduates.

One McDonald’s franchise’s job listing recently created an internet sensation when it seemed to require that applicants have a college degree.

Just how bad is the job market for young adults and newly-minted college graduates? Consider this vignette from the labor market: a McDonald’s in a small Massachusetts town is seeking fulltime cashiers with bachelor’s degrees and at least a year of experience.

Here’s the job posting on JobDiagnosis.com.

“Friendly people wanted to smile while serving lots of guests daily,” it declares. “Get a weekly paycheck with a side order of food, folks and fun.”

The posting also promies of “flexible hours,” “affordable health, vision and dental insurance” and even “free uniforms.”

WFXT-TV, Boston’s Fox affiliate, notes that the independent Winchendon, Mass. McDonald’s franchise may not actually expect to hire such qualified applicants. As the Washington Examiner observes, the same McDonald’s franchise also advertises jobs in Spanish.

On the other hand, says the Examiner, youth unemployment is at a staggering 11.5 percent. So maybe the Winchendon McDonald’s will indeed lure college grads to serve up its Filet-O-Fishes.

However, a follow-up story by Boston.com showed the original article followed the CBS news standard of “fake but accurate“.

Contrary to online job posting, you don’t need a college degree to work at Mass. McDonald’s

A report buzzing around the Internet Thursday claimed the McDonald’s restaurant in Winchendon had posted an opening for a cashier position that said applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and two years experience.

No, they do not.

“We do not require a bachelor’s degree for employment,” said Joe Ruscito, owner of the Winchendon fast-food outlet, in a statement. “My organization is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse work force.”

The bogus posting for the McDonald’s position was listed by an independent job search site called www.jobdiagnosis.com. A spokesman for the site’s owner, VHMnetwork LLC, confirmed the posting contained inaccurate information.

The listing has since been corrected, but not before it was picked up by some news outlets, including the online versions of the New York Daily News and Britain’s Daily Mail, which called it “a frightening example of how competitive the job market is for young people right now.”

At a time when college degrees are required for file clerks, it is easy to see why the initial reports on the job listing were credible.