Can You Lie in Job Interview?

First, let’s admit the fact, many job seekers lie in interview, and they get good jobs with no problem. Sounds like a good deal? It might be, but the risk is not tiny. After all, lying is not a good practice. Thus my suggestion is, do not lie. Instead, hide facts. Facts are the truth, but you don’t have to tell the truth if the facts don’t make any good to you. Last but not least, don’t lie on obvious things, that means, don’t call black white.

It’s sometimes very tempting to “alter” the truth a bit during a job interview. For instance, say you quit instead of being fired. That might be OK, because how you had been let go is a blurred area. But by all means you cannot say you get M.S. degree in Computer Science from Stanford if you never had, that’s a very obvious lie. thus the risk of being discovered as a liar far outweighs the potential benefit of hiding the truth.

If you are thinking about telling a lie during the interview, ask yourself these questions (this technique has helped me make many major decisions): “What is the best thing that could happen? What is the worst thing that could happen? Is the best thing worth risking the worst thing?” In this instance, the best thing would be getting the job. The worst thing would be getting discovered as a liar, which could lead to getting fired, which could lead to unemployment, which could lead to more job searching, which could lead to another interview, which could lead to the stress of deciding whether to lie about just getting fired, and so on… a cycle that can go on indefinitely. Is all that worth getting the one job, perhaps on a temporary basis?

Always consider the consequences of your actions.

August 25, 2008 · Filed Under Interview

Comment