Lying for a Job Interview

Any career counsellor or headhunter will give you the exact same advice: NEVER lie in a job interview. But what if you do not want to reveal a certain fact about yourself, your past job, or a past decision that resulted in something negative? What if you fear that revealing these things will cost you your job application?

Every jobseeker has probably had to twist the truth during a job interview. This is not to say that everyone is essentially dishonest. The bigger problem is that our society places tremendous importance on achievement and success, and so we look to present ourselves in the best possible light.

That may mean fudging the truth a little bit in order to sugar coat the truth or avoid it outright. Generally, job applicants lie about two things: previous job experience and level of salary. Job hunters tend to gloss over their previous job experience in order to appear highly qualified and the right fit for the job. Lying about salary is the oldest trick in the book to drive up wages without having to ask for it.

Lying, though, can lead to disastrous consequences in the long term. It can be a source of embarrassment later on when the deception is found out (and there is a tendency for these things to come out in the open). At worst, it may have adverse effects on the credibility and performance of the company, as when a top software company's stock value tumbled 16 percent when it was discovered that its CFO lied about completing his MBA.