Should you lie in a job interview?

[PureX]

Should you lie in a job interview?

I had one last week, and I didn't get hired. I have another today though. I'm applying for cooking positions.

I was honest with the last managers and told them "I am not the fastest anymore like I was when I was 18-19.". For whatever reason, they didn't hire me. Crowded job market down where I live.

Should I lie? Should I tell the interviewer that I can run around like a cracked out Energizer Bunny? Do I do whatever is necessary to get my foot in the door and then figure it out from there?

In school, they always said you had to "sell yourself" in job interviews. Does that mean lying? I tell the interviewers that I bring positive vibes to the table. That is very important in a kitchen, more important than being fast I believe. That's my selling point.

Do I tell them I'm fast as heck too?

Do you lie in interviews? If you interview people, have you had people over hype themselves up only for you to find out when they started working?

I have found that lying in an interview is pointless. And here's why ...

I am looking for the job that fits me, and that I can fit into. I don't want the job that is too much for me, or too little. And I assume the employer doesn't want that, either. So really, we both want the same things. And so we may as well both be up front about what we want, and what we have to offer each other. Right?

I have found that the best way to get hired for a job is to be ready for the work being offered. That means ask the kinds of questions that one would ask about the job if they were serious about being able to do it. This shows the employer that you are serious about being able to do it. And it also shows that you know enough about the work required to be able to ask the pertinent questions.

I also want the prospective employer to know that I am also interviewing them. So I will ask some questions that will help indicate to me how they view their employees. I have worked for enough dirt-bag employers in life to know that they just aren't worth the struggle. And at my age I can smell them coming a mile off. I have also learned that when you make it clear to an employer that they are not going to get to play 'the big boss-man' with me right from the start, it eliminates having to make it clear to them after being hired. And usually the pathetic weenies that think they need to do this will avoid me like a plague the moment they detect that that I'm not having it. And it's better to get that crap out of the way right off the top. Most employers are decent people that are just looking for someone to fulfill a set of necessary tasks. And I only want to be that someone if I know I can fulfill those tasks for them, and I want to take on the responsibility.

It's a two-way street with the mutual goal of operating a specific commercial enterprise. I want to give that enterprise AT LEAST a value equal to what I take from that enterprise in compensation. And hopefully give significantly more then that. Otherwise, there is no point in my being there. But in return, I need them to recognize the value I bring to the enterprise, and be respectful, appreciative, and accommodating, in return.

The point of all this that it is a two-way street based on capability and mutual respect. If I detect this is not going to be forthcoming, I do not want their job. If I really needed the money, I might take their job temporarily, but I will leave it for something better as soon as I am able. And I will not feel the least bit bad about doing that. Because sadly, I know that in most instances, they will do the same to me if it serves them.

 

[Alien826]

I am looking for the job that fits me, and that I can fit into. I don't want the job that is too much for me, or too little. And I assume the employer doesn't want that, either. So really, we both want the same things. And so we may as well both be up front about what we want, and what we have to offer each other. Right?

That's good, but it's also worth remembering that the person interviewing you may not accurately represent the company as a whole and also may not be the person you will be working for. A true story follows.

I was interviewed for a job for which I was, quite frankly, overqualified. Two people interviewed me, one asking the questions and the other just listening. I was asked a technical question that I answered correctly and was told I was wrong. I tried to answer in a different way and eventually gave up trying to, as I later described, discover which wrong answer he wanted. He did not offer me a job. A few days later I got an offer from the other person, which I accepted. It turned out they were managers of two different teams. Later I spoke to my new boss about the interview and he said "He realized that you knew more about it than he did and didn't want someone like that on his team".

Retirement is so good.

 

[Twilight Hue]

I lack the scruples to be honorable.

Nature is like that. As much as I hate to say that , good people rarely ever win in the struggle of survival.

Still, I think a person who's honest with their abilities and capabilities would do far better then one who isn't as honest.

 

[PureX]

That's good, but it's also worth remembering that the person interviewing you may not accurately represent the company as a whole and also may not be the person you will be working for. A true story follows.

I was interviewed for a job for which I was, quite frankly, overqualified. Two people interviewed me, one asking the questions and the other just listening. I was asked a technical question that I answered correctly and was told I was wrong. I tried to answer in a different way and eventually gave up trying to, as I later described, discover which wrong answer he wanted. He did not offer me a job. A few days later I got an offer from the other person, which I accepted. It turned out they were managers of two different teams. Later I spoke to my new boss about the interview and he said "He realized that you knew more about it than he did and didn't want someone like that on his team".

Retirement is so good.

I understand. But to me the takeaway is that you wouldn't have wanted the job with the guy that knew less than you did but couldn't accept that, anyway, right? What a pain that guy would be to work with/for.

Also, as I was reading that story, I though you were going to say that it was a "trick" situation to see how you would respond to the circumstances. Thank God is wasn't! Imagine working for THAT company!

I am fortunate in that I have never sought a job with the kinds if big companies that would present that confusing of a front in an interview.

I do have an interesting story about an interview, though. I was applying for the building maintenance job for a large, very busy dental suite (6 dentists, 7 hygienists, many assistants, 26 op. chairs, 3 labs, etc.) and was being interviewed by the office manager and the comptroller, both women. At the end of the interview they asked me why they should hire me instead of one of the other younger candidates. I thought for a second, and then looked at them and said with great assurance, "Because I am clearly the prettiest!". Obviously, I was not, and anyway, I had never seen the other candidates. But these two ladies got a real laugh out of that response, and hired me because I had a sense of humor along with the skill set.

One is passed, the other is retired, and I am still there. Though I am slowly moving into retirement, myself.

 

[Alien826]

I understand. But to me the takeaway is that you wouldn't have wanted the job with the guy that knew less than you did but couldn't accept that, anyway, right? What a pain that guy would be to work with/for.

Actually I did observe him in action, as both managers worked in the same area in the same building and the division was more to do with the number of people reporting to a single manager than the nature of the work. In short he and his team worked near me. He did indeed prove to be someone I would not have wanted to work for.

Also, as I was reading that story, I though you were going to say that it was a "trick" situation to see how you would respond to the circumstances. Thank God is wasn't! Imagine working for THAT company!

Indeed.

I am fortunate in that I have never sought a job with the kinds if big companies that would present that confusing of a front in an interview.

I do have an interesting story about an interview, though. I was applying for the building maintenance job for a large, very busy dental suite (6 dentists, 7 hygienists, many assistants, 26 op. chairs, 3 labs, etc.) and was being interviewed by the office manager and the comptroller, both women. At the end of the interview they asked me why they should hire me instead of one of the other younger candidates. I thought for a second, and then looked at them and said with great assurance, "Because I am clearly the prettiest!". Obviously, I was not, and anyway, I had never seen the other candidates. But these two ladies got a real laugh out of that response, and hired me because I had a sense of humor along with the skill set.

One is passed, the other is retired, and I am still there. Though I am slowly moving into retirement, myself.

Right. Interviewers are people too and we don't have to be overawed by them. In fact we shouldn't as you showed.

Some of the best interviews I remember, leading to jobs I enjoyed, had the interviewer establish a friendly relaxed atmosphere from the start.

 

[PureX]

Actually I did observe him in action, as both managers worked in the same area in the same building and the division was more to do with the number of people reporting to a single manager than the nature of the work. In short he and his team worked near me. He did indeed prove to be someone I would not have wanted to work for.

Indeed.


Right. Interviewers are people too and we don't have to be overawed by them. In fact we shouldn't as you showed.

Some of the best interviews I remember, leading to jobs I enjoyed, had the interviewer establish a friendly relaxed atmosphere from the start.

Indeed.

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

Hah, an example in my own field.

When I worked as a programmer I would sometimes be called in to assess a candidate's technical ability. If someone claimed a knowledge of a particular language and I found they didn't have it, negative recommendation from me. On the other hand, if they demonstrated excellent skills in a language other than the one we wanted, I would often suggest we hire them. A good programmer will learn a new language quickly and use it well. A bad programmer will always be a a bad programmer, no matter how much experience in a given language they have.

Same here.

And back when I worked as a consultant, I had to do several interviews a year. I worked for a company to would sent me out to other companies as external consultant. These were always assignments of 3-4 months to do a specific project and then I moved on to the next one. But every time, an interview process preceded it. These interviews were less "intense" then "real" job interviews off course, since there was also a level of trust between both companies (that the company I worked for wouldn't send profiles that completely didn't match the job).

I however never lied about the languages I had or didn't have experience with.
But as I said earlier in the thread: the strategy is to never talk negatively about yourself or your skills and always use positive vocabulary.

So if it concerned an object oriented language I never used before, I'ld honestly say I never worked with it, but would also follow it up with talking about languages that I did use and talk about how all OO languages really are simply different dialects of the same thing. As in: if you know one, you'll quickly adapt to the others after reading up for a day or two on the specifics. The first week you'll still be looking up some stuff on stackoverflow and alike and by the second or third week you'll be writing code in that language as if you never did anything else.

Bottom line is that you should NEVER say or promise things that you can't handle.
If you are a .NET dude, don't pretend in the interview as if you'll "quickly adapt" to writing assembly code, because it's not going to happen.

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

I think the most difficult questions are those that are, frankly, none of the interviewer's business. They should not be asking about your personal life for example, but if you do get such a question what to do? You can't really say "that's none of your business" or similar as it will get you to the bottom of the pile right away. How to evade it without angering the interviewer or looking as if you are hiding something?

I had that a few times. I'ld take it on a case by case basis, depending on the nature of the question.
If the question for example is about my hobbies, I'ld certainly think it's not relevant, but I wouldn't play hard ball and just say I enjoy playing the drums or whatever.

A priori, he has no business asking about my hobbies, but it's kind of harmless to disclose it. It's something I would or might bring up myself in context of a casual conversation during lunch for example.

If it really concerns private things that I would NOT just bring up during casual conversation, I have no problem at all respectfully notifying the interviewer that it is indeed none of his business.

I wouldn't use those words though.
I'ld rather say something akin to "I don't feel comfortable disclosing such aspects of my private life"
If he then presses on, I'll follow it up with noting that it's not relevant to the job.
If he presses on still, I'ld start wondering if I even would want to work at such a place.

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

I do have an interesting story about an interview, though. I was applying for the building maintenance job for a large, very busy dental suite (6 dentists, 7 hygienists, many assistants, 26 op. chairs, 3 labs, etc.) and was being interviewed by the office manager and the comptroller, both women. At the end of the interview they asked me why they should hire me instead of one of the other younger candidates. I thought for a second, and then looked at them and said with great assurance, "Because I am clearly the prettiest!". Obviously, I was not, and anyway, I had never seen the other candidates. But these two ladies got a real laugh out of that response, and hired me because I had a sense of humor along with the skill set.

Nice.

Great answer indeed.
Such "open" and vague questions are indeed often misinterpreted by people thinking that's the moment they have to "sell" themselves by propping up their technical capabilities etc. Instead, such questions are indeed much much more about learning what type of person you are and how you see yourself.

In fact, answering the way you did shows a lot more maturity and confidence then someone who gets into a half-sweaty answer like "I'm punctual, I'm always on time, I work hard, ...."