Lying on my very first interview...

[operati0n_pndA]

Hey,today I had my very first interview, and during the interview my interviewer brought up a question along the lines of Have you ever recommended ways of doing something better in the workplace, and I completely made up an answer regarding my previous job(not much of a job, it was a firework stand, dont judge me lol). I didn't want to lie, I was super nervous because it was my first interview.

 

[DoPo]

What advice are you looking for?

 

[operati0n_pndA]

Should I be nervous about not getting the job, or getting caught in a lie? And if/when I get caught what will they do or say

 

[Frezzato]

What's done is done so there's no point in dwelling on the recent past. It's not like you're pretending to be a doctor or pilot, right? If you lied about something like being able to type, that's one thing, but if you lied to get the job, well...thing is that most people I've run into have lied on their resume or in their interview. That's just my personal experience.


If you get the job just focus on being a good employee who shows up on time. That's what counts in the end. Stop with the lies though, and don't play confessional with your co-workers. Right now it's just your secret, and the only way for two people to keep a secret is if one of them is dead

 

[operati0n_pndA]

Thank you so much, it really means a lot

 

[DoPo]

Should I be nervous about not getting the job, or getting caught in a lie? And if/when I get caught what will they do or say

Depends - can you be found out? How bad was the lie? I find that some inconsequential lies[footnote]Though "lies" tends to be a bit over dramatic way of calling them. More like "banter", really, I guess.[/footnote] during an interview are...well, inconsequential. If you claimed you had an expertise you didn't, it'd be a different matter.

Your case? As long as it wasn't something along the lines of "Oh yes, I did suggest some improvements, and thanks to me, we got 10 fold increase in profits in just few short months", I wouldn't say it would be significant.

Also, do you think your new potential employers are really likely to check up on what you said? Again, if you didn't embellish a lot, it can fly under the radar - even if they contacted your previous workplace.

The thing to remember about interviews is that they aren't an interrogation aimed at uncovering the objective truth - they are a somewhat imperfect means to try and gauge how well you'd fit in the new workplace. Aside from aptitude test stages which are less about "how well you fit" and more about "are you actually competent" - chances are you won't really be able to lie there, not to a really effective degree, at least (and if you could...well, you wouldn't be caught, of course).

At any rate, to address your second question - assuming you are caught - well, it's probably nothing you can do. I really, really doubt your potential employers would contact you to chase you up on that one answer. I'd say nine times out of ten they would have already made up their mind. Heck, there is a high chance they have done that already[footnote]And the decision could be "yes" as well as "no"[/footnote] - I've done a couple of interviews at my workplace and just in general I know how they go - you usually know whether to accept or reject the candidate by the time the interview finishes.

But, hey, let's do assume that your potential employers chase you up. Again, it's unlikely, but still - if that happens - it's a good thing. They generally wouldn't bother if you were to be rejected anyway. So, if they do contact you...well, best case is to own up to it, to a degree, at least. Maybe claim that upon reflection, the improvement you suggested wasn't as big as you hoped but it just meant more for you - being your first job and all. Still not the truth, I guess, but just don't try to tangle it up with a bigger lie - it's not going to be worth it. Remember - if you get hired afterwards, you'll be seeing those people pretty much every day until you leave for greener pastures.

 

[operati0n_pndA]

Thanks DoPo, seriously that helped me mellow out a lot , it wasn't a big lie, but a lie is still a lie

 

[mad825]

Welcome to life.

So long as you weren't lying about something medical, criminal and qualification. Even when you get a job, you'll be lying...Sorry, bending the truth when you have performance reviews and quite often enough the questions they ask are vague as fuck they probably wouldn't know any better.

capcha; without a doubt

 

[operati0n_pndA]

thanks mad825

 

[Smooth Operator]

Everyone fucking lies in job interviews, everyone who is good at that shit will tell you a tall tale that Walt Disney would have a hard time putting into cartoons.
And people do that because you are suppose to sell yourself, because that exaggerated shit works, companies get 100+ applicants for the same position and only the one who stands out most will get that job.

 

[Nailzzz]

Inevitably every job position that you apply for will be filled by a liar. The only question is will you get the job by being a better liar. I wouldn't let it make you feel guilty. After all, they lie to you as well. Especially if they make claims of wanting an honest employee. That is quite literally the last thing a company will ever want. They simply want you to be their liar. They want your loyalty, not your honesty. But they will provide you with neither. So don't ever feel the slightest bit guilty for lying. They don't.

 

[DoPo]

Especially if they make claims of wanting an honest employee. That is quite literally the last thing a company will ever want. They simply want you to be their liar. They want your loyalty, not your honesty. But they will provide you with neither. So don't ever feel the slightest bit guilty for lying. They don't.

I do hope you don't come to my company for a job.

 

[Nailzzz]

Especially if they make claims of wanting an honest employee. That is quite literally the last thing a company will ever want. They simply want you to be their liar. They want your loyalty, not your honesty. But they will provide you with neither. So don't ever feel the slightest bit guilty for lying. They don't.

I do hope you don't come to my company for a job.

Your company is likely already full of people just like me. They are the ones getting raises and generally doing well. The ones who are honest are the ones getting reprimanded for saying the wrong things in front of the wrong people. They foolishly thought they could be honest and speak their mind.

 

[DoPo]

Especially if they make claims of wanting an honest employee. That is quite literally the last thing a company will ever want. They simply want you to be their liar. They want your loyalty, not your honesty. But they will provide you with neither. So don't ever feel the slightest bit guilty for lying. They don't.

I do hope you don't come to my company for a job.

Your company is likely already full of people just like me. They are the ones getting raises and generally doing well. The ones who are honest are the ones getting reprimanded for saying the wrong things in front of the wrong people. They foolishly thought they could be honest and speak their mind.

Erm, I got a promotion. And nobody has been reprimanded ever since I joined. Well, there was one guy who left and then tried to come back but was rejected, I don't know if this counts. He was not very well liked, though, and not because of his honesty but because he was a hard to work with. Didn't help that he didn't do his job to a sufficient degree.

But hey, you know better, right? Because...reasons, I'm sure.

 

[Nailzzz]

Especially if they make claims of wanting an honest employee. That is quite literally the last thing a company will ever want. They simply want you to be their liar. They want your loyalty, not your honesty. But they will provide you with neither. So don't ever feel the slightest bit guilty for lying. They don't.

I do hope you don't come to my company for a job.

Your company is likely already full of people just like me. They are the ones getting raises and generally doing well. The ones who are honest are the ones getting reprimanded for saying the wrong things in front of the wrong people. They foolishly thought they could be honest and speak their mind.

Erm, I got a promotion. And nobody has been reprimanded ever since I joined. Well, there was one guy who left and then tried to come back but was rejected, I don't know if this counts. He was not very well liked, though, and not because of his honesty but because he was a hard to work with. Didn't help that he didn't do his job to a sufficient degree.

But hey, you know better, right? Because...reasons, I'm sure.

Of course I know. Just as you knew that I wasn't making general statements, but was speaking in absolutes about your company specifically. How out of curiosity can it be your company anyway, if you just got promoted? Did you get promoted to "owner"?

 

[Tanis]

I've never know ANYONE to have been in an interview for a job and NOT 'lied' in some way.

Hell, I've had bosses flat out tell me they EXPECT folks to lie, it's just the SIZE of the lie that matters.

As long as it isn't 'hey, I created the internet' and more 'yes my size 4 gf, that size 0 looks PERFECT on you'.

Most people don't really give a damn.