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Why You Must Lie On Job Interviews And What You Must Lie About - Jobs/Vacancies - Nairaland

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Why You Must Lie On Job Interviews And What You Must Lie About by Trailblazer1(m): 9:22am On Oct 07, 2014
Why You Must Lie On Job Interviews And What You Must Lie About

All of the characteristics HR looks for in a job candidate are the polar opposite of what enlightened leaders seek in new talent. While HR is tediously focused on making certain that candidates "play well in the sandbox," strong managers want those who don't venture near the proverbial box. Which creates a conundrum and a paradox:to get to the latter you need to lie to the former. As well you should. Why be held hostage to a broken system?

Case in point: the HR person will likely ask you if you work well with others? Well, many of the smartest and most innovative people on the planet simply don't. Not that they are trouble makers or in any way venal but they simply prefer to work alone, creating marvels of software, mathematical formulas or extraordinary feats of creativity. But can they tell HR:

"No. I don't really like working with others. I guess you can say I do my best work by myself. My professors at MIT used to call me a 'loner.'"

HR's universal reaction to this honest response would be "Next." Einstein and Newton would have failed their test.

For years, my firm worked with a hedge fund that invests capital based on quantitative strategies, developed by their team of math and physics brainiacs. None even pretend to enjoy the social aspects of the work environment. For them, it is all about hibernation, concentration and introspection. They never stepped into a a sandbox as kids and they aren't about to start now.

Over the course of an intense year when we examined and adjusted many of the practices of the fund, management came to recognize that the caliber of the candidates coming to them for second-stage interviews was way down below the quality hierarchy. On closer examination, we discovered the HR filter was turning the best and the brightest away before they could be seen by senior fund managers -- all geeks and loners in their own right. The solution was simple: HR was limited to managing the fund's employee benefits and policies and completely removed from the hiring process.

Another HR question that demands a lie goes like this:

"So tell me why you want to work for our company."

In many cases, the honest answer would be:

"I think this is the best place to make a fortune before I'm 35. I really want a chunk of those stock options."

But to the HR paint-by-numbers gang, that would lead to a fast dismissal out the fire exit. To get to the next-stage interview you have to lie, waxing poetic about the company's innovative culture or lionizing it's irreverent founder (who, by the way, is eager to have brilliant wealth-seeking hot shots on the team).

The old adage "Just be yourself," is a fool's game when it comes to the hiring process. Instead, at the outset, you need to be what HR wants you to be. And in most cases, you need to (and very well should) lie to win a pass to see the real players in the company. The ones with a 180 degree different (from HR) perspective on life/business/success and how to get what you want in your career.

Look, I don't believe in making lying a way of life--in fact, I appreciate blunt and honest people and think of myself in this way. But when a system is stacked against the truth, dance around it.

Please kindly not the following expert advise from seasoned professionals and recruiters:


Bruce Hurwitz
Executive Recruiter, Career Counselor, Publisher - TopLinked - 30K
Actually, this post should be taken down. Anyone who lies in an interview, or on their resume, can be fired for cause. Period! Nothing to discuss. And the answers to the questions the author posed, are ridiculous. There is a very easy way to answer them, which he should know. Do you work well with others? "It depends on the circumstances. Let me give you an example..." Then let them decide. Why do you want to work for our company? "I noticed when researching your staff that they have been with you for a long time and that you promote from within. That's the type of company for which I want to work." Or, "I see that many of your staff have received community service awards. I want to work for a company that encourages social responsibility and community involvement." Do your research. Learn about the company. Learn about the interviewers. Learn about staff. And tell the truth. Not only can you be fired for lying but you won't want the job if you get it. Which is why this post is so ridiculous. You don't work well with others. You lie and say you do. You get the job. Then because you don't work well with others you get fired or, because you are so miserable working with others, you quit. So what did you gain by lying?

Leani Viljoen
People and Capability Manager, MBA, CAHRI
Maybe companies should start by hiring better HR people!

David Lutz
Account Executive/Recruiter at Acuity Search Solutions, Inc.
I disagree. Why lie when you can work with a recruiter like myself and bypass HR all together. I'll get you a conversation with the manager if I feel you're the right person for the job based on not the job description, but the conversation I have with the person you will report to directly

Jason Hogan
Managing Director at Experis IT
Mark - Come on...seriously? You are trolling right? While I agree that the current state of HR screening for incoming talent is probably one of the most inefficient processes on the planet and almost guaranteed to prevent truly exceptional talent from getting past the HR gate-keepers (in the companies where that is the role HR is playing, not all companies) as well as being an absolute pain in my neck from a business standpoint, they are simply risk mitigation strategies put in place to prevent those organizations from accepting more exposure than they decided they are willing to accept. So your answer to that is "Lie"?!? Why would someone want to work for a company they had to lie to get into? How can that be effective for either the individual or the organization? What value at all could that bring to the job seeker?

Melvin Gaines
Senior Supervisor of Collections at DDR Corp.
I saw no value whatsoever in this article. As stated in the article, "Next."

Leah Ciappenelli
Experienced Talent and Culture/ HR Professional
Not sure who the HR people are that you are grossly generalizing about, but in my HR world, the skilled HR practitioners have the finesse to cull out exceptional talent and no one need lie.

Tony Farson
IT Manager, Service Delivery Expert and Team Mentor
Yep, HR should have never been allowed to take on talent acquisition. It was a huge mistake. Their only legitimate role and responsibility is to look out for the legal best interests of the company when measured against the federal and state employment laws. They neither have the knowledge, skills or experience to determine who would make a great network engineer, helpdesk support agent, or any other role on my team (most of the time the best people for these jobs are ones who have no degrees, so they'll not even make past the HR database). All resumes and prospects should go directly to me. I should do the initial screening and exploratory interview. I will decide if I want them to come in for an interview, and I alone will decide if I want to make them an offer. I will involve HR only when required by law. Otherwise, keep your nose out of my team!

Jim (Giacomo) Giammatteo
Resume writer, headhunter, and bestselling author. Latest books: No Mistakes Resumes & No Mistakes Interviews
Worst advice I've seen. In any good company the HR department and the hiring managers are smart enough to know what they need, and whether they can tolerate a loner who works best by themselves. If they don't understand that--you don't want to work there anyway, so no need to lie. And if they are cognizant of what they need regarding personality/traits, then again--no need to lie. It's not difficult to answer questions like this, but lying is not part of the game.

Tom Weinert
Director
Wonderful example why hiring decisions need to be made by operations and not HR...

Andrea Ihara
VP Sales, Service, and Partnerships. A creative, intuitive and spirited leader and contributor
Like dating, beginning a new position "out of integrity" will dig a sand-trap you won't soon (if ever) climb out of. Every place where a lie could be inserted, a truth could be placed - yet one that is well thought out and still honest. "Do you work well with others?" A strong response would be "my positions have worked in tandem with and reporting to a great many people; I work well in groups, am collaborative when the job requires, yet I am a strong, independent, and reliable solo. And so on. I have expressed that I am a solid independent worker - but can also work in teams when required to do so...

Matt Hall
Agile* geoscientist
Ugh. This may be the most cynical and downright depressing careers advice I have ever read. Any time someone tells you, "Look, you just have to [check your values and self-respect at the door and] play the game", it's a certain sign of a broken system you should keep well away from.

Michael Small
IST Generalist ♦ Scotland ~ SCUBA ~ Scotch ♦ Educate
"So tell me why you want to work for our company." I'm not yet sure I do, I won't know for sure until the interviews are concluded.

Mark Scott
Director of Recruiting | Outside Sales
Ditto to 90% of the comments already left behind. The only thing I can add is one simple question....with you advising people to lie (call it "dance around it"wink, how can I believe anything that you say?


Linda Sibbald
Senior Web Designer
I disagree... You should never lie about who you are, but you should always be articulate in your response. If a company cannot accept you as you are you will be miserable there. I always ask companies when I am in an interview what the group dynamic is. Is the office full of quiet nerdy types who code code code play call of duty, and code some more? Or is it full of creative and nerdy types who are at the top of their game? Knowing who you are and how best you fit in, is critical to your over all happiness in a company. Ask questions, be truthful, and use candor to answer those tough questions. If you're not a team player don't fake it that you are. The reality is that you will soon be found out once you're hired. No one is that good at faking and if you are I recommend Hollywood.

Bruce Beswick
Actively seeking new employment - worldwide - my present contract will expire shortly.
Hey Mark! Thanks for the chuckle - I have been saying this for years. No one really wants the truth - they simply want to plug holes with proper shaped pegs. On my debrief from my last unsuccessful job interview, I was told (which was actually very nice that they did this) that I did not get the position because there were too many company specific acronyms that I did not know the expanded words for. As an example I now know that OLRB means Ontario Labour Relations Board - so I did learn something. We got into a 20 questions on what various company specific acronyms meant and I finally asked them if they wanted to know a few of mine - I admit it was a bit of a retaliation. After all, I come from acronym heaven - the military. I got annoyed enough that when I was asked what OLRB meant, I "guessed" OLRB stood for "Overly Large Rednecked Bastard" - which was a good definition for me. They did not find it funny - but I did. I did not get the job - but the two people who were interviewing me did open their eyes wide when I spouted it off. Sometimes you just have to do it! LOL Best to all.


Tom Kennett
Technical Analyst at Cognosante
I can't give presentations. If asked, I won't say "Hell no" but may indicate I have other strengths. Not everyone is a leader so I will say that "following well has its upside." And they always ask for me to describe my weakest attribute and I have answered "Describing my weaknesses is not easy for me."

Paul LaRue
Building Leadership & Business - Hospitality, Entertainment, Retail, Restaurant
If you harbor a system that enables people to lie, then you as a leader must fix the system. If you don't, then you foster a fundamental toxin that pervades the workplace. We need to do more of the right thing than to "dance around" the broken systems. The more we do, the more we'll fix the ills in business and society.

Martijn Janssen
at Sociale Zaken en Werkgelegenheid Rotterdam
Corporations should just ditch their HR departments or at least severely tone them down. Job interviews usually go much better when you speak with someone from the department you want to join than with some fresh out of college HR type who paints by the numbers.

Lorenzo Wallace ∴
Director, Fixed Operations at New Company
This is a case of you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. You can't win. Mediocre people only hire mediocre people because they are incapable of identifying talent or are threatened by top performers

Rob Johnson
Senior Director of Product and Solution Development at Impact Telecom
I think the hyperbolic approach muddled what could have been a good message based on the example provided. The message should have been that if you have to lie to get the job, then it's probably not a job you want to have. When it comes to human capital management, great companies do 3 things well: hire well, fire well, and retain well. If the hiring process requires you to lie about yourself in order to get the job, then only 2 kinds of people be hired: liars and people who can't do the job. That's not a job or a company I'd be willing to lie my way into.

Hope you find this piece useful.
Re: Why You Must Lie On Job Interviews And What You Must Lie About by Trailblazer1(m): 1:43pm On Oct 07, 2014
Now, what's your take on this?
Lie to get the job?
Or simply being yourself(truthful)?
Re: Why You Must Lie On Job Interviews And What You Must Lie About by Nobody: 4:36pm On Oct 07, 2014
Trailblazer1:
Now, what's your take on this?
Lie to get the job?
Or simply being yourself(truthful)?
I think it's Ok but It is not called ''lie'' ... It is simply being ''diplomatic with the truth'' !!!
Re: Why You Must Lie On Job Interviews And What You Must Lie About by Trailblazer1(m): 9:41pm On Oct 07, 2014
donroxy:
I think it's Ok but It is not called ''lie'' ... It is simply being ''diplomatic with the truth'' !!!

A Very intelligent response.
But I'd prefer calling a spade a spade.
Re: Why You Must Lie On Job Interviews And What You Must Lie About by Nobody: 6:10am On Oct 08, 2014
Trailblazer1:


A Very intelligent response.
But I'd prefer calling a spade a spade.
grin ahahaha , even The CEO can get fired for calling a spade a spade talkless Staffs and you that don't even have even one toe inside !!!

There is no need to lie during Job Interview , no company is without woe and in responding to a company's problem , you have to be diplomatic about the truth !!

I once had an interview with this bank that everybody knew to cut people's money anyhow , red logo and their name begin with 'U'' .... Their own savings a/c doesn't give interest but charge .... grin

During the interview and you were asked what you feel about them :

Will I tell them what I feel grin ? Mba ooo cheesy

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