Hi, CareerBuddy!
To what extent can I lie in an interview?
Looool what do you think?
AKTCHUALLY…it’s not good to tell lies especially when it has to do with work. However, there are some lies that are called ‘White Lies’. These are harmless lies that won’t hurt nobady and here are scenarios where I feel it’s okay to lie during an interview with your full chest;
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Playing up your role: Okay so you were a Receptionist in a previous role but you outperformed, acted as HR, Content manager, and even successfully executed business development projects but you never got promoted. If your ultimate goal is to build a career in business development and you apply for a junior business developer role….I’ll say it’s okay to hype your role beyond the ‘Receptionist’ title ‘cos guess what? Your job title might have been ‘Receptionist” but you and I both know you did more than that so come with receipts and brag!
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Your greatest weakness: They ask this question so much at interviews that I even forget my greatest weakness sometimes 😂. I think that while you shouldn’t tell a bald-faced lie about your weakness, you don’t have to tell them your ‘GREATEST’ weakness. It’s not therapy. All HR is trying to do is a test for self-awareness. Every human being has more than one weakness, choose the one that won’t make them question your ability to do the job. Except if it’s like an addiction or mental health problem…then you shouldn’t lie about that. Instead, tell them what you’re doing to get better.
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If you loved your co-workers: Okay so are you really going to tell them about how you almost slapped Bimpe or how bad you hate to hear Angela’s voice? I guess not. So yeah, just say y’all lived happily ever after. Imagine you actually quit your old job ‘cos of how horrible the place was…your current employer will assume you’re telling a one-sided story to YOUR favor. So do yourself a favor and just don’t talk about it.
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Your interests: Imagine your real interest is smoking shisha and clubbing every Friday? Will you tell them that? Or that you love BDSM and blind dating via Tinder? Please just keep it simple and in line with the job and company culture.
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All the places you’ve worked: If you got fired after working somewhere for a short period, I personally don’t think you should even add it to your C.V. However, if your interviewer asks you directly if you got fired, then don’t lie about that.
At the very core, telling lies about your skills or accomplishments during an interview will always backfire but you have to be cautious about the kind of information you share especially if they really don’t need to know.
It’s not a one-size fits all but I think if you’re ever faced with any of the above scenarios, you don’t have to feel guilty about modifying the information you share.
I really hope you found these helpful.