“I cannot tell a lie.”

You may remember this famous phrase from the George Washington Cherry Tree fable. While many apply this to their personal lives, it would be wise to make this a common theme in professional growth as well – especially when a new opportunity comes your way!

Finding a job can be stressful! From perfecting your updated resume to scrolling through and applying to job openings on countless job boards. It can be overwhelming, but then you receive a phone call, and you’ve done it – you’ve scored an interview! You are excited and feel rewarded for your efforts, but soon, the interview jitters settle in…

Naturally, you want to act the right way and say the right things to impress your interviewer. Though you will undoubtedly want to give the perfect, impressive answer to your interviewer’s questions, always be sure that your answers are honest. Lying in an interview is NEVER the right answer. And here is why:

 

1. You will probably get caught…

Never count on going home after your interview to run a Google search on the job skill you said you had three years of experience with… The desire to get a job is understood, but by lying about your skills, you could potentially be placed in a position that is over your head, and now the reputation you are trying so hard to elevate is now compromised.

From a 4M Recruiter – “Recently, I was conducting an interview with a candidate that did not meet the qualifications for a role. I continued to interview him, as I wanted to see if we could place him with a company that would be willing to train him and give him the opportunity to grow. I asked him about the tools he had used for quality control in the past, and he eventually started talking about a tool that did not exist. I am not an expert in QC, but the name that he used was almost laughable. Needless to say, I did not offer that person an opportunity, and will not work with him in the future.”

 

2.  You will set yourself up for failure… and probably get fired.

If you are able to convince a company to hire you based on skills you don’t possess, be prepared for an unpleasant, panicked experience.  People are going to expect you to actually do the things you say you can do. Today’s work environment is stressful enough as it is. Why add to the stress by constantly having to worry about being asked to perform a task you don’t know how to do. This could result in your lies surfacing, and you being “found out.” You wouldn’t have had to lie if you were a good fit in the first place. Even though you may be able to get your foot in the door, you have to remember that in this age of technology and convenience, it only takes a moment for an employer to re-open a job posting and bring in new applicants. They may not want to go through the hiring process again, but they will perceive it as less disruptive than the time and expense of keeping the wrong employee.

 

3. Bad references in the future.

Once you have established yourself as a person that cannot be trusted, it is hard to shake that label, and you will not leave your former employer and co-workers with a positive impression of you. Now that employers are depending more and more on references, there is a greater need to maintain positive relationships with those you work for and with.

 

Hopefully, you are getting the point! Honesty is the best path to follow, as it will lead you to a job and career path that match your skills and interests. – And Honest Abe would agree too!

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