Can i Lie in an Interview?

You can be all well-prepared for an interview, show up on time and feel completely confident but there comes a moment when interviewer asks you a question, and you know the answer, but you also know that it's not the answer the interviewer wants to hear. What should you do in such situation? Should you lie? Or should you tell the truth even if it can cost you a job?

Telling the whole truth about yourself in a job interview may mean losing a position to a better-qualified candidate. But the alternative -- lying about your degree, qualifications or experience for short-term gain -- inevitably will come back to haunt you. Most skilled and experienced interviewers can see through lies as they are trained to do so. It is also difficult to remember lies so people often trip themselves up later on in the interview.

To figure out where to draw the line, keep these four tips in mind.

You Don't Know What The Interviewer Wants To Hear

If every candidate knew what interviewers wanted to hear - every first candidate would get a job offer. Also, no one would answer to the infamous “What’s your biggest weakness?” with “Perfectionism.” Avoid saying things like “I’m never late.” Or “I get along with absolutely everybody, everyone loves me, I’m a real people person!” These are lies, and these people do not exist.

If you are asked about your mistakes - it means they want to know whether you can take responsibility for your blinders. So, if you will say that you've never made a mistake - first, this is not what hiring manager wants to hear, and second, it's a lie, and pretty obvious lie.

Maybe, the answer you think is a bad one - is not that bad, because it is honest, and it can be exactly what interviewer wants to hear.

Be Honest But Smart

Everything that you're going to say and think it would put you into a bad light - could be rephrased. If you are asked about your greatest weakness - you shouldn't make something up — but you also shouldn't necessarily share your actual greatest weakness. You don't honestly say that your greatest weakness is inattention to detail or accepting feedback gracefully. Instead, share a weakness that doesn't actually affect your ability to do the job at hand, and explain how you're working to improve it. This shows that you are self-aware and proactive.

Ask More Questions

You can still be honest and answer in a good way by asking some clarifying questions. A common question interviewer ask "Do you work well alone or with a team?" while you can be a loner - you don't want to work all alone all the time. You can say that you prefer to work independently, but enjoy collaborating with others, also ask if there is an opportunity to work solo. See? You were honest, but you've also shown your flexibility. Ask more questions to see if this role is what you want and need. Your honesty is important to your future career satisfaction.

What Are The Deal Breakers?

Instead of focusing on how to make interviewer to like you - think of what are your deal breakers. For example, if the interviewer asks you how do you handle with difficult clients means that the position you are applying to requires working with customers, and if it's not what you want - it's likely that this position is not for you.

Or if you don't handle stress well, but this is something you want to work on - you should know what level of stress will be on this position. Remember, that the most important thing on a job - is you being happy to work om that position on day to day basis. If you will lie on an interview, land a job, but it will be not something you can or want to handle, so what's the point?

Remember, that on an interview your job is to sell yourself - with all your strengths and weaknesses. For better or worse - do not lie. Today, people tend to lie so much, that an honest person is a real diamond, which all hiring managers want to hire.

-(Courtesy: Job.Naij)