OK so let’s face it – we can all admit to telling a few porkies in our life time, especially in an interview. You’ve sat down and before you know it you’ve got fast rolling whoppers coming out your mouth before you’ve got chance to stop them. We are a nation of fibbers. Sure, when you’ve got a deal breaker interview this is the time to sell your skills, but there is a fine line between constructive exaggeration and plain old embellishment.
I mean, when you think about it, it’s quite funny how in an interview all of a sudden your worse trait becomes ‘working too hard’ and your life long dream is to ‘become the best you can in your career’ – who are you kidding? But in reality it can destroy your credibility, shut down opportunities and leave your integrity hanging by a shred.
So if it creates such headaches why can’t we seem to help ourselves? Well for one, it can be a quick fix to save us from an embarrassing situation, protect others from the truth and prevent unwanted conflict. According to Seth Slater: ‘Lying is, in fact, a valuable tool in the survival kit of any social species’.
So we’ve put together some of the best all time fibs in an interview. Take a look through them and try not to make the same mistake again – your new employer is probably all too familiar with them.
Salary of your last job
Education level
Your weaknesses
Why you want to leave your job
You eat live, eat and sleep the industry
The best thing to do is just be yourself, but only to a certain extent! Sack off the lies and construct your answers to involve the truth but also while showing off your true qualities in the best way you can.
Rachael Roberts – Digital Campaign Coordinator, Searchability