Many people stretch the truth or even blatantly lie during job interviews. What may surprise you is that it's not only the applicants who fib in order to put their best fictional foot forward. Employers are just as likely to embellish the truth.
When faced with a hard-to-fill position or a shortage of great applicants or when trying to persuade a talented person to leave their current employer, many recruiters and hiring managers make the job sound more appealing than it really is or paint a picture of opportunities that simply don't exist.
While it may be expected that some job applicants will exaggerate, employers and their hiring managers need to hold themselves to a higher standard. When an employer lies about something or intentionally leave out essential information, it can backfire. When the truth comes to light and the new hire either quits or does the job only begrudgingly at best, not only does the hiring manager look bad, but the company and that person's co-workers suffer as well.
While interviewers don't intend to lie in most situations, when it does happen it is usually because the interviewer wasn't well prepared. Here are some tips to help interviewers stay truthful:
- Know the job: Be able to describe the position, the duties and the demands associated with the job. Tell them everything — the good, the bad and the ugly. The best people see challenges as opportunities and, because of your full disclosure, will rise to the challenges.
- Stick to the script: If the job has a specific, non-negotiable pay range or vacation schedule, don't say otherwise. If you do, candidates cannot make a sound decision about whether the job is right for them.
- Don't sugarcoat: If a candidate asks a question about a touchy subject, either answer honestly or acknowledge that you can't speak about the topic. Do not create a response just to save face.
- Switch places: Share information with the candidate that, if you were a jobseeker, you would want to know. Do this regardless of whether the candidate asks these questions.
- Fess up: If you don't know the answer to a candidate's questions, be honest and say so.
From top executives to entry-level personnel, no one wants to work for a company whose employees lie. Just as you expect truth from jobseekers, they expect honest information and answers from you. So, next time you interview a candidate, be ready with the facts about the job. That way you can be sure you're representing the company and yourself truthfully.
