The most frequently asked question I get is this: “Should I tell the truth during the job interview?”
Usually, the letter writer would have a history of short job stints, or of being terminated (justifiably or not), or of resigning from an unsavory job. Now that it’s graduation and job-hunting season, many are tempted to fluff up their resumes to beat the competition.
So, should you tell the truth during job interviews? My answer always has been, yes. The truth will always catch up with you anyway. Rising recruitment and training costs force recruiters to do background checks. If you’re caught with a lie, chances are they’re not going to call you for a second interview. They would be thinking: “If he or she is lying to me about this, what else is he or she not telling me?” or “If he or she is lying to get this job, what wouldn’t he or she do for a promotion?” You might also think that there are hundreds of companies out there and no one is really going to pay attention to you. The truth is, when you look at it from a per industry level, it’s a small world. The higher you are in the hierarchy, the smaller it gets. Word gets around. It is better that your prospective employers find out from you than from other people later on.
So how does one deal with this inconvenience called the truth? There are three ways and all of them have to be done before the interview proper.
The Page One Rule
Leadership guru John C. Maxwell, in his book, There’s No Such Thing as Business Ethics, cites the example of former US navy captain Mike Abrashoff. Abrashoff had what he called the Washington Post test – he would not do anything he would not want published in the paper the following day. If you’re tempted to try something foolish, ask yourself: Is this something I’d like to see published on Page One of the Sunday paper? For those of us who are family oriented, another question you might ask is: Would I want my children to know about this?
Conduct yourself so you have nothing to hide. Do your job. Be ethically above question. Find ways to get along without compromising on what is right. Find ways to excel in your job. Live within your means so you’re not tempted to set up a stationery store from pilfered office supplies. One company had to let go of a long-time employee, a stockroom clerk who dyed his black hair blond and had to go every two weeks to the salon for hair treatment and color maintenance. Aside from this, he purchased a pricey air conditioner for his condo unit, on installment, without realizing that it would almost double his electricity bill. To pay for all this, he started selling the office supplies he was entrusted with.
Plan your life
Many persons go from one job to the next without a clear vision of what they want out of it. What do you really want with your life in the next five years? What do you want out of your job in the next five years? Once you’ve clearly defined this, you’ll find that your actions will be guided by it. Your career and your life won’t just be a series of meaningless actions. You won’t let others decide the direction of your life for you. You won’t easily succumb to pressure, and you’ll also be more motivated to work towards that vision.
For many, however, a job is just a way to help the family make ends meet. So use that as your motivating factor for doing a good job and staying clean. Just think of what would happen to your family if you lost your job because you got caught favoring certain suppliers who showered you with, uh, favors.
Prepare for the interview
If landing that job is so important, and if you believe you are important to that job, prepare for it in the same way you would prepare for your final exams or for your wedding. The following are issues that many interviewees are uncomfortable discussing:
You were retrenched. Many interviewees do not want to admit they were retrenched or made redundant, but there really is nothing to be embarrassed about. Many interviewers understand that businesses do conduct retrenchments for cost reasons. Sometimes whole departments are taken out and even good employees have to go. So just state it simply: there was retrenchment at our company,” or “our company reorganized, and our department was absorbed by another,” or, “we had a merger.”
You resigned because you did not like the job, company, the boss, or the officemates. In job heaven, everyone gets to work in a gossip-free workplace featuring a boss who mentors his staff, a clear career development plan, annual raises, and officemates who don’t pass on their work to you. The reality is, in most employees’ careers (that’s around 40 years of work), they are likely to encounter one major feature of work that they just could not stand and that forces them to quit and go elsewhere.
If it’s the job or the company that did not agree with you, reflect on why that is so. Know what you are looking for and highlight that instead. Tell the interviewer that you are looking for an opportunity to showcase a particular strength of yours, and that the current job did not have that. Sometimes, it’s as simple as wanting a job that’s nearer to your house so you could spend more time with your family instead of sitting it out in traffic.
You might be looking for a company with better training opportunities or an environment that fosters healthy competition – then just say so. Stress what you are looking for rather than what you are leaving behind. This also helps you clarify to yourself what it is that you really want.
If it’s the boss you wanted to get away from, focus on the behavior you did not like in that boss rather than on his traits. That way, you keep the interview professional and stay away from character assassination. Many interviewers respect that, but they would also want to know exactly what triggered your resignation so they could also gauge whether you’re telling the truth or whether you’re not just being overly choosy or delicate.
You decided to set up your own business, but it failed. Or you worked for dad (hopefully not just driving him around) and now would like to try something else. Again, just say so. Elaborate on what you’ve learned from that experience and what you’ll be bringing to the prospective company. Don’t just wing it – give details about what you’ve really done.
You have no real job experience because you just graduated. In this case, there’s really no sense claiming you’ve accomplished something you haven’t. Focus on your strengths and interests based on your campus involvements.
You got married right out of college, had kids, and now have to work but have no employable skills. If you’re applying for an office job, be sure to get a refresher on some office skills like word processing, spreadsheet and presentation applications, or phone operation. Or, find a job that will offer training to any applicant regardless of age so that you could get some work experience. Most of these jobs are related to direct sales. (Again, an ounce of prevention: just because you decided to be a full-time mom does not mean you may neglect your professional development. Continue to network and attend workshops to learn new skills. You will never know when you might be forced to join the workforce again).
You were terminated for cause. This means you were engaged in activities that resulted in a breach of trust, loss of confidence or conflict of interest. Tell the truth. Tell them briefly what you have learned from the experience. Don’t play the blame game. Find management-level character references from your former company who could support you. Or, ask some of your peers to put in a good work for you. During the interview highlight your accomplishments during your time with the company.
Always believe that you deserve a second chance and do everything you can to earn it once it’s been given to you.
Fulfill your career vision by attending seminars that will show you how. Attend the Career and Education Fair 2006 on May 3-4 at the World Trade Center, Pasay City. Click here for details. |
