Final Three Tempting Lies to Tell in Interviews

by Ruaidhri Horan, Marketing Manager, Abrivia Recruitment

We recently looked at the tempting lies of filling gaps on your CV, exaggerating your previous salary, exaggerating educational achievements, reasons why you left your last job(s) and that you got on fantastic with previous bosses, when you clearly didn’t. This article will look at lies told around long commutes, company research and what your co-workers would say about you.

Lie # 1  I love long commutes
Commuting for 2 hours each way will equate to a 20-hour weekly commute. If you are working an average 39-hour week your commute will account for over 50% of the time you spend at work. Your interviewer will quickly realise this and be cognisant of the fact that there is a high potential that you could wear yourself out and you then become a “flight risk” and become a replacement cost for the organisation if you decide to move on and look for a job closer to home.
If you want a job and live two hours or more away, the best approach is to say that you will commute for now but your long-term plan would be to relocate closer to the office. Emphasise how your intended short-term commute will be productive as you will be able to read and work on the train (if you are commuting by public transport), to allay fears that you will move on once an opportunity closer to home arises.

Lie # 2  All my co workers would say I was fantastic
How believable do you think the above statement is? Put yourself in your interviewer’s shoes. The interviewer will quickly question whether co-workers would use the word “fantastic” to describe you. Honesty, reliability and a good person to come up with a solution to tricky problems is much more believable than saying everyone thought you were fantastic. Even if you have examples of being fantastic, chances are this will not meet the fantastic grade in your interviewer’s mind.

Lie # 3   I have extensively researched your company
The above statement is nearly inviting your interviewer to catch you out. Unless you are happy that you know their company inside-out I would not advise using the above phrase. If you decide to spoof and say that you identify with the company mission and vision, your interviewer will of course ask why. If you have not prepared an answer for this the interviewer will begin to question everything else you are saying.
A better approach would be to answer the interview question “what do you know about us?” as comprehensively as possible instead of setting high expectations before you begin to answer.

Lying in interviews is very tempting, especially if you feel that a lie can enhance the chances of you landing a dream job. However, an astute interviewer will quickly get to the root of the lie, which will ultimately prove counterproductive in the final selection process.