Careerbuilder has done a survey
indicating that 58% of the hiring managers caught a lie on a resume…quite a
surprising number I must say…
But the question arises…is it worth
the bother to lie during a selection process?
People lie about all sorts of
things: they spice up their responsibilities, they play a little with the end
date of their employment or they claim to have a degree that they have not
finished.
I am not a clairvoyant so it could
be that you may actually get away with it…initially.
But selection is a process, a
process during which my client and me gather little bits of information about
you that will determine whether you are the right fit for a job.
It’s very difficult to keep up a
lie during that process for several reasons. People will ask you different
questions and all the time you have to tell the same story because, and this
may not come as a surprise…we actually share the information. Details that may
seem irrelevant at the time, can contradict each other and indicate that you
potentially are not a hundred percent truthful.
Secondly, there is also intuition
and practice: if you are telling a story that does not fully represent the
reality, your body language will change. You become more hesitant, you shift
positions and you start talking more in general terms. I may not be able to put
my finger on it but my intuition will tell that something is not right.
And last but not least, I may run
into someone who knows you and who tells a different story.
The uncomfortable feeling that you
are not fully honest can prevent you from forward in the process. But getting
caught while telling a lie is fatal.
Hiring someone is highly based on
trust, trust that you are the right fit, trust that you will be successful and
trust that you will act in the benefit of your employer.
Getting caught with a lie destroys
that trust, even if you already started in the job.
But do you have to fully disclose
every aspect of your life during a selection…no… that is not required either. A
few years ago, I asked a candidate what she was most proud of. After some
hesitation, she bursted into tears and shared a very personal story with me.
That is the time when a little white lie is permitted…
On aspects that do not relate to
your professional life, it is ok to withhold information. You don’t have to
share with me any marital problems, kids issues or unpleasant personal events
from your past, provided this does affect your professional performance.
While writing this, I started
wondering…keeping in mind the Careerbuilder survey…who of you has told me a lie
that I did not discover… J
I look forward to hearing from you,
Isabel
Through a personalized and
tailor-made approach, Ingenium Executive Search aspires to assist you in
attracting the right talent that matches the DNA of your company
Follow me on Twitter
@IngeniumSearch
