Wednesday, 10 May 2023 03:30

Most job candidates lie. Here’s how to tell

Rate this item
(0 votes)

We all want to put our best foot forward in a job interview. Sometimes, that involves exaggerations and white lies. In fact, most of the time it does.

A survey of employees and hiring managers from the Interview Guys, a career website, found that the majority of employees exaggerate and pad their résumés by overstating their qualifications. Some of the most common lies are about their skills and accomplishments, strengths and weaknesses, and previous job responsibilities.

Candidates also admit to lying when they tell potential employers that they see themselves still working at the company five years down the road. And they often inflate their likes and dislikes to match the organization’s values.

“Seeing how competitive the job market can be, many resort to lying or exaggerating to separate themselves from the rest of the pack,” says Mike Simpson, CEO and cofounder of The Interview Guys. “We found that over 77% of prospective employees feel pressure to exaggerate their competencies to try and gain favor with a potential employer, and almost 65% have also overstated their qualifications on their résumé when applying to a job that was in high demand.”

The greatest motivation for lying was to secure a job offer, says Simpson. “If it means landing a job, almost 83% of prospective employees would have no problem throwing in a white lie here and there in the application process,” he says. “From our study, other common motivations for lying include receiving a higher salary, receiving a better job title, and fostering better relationships with prospective coworkers.”

Telltale clues a hiring manager should look for

That’s a lot of lying. But hiring managers are onto them, saying they know a lie when they hear it.

“It’s their job to vet and weed out applicants, so the odds of an applicant lying and not getting caught are pretty low,” says Simpson. “Almost three-quarters of hiring managers can tell if someone wasn’t telling the truth during an interview.”

The biggest tell that an applicant is lying is when they clearly lack the knowledge or skill when answering specific questions. “Over 7 in 10 hiring managers that we surveyed said this was the biggest sign that a potential employee is lying during their interview,” says Simpson.

Other indicators include nervous behaviors, such as voice changes and fidgeting, and when an applicant’s response has an excess of detailed information. In addition to lying, there are a number of red-flag behaviors that could leave a bad taste in an employer’s mouth.

“These include talking poorly about past and current employers, being negative or overconfident, and answering questions with an unnecessary amount of detail,” says Simpson.

What to do if you suspect the candidate is lying

When hiring managers catch candidates in a lie, the most common response is to dismiss them as a candidate. The Interview Guys survey found that more than half of hiring managers wouldn’t think twice about rejecting a potential employee if they were caught in a lie. But if everybody embellishes, is that the right response?

It depends on the lie. Complimenting the company simply to gain the employer’s favor, or overstating how much your values align with the organization, might be overlooked, says Simpson. Overstating your experience, however, will likely get you shown to the door.

“Generally speaking, throwing in a white lie here and there during the application or interview process is a risky play,” says Simpson. “That being said, lies don’t necessarily correlate to performance.”

 

Fast Company

May 30, 2025

Nigeria's $3bn fashion drain: How import dependence undermines local textile industry

Nigeria's fashion sector is hemorrhaging billions of dollars annually due to overwhelming reliance on imported…
June 02, 2025

Afenifere blasts Tinubu: ‘Midterm report shows woeful failure, economic deforms, and rising despair’

The pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, has issued a scathing midterm assessment of President Bola Tinubu’s…
June 01, 2025

Her daughter was taken and sent abroad - 44 years later, they found each other

The last memory Han Tae-soon has of her daughter as a child is in May…
May 31, 2025

Tools made of whale bones reveal inventiveness of prehistoric people

Artifacts found at archeological sites in France and Spain along the Bay of Biscay shoreline…
June 02, 2025

Boko Haram IED blast kills 9 in Borno, gunmen abduct bus passengers in Benue

Nigeria witnessed two separate but deadly attacks over the weekend, underscoring the persistent insecurity plaguing…
June 02, 2025

What to know after Day 1194 of Russia-Ukraine war

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Russia and Ukraine step up the war on eve of peace talks On…
June 02, 2025

Opportunities and challenges unveiled: How AI revolutionizes education and mental health support

Terence Ma Tin Shu Play time helps both kids and adults in prevention and healing…
May 13, 2025

Nigeria's Flying Eagles qualify for World Cup after dramatic win over Senegal

Nigeria's U-20 national football team, the Flying Eagles, have secured their place at the 2025…

NEWSSCROLL TEAM: 'Sina Kawonise: Publisher/Editor-in-Chief; Afolabi Ajibola: IT Manager;
Contact Us: [email protected] Tel/WhatsApp: +234 811 395 4049

Copyright © 2015 - 2025 NewsScroll. All rights reserved.