Worst lie ever told in an interview

[PetrichorSoul]

I work in HR and as part of my role I manage recruitment.

I've seen people lie about all sorts. From university degrees (can't produce the transcripts) to reference calls from best mates or aunties who don't know the technical jargon someone in their supposed position would know.

I myself have previously inflated my experience because I had done the part of the job I was moving into and knew I could do it well?

Have you ever told a lie in an interview? The confessional booth is open

My first job was in a car dealership. I worked two evenings after school and weekends plus school holidays. I got shoved wherever needed someone to do some donkey work. When I was looking for better roles while at uni I tweaked my CV depending on what was relevant. So for reception positions I said I was always on reception, for one in a finance dept I emphasised the times I was in there etc. Not outright lies at all but embellished times. The manager in the car place encouraged in and gave me references to show and keep written from each dept and a general one!

The worst lie I’ve ever dealt with regarding an interview was someone who volunteered at the playscheme I chaired. I got a phone call querying the reference I’d given. It was one that was uploaded to a portal thing. The person I’d given the reference had logged in and edited my reference. They’d made out they were much more senior than they were and heavily involved in planning, organising and had much more training than they had.
They only got caught out because the person reading the reference clocked that a few spelling and grammar things had changed midway through.

The only thing I have ever done is to use a job title which was more senior than my real title, but was a better reflection of what the role actually was. That was 15 years ago so I’ve had multiple other jobs since then, and I’ve no idea which version my CV currently uses.

I also leave off the dates of my education now that I’m in my 40s. At school I was in a year ahead of my age so could make me appear even older than I am.

Civil Service always ask IME, I can’t find mine so would have to pay for a copy of the results. TBH, I can’t see at the age of 40-odd with almost 30 years of work behind me what relevance my GCSE History grade is.

Oh and I worked with someone who claimed he’d done the exact same thing as the role we both did ….but overseas. Whether he did or not I can’t say for sure but he left under a bit of a cloud after a very short time. The HR person told me they hadn’t checked references and such as it was abroad.

I worked with someone who said she’d previously worked in accounts so she was offered more money to help with the accounting as well as her job on reception, when I was chatting to her it turned out she’d managed customer accounts as in taking repeat orders for a product, nothing to do with accounting, but she was so thick she didn’t realise what an accountant was, so I guess she inadvertently lied but the company owner was such a cheapskate he didn’t bother digging into what she’d actually done and just heard ‘accounts’ and thought he’d get an accountant on the cheap.

I left not long after so I don’t know how it ended up, but I’m guessing not well.

Biggest lies in interviews?

We support all staff to progress and encourage development through training

There are regular progress reviews and bonuses awarded accordingly

We feel very strongly that the gender paygap should be closed

If you start at £x, that'll increase to £y as soon as you complete the probationary period

This is an absolutely secure, permanent role and we have already made provision for all staff on x to move onto y when the new legislation comes into force

I said I was Christian at an interview for a job in a Catholic school. (I'm baptised CofE, but very agnostic now.) The head asked if I was Catholic and I said no, then he said 'but you are a Christian ?' and I just sort of agreed I sometimes wonder if I'll go to hell for that fib !

Went for a job in an old fashioned shop where you were expected to add everything up in your head.
Told them my mental arithmetic was really good and it wouldn't be an issue for me. Fake it til you make it - actually thanks to that job, my mental arithmeric is now very good!

Well this is a big fat lie itself.

What crime did the CV liar commit to warrant a custodial sentence? 😀😀😀

Fucksake

This is second hand but told by someone in our HR.

A candidate and his wife worked for the organisation. Wife was very successful, got promoted and wrote the examples for her spouse to used in sift and interview for in an internal promotion. It was a competency/behaviour based interview. Nothing said on application forms or in interview is ever verified by a third party.

Candidate claimed to have worked on a project with ‘Joe Bloggs’. Unfortunately for him Joe Bloggs was on the panel and said ‘I’m Joe Bloggs and you’ve never worked with me’. Result, disciplinary action for candidate and wife.

Oops.

My mum worked in and old fashioned butcher shop where you added everything up manually. Her mental arithmetic is excellent.

In an interview day for a support role in a school I had to do 2 IT based tasks - 1 was ok a word document but the other was working on an excel spreadsheet.

I had never used excel, luckily the the timings of the tasks were running over so when the interviewer came back in I said that I had just done the word doc part so we would be on time for the rest of the tasks

She thought I had shown brilliant initiative but I just had to avoid doing excel!

Interestingly I never used excel at all in that role!

Many, many years ago, an interviewer said to me, "You do have a driving licence, I assume?" The "yes" slipped out of my mouth before I could catch it. The reality was that I didn't, but was having lessons and would take a driving test before the start date for the job. I got the job and failed the driving test. Fortunately, it was quite plausible for someone of my age and in that job role not to be able to afford their own car, and driving wasn't part of the job role.

My husband and I both worked for the same firms twice.

I once noticed that his CV, stated that he had my more senior role listed, for one of his employments.

You never lose it!!

If you even wonder that, then I would say 'you are christian'.
I was brought up catholic, am now athiest and it would never occur to me that anything I do or don't do will have any effect after I am dead.
I don't lie, because of my values, not for any religous reasons

I've had that a couple of times in interviews where a candidate has described a big project that they've claimed to have an instrumental role in, but actually I was central to that project in another role and know they weren't involved or only had very minimal involvement. I also know someone who has described in detail in the LinkedIn CV delivering on a project that I know for a fact was delivered by someone else in a different organisation. It's there for all to see, and I know numerous people who have spotted it and realised it is an absolute fabrication.

How aggressive. On what basis are you calling me a liar?

Unfortunately this is a true case.

"Fucksake" indeed😂

It is actually considered fraud to lie on a CV

This wins the thread IMO!!!

I've another one.
I used to work in schools training staff. In one school a staff member said she wanted to work with me on a topic and I let her use my resources. I visited another school just as they were doing interviews for a job based on some of the work I train people on and who should be at this interview using my resources that she was passing off as her own but this woman I'd worked with in the other school

I spoke to the head and she wasn't offered the job

That's moored in my local river at the moment!

Sion Jenkins was convicted for lying on his CV. There was a CEO of Toyota (?) who was imprisoned for it, too.

I caught out someone lying on their CV. We had worked together (she as a consultant and me as staff) in my organization's global headquarters. I moved to one of our regional headquarters and her CV was in our pool for consultants (she would have submitted it before I even applied for the regional role). I looked at it and, under her role at global HQ, she claimed a tonne of my work (including work done after she left - her contract wasn't renewed) and claimed work that had never been done at all. The odds of my having seen the CV were miniscule. I've not said anything here - she's in the pool but we've she's never been shortlisted for a specific role. She does know I'm here now, so I figure she knows the gig is up.