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

Saying you are doctor, or pharmacist?

I once interviewed a guy who I had never met but worked for an agency that I had worked with in a previous role. In answer to one of the questions he claimed a piece of work as his own that I had actually done. That was fun 😂😂

I took a couple years off to be a sahp. I lied and said I was self employed during that time frame. There's also been times when I've had two jobs so I've put the better one on the cv . And I never tell anyone I have a disabled child.

@catin8oots
@Cheesecakelunch

Have a look at the Fraud Act 2006, section 2 covers it.
And if it's a big enough fraud, you can be imprisoned!

My DH is partly responsible for recruiting in a male dominated field. He says a huge factor in his sector is that men ‘exaggerate’ on their CVs and women are brutally honest. More men get through to interview as a result.

I always lie when they ask me questions about my biggest weakness/areas I need to improve in. I have no idea why anyone asks this question as surely no one is stupid enough to tell the truth.

My friend put a psychology degree on her CV. When I pointed out she'd failed out of uni (never studied or even went to class), she said she'd done the uni course so was putting it on there.

She was applying for a role in our DC school, working with ND students & families. It required a psych degree. I wasn't too worried as the principal knew her & was smart enough to know she wasn't a good choice.

Not the worst in sure but work friend was trying to fills post. She rang me to say one of the candidates wa someone I used to manage.she then to,d me all the stuff this woman said she’d done and read out her CV to me. It was my job. Everything I’d done and my CV. She hadn’t done any of it…..

she didn’t get the job….

Not me, but an old school friend got a job by getting another friend to be a referee. Told them he was a previous employer. The person who gave the reference was a drug dealer and went on to have big addiction problems. The person who got the job is now a very high profile (works internationally) mental health campaigner. Always makes me laugh when I see him standing next to heads of state and speaking at conferences.

Working while having a disabled child, especially as a single parent, warrants all lies !
The ‘I left to study the next level of…’, or ‘I resigned from that role to volunteer and gain experience in this skill….’ When really its lack of childcare wraparound clubs or excessive time of school due to extended hospital stays.

A colleague and I both went for a promotion and I gave honest answers in the interview drawing on experience from previous companies and my feedback was that I should have only talked about things I’d done in this company. He got the job and I didn’t, a while later a similar role was advertised and I was chatting to him about my upcoming interview and he said to me he’d just made up answers for the “tell me about a time when…” questions in his interview, he thought everyone did that. I mean what’s the point of an interview if you just make stuff up and they don’t even check if it’s true when it’s stuff from your own company 🙄

My story is kind of the opposite way round. My ex colleague kept putting made up job titles on application forms to make her seem way more senior than she was. At one point she claimed to be CEO of the charity even though that position had never existed. It was quite funny having to write references that corrected her job title. She was pretty delusional thinking she would get away with that one. She even changed her LinkedIn and Twitter to these fancy new titles.

Claim to be a nurse prescriber, prescribe the wrong dose of medication for a child who then dies?

We're talking serious and damaging lies here, not pretending that volunteering at the local toddler group was actually a paid for, highly sought after position or that those 4 years away from work wasn't because childcare was extortionate and you weren't really studying Meteorology.

I told one whopping lie back in the 80's when I applied to be branch manager of quite a large financial services company where I'd be responsible for 80 staff, three globe trotting directors and fuck knows what else. I was 28 at the time and up until then had only ever worked as an audio typist in a typing pool environment. Basically I was completely unqualified/out of my depth for the job. I don't know what possessed me really but I got an interview and it went like a dream and all three Directors agreed to hire me on the spot. We celebrated there and then with gin & tonics from the drinks cabinet in the board room (well, it was the 80's). I had my own office, company car, company credit card and my salary almost trippled. I worked for 7 years in that role and was thought very highly of and was very happy. Just goes to show that honesty isn't always the best policy.

This is nice to hear. Sometimes people just need an opportunity, and have to make it themselves! We can't all have politicians / BBC journalists / actors as parents, to open doors for us.

So long as the lies are where no-one gets hurt, obviously.

@ginasevern thats the kind of lie I love to see. You knew you could do it and you did what you needed to get it. Bravo!

I've been on the receiving end of liars a few times and it's a complete pain in the arse. I work in the seabed survey industry as a geologist and we work 24/7 on ships, investigating the seabed with specialist equipment and software. I had a geophysical engineer, who had been made redundant and was sent out as a geologist by an agency. It was clear immediately that he knew nothing.

I had him fill in logs and do such admin as he was capable of, then had to do all the work from his shift, as well as mine. Not really his fault, the agency told him it was easy and he'd pick it up in a couple of days.

More commonly is younger blokes, who are overconfident about gadgets and software, assuming that they'll pick it up immediately. They fucking don't and it's not just been in my role. They cause loads of aggravation for the others, who have to pick up the slack.

We have surveyors, basically navigators, who plan the survey lines. One bloke assumed that, as he'd used one set of software, he'd be able to use another. He got his opposite up every day at least once, when he was sleeping.

The other bloke told him if he ever saw him on a job again, he'd kill him - he was entirely convincing. At the end of the month, Mr. I Can Wing This was barely competent.

My dh works in IT, contracting when the market is good and permanent roles when it’s not. He ALWAYS mentions his disabled children but spins it as a positive. (I’m super committed because I’ve got these people to support forever). Probably only works because he tells them that he’s got a wife at home doing the donkey work. 🤷‍♀️

@LoveSandbanks

Yes for a man it equals - hard worker providing for his family

For a women- will need loads of time off for hospital appointments

😂

I actually love this story, well done you!

When I was about 25 I said in an interview that I had gone from Hong Kong to Russia on The Trans Siberian Railway. No idea why.
I had been to both of those places but not even in the same year and the only train involved was from St Petersburg to Moscow.
I remember coming out thinking WTF did I even say that?
Got the job though and nobody asked me about it

The only thing I have lied about is to say how much I wanted the job. I have never actually wanted any job I have applied for - I have needed the job - not wanted the job.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czk080dvkd0o

Recent story for those who think you can’t be convicted for lying about qualifications/experience.

Thatt made me burst out laughing. I actually heard Ross doing the accent in my head! 😂