Lying on CV / in interview

Geneticsbunny · 11/12/2025 08:24

I would be concerned about why she is leaving her job so soon after starting. Is it a problem with her or with her current employer? Has she said?

Original poster

AhBiscuits · 11/12/2025 08:38

She's just said that the company are a bad fit for her. I feel pretty suspicious about it.
I don't know why she didn't come up with some nonsense about our role being the job of her Dreams etc 😆

OP posts:

ForCraftyWriter · 11/12/2025 08:40

I wouldn’t rule her out for not disclosing it, there are plenty of good reasons an applicant wouldn’t.
Id want to know why she’s leaving but I don’t think it will be possible to find this out

Plubbler · 11/12/2025 14:53

How did you find out? Did she tell you?

PigeonsandSquirrels · 11/12/2025 14:55

I’d proceed. She’s right that it looks flaky to leave within a few weeks but sometimes you start a job and can immediately tell that it’s a bad fit

Original poster

AhBiscuits · 11/12/2025 15:25

Plubbler · 11/12/2025 14:53

How did you find out? Did she tell you?

She mentioned it to our HR, weeks after accepting the job offer.
It's the lie that isn't sitting right. She said in the interview
I'm not working at the moment, my last position was with [rando company]

OP posts:

Geneticsbunny · 11/12/2025 16:49

I would get rid. She lied and then didn't give a real reason for why she is leaving. Not a good fit could have been explained at interview. I would at the very least ask for a reference from her currant employer.

LoserWinner · 11/12/2025 17:58

Giving false information for the benefit of securing a job is fraud.

uhtredofbattenberg · 12/12/2025 22:54

A young person left a job at my workplace after having only been there about 2 months. The reason she left was because her boss was an asshole , so she walked - didn't work her notice.
I do know that she got another job reasonably quickly and that she left that 2 month job off her cv.
Is that wrong? I don't blame her..

The asshole boss has since left - to many people's relief as he had a bullying attitude . Maybe this happened to this woman ? Most ppl don't tell the full truth about why they leave if a job's gone a bit pear-shaped.

Friendlygingercat · 13/12/2025 12:45

Ive lied by omission because there were a number of things I didnt put on my cv. What I realised was that no one (in academia) was really interested in what I did before I got a degree. They were only interested in what I did since. It was like I was a non person before I went to uni and they were not interested in references form people who were not profs.. I dont consider that I lied. Simply failed to disclose out of date facts.

financialcareerstuff · 15/12/2025 09:35

I think some people are being a bit tough. She volunteered it in the end. And she’s right people would judge this, possibly unfairly. As one poster says, the situation could be absolutely not her fault, and she is simply being professional by being vague. I’d feel differently if she lied to pretend she was better at something or more qualified….. those things should be 100% accurate, but I’m not totally sure how much right a potential employer has to every other detail…. And applicants can get into ‘impossible to win’ scenarios, even though there is nothing about the information that actually would make them worse at the job they are being hired for. This dilemma is reflected even in the posts here - folk saying she should have just made up that this was her dream job, or given a different reason for leaving so soon….. so basically, it’s not really that she lied but that she lied in the wrong way!

I would look at her whole employment history. If she has several long term roles before this, then wouldn’t worry too much. A little more detective work maybe - talk to her again in a bit more depth- make sure you are hiring with an explicit probation period etc…. But I wouldn’t rule her out for this lie.

MN2025 · 15/12/2025 22:03

AhBiscuits · 11/12/2025 08:08

A potential new hire said on her CV and in interview that she was not currently working. It transpires that is untrue and that she is currently working in a similar role. She said that as she has only been working at the company for a very short time she decided to leave it out, as she thought it looked bad that she was leaving already. Would you be comfortable proceeding or withdraw the offer?

It would be red flags for me. I would withdraw the offer. They haven’t been honest with you. They could have been upfront when they applied and mentioned that they’ve recently started a role but the company / organisation isn’t the right fit for them and that’d probably be more ‘excusable’

It is an act of deceit. If they’re lying / withholding information about this, What are they going to do when they’re in the role?
🚩

What2wear2work · 15/12/2025 22:09

Are you comfortable employing someone who lied to your face? I would not trust her.
You would have taken up a reference from current employer but couldn’t.
She should have put in in her cv and had a reason prepared that a, truthful and b, up front when you asked. The omission raises suspicion as well as telling you she lies when it’s convenient
I wouldn’t trust her and if you can’t then can her subordinates or her managers?

Sausagescanfly · 15/12/2025 22:14

The lying would bother me.

A very short time in a job, as a one-off, I would be fine with. There are a minority of terrible employers out there. If someone is unlucky enough to end up with one of them, it's fair enough to try to escape quickly.

jollyoldsanta · 15/12/2025 22:24

You might not have given her the job if she hadn’t lied.
Maybe she didn’t want to be on benefits so lied to make sure she could go out and support herself in a society where she was damned if she did and damned if she didn’t.

parietal · 15/12/2025 22:26

I wouldn't be bothered that she left it off the CV

I would be v bothered that she lied to your face in the interview when directly asked "are you working at the moment". And based on that lie, I wouldn't be hiring her.

Original poster

AhBiscuits · 16/12/2025 07:15

We have withdrawn the offer and readvertised the role. I do feel a bit bad about it but I don't think we can knowingly employ someone who would lie like that.

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shuffleofftobuffalo · 16/12/2025 07:30

The short job as a one off wouldn’t bother me, the lying would, I think you made the right decision! Makes me wonder what she didn’t want prospectively appearing on a reference…

LemonLass · 16/12/2025 07:41

Hi @AhBiscuits
You say the job offer has been withdrawn. Was that a decision based on mumsnet feedback or a panel using protocols/criteria? (Asking out of curiosity).

Could it be possible that the person wasn't working at the time of interview but had started (a turns out to be) an ill-fitting role before they heard the outcome of the recruitment process with your co? (Just wondering about timescales).

Also asking out of interest, have you never told a lie in work ever? They are the standards you are holding that person up to. 100% of your staff tell the truth all the time, M-F, 9 to 5 🤔 #possibledoublestandards

LemonLass · 16/12/2025 07:45

Just did a Google of "typical" lie rate 🤔

PigeonsandSquirrels · 16/12/2025 07:53

How horrible to withdraw the offer. Especially after she may have handed in her resignation. She applied to work for you not to be your romantic partner 🙃

Original poster

AhBiscuits · 16/12/2025 08:06

It definitely wasn't based on mumsnet feedback!
It was considered very carefully and at length by senior staff members and HR.

OP posts:

Liveafr · 16/12/2025 12:57

LemonLass · 16/12/2025 07:41

Hi @AhBiscuits
You say the job offer has been withdrawn. Was that a decision based on mumsnet feedback or a panel using protocols/criteria? (Asking out of curiosity).

Could it be possible that the person wasn't working at the time of interview but had started (a turns out to be) an ill-fitting role before they heard the outcome of the recruitment process with your co? (Just wondering about timescales).

Also asking out of interest, have you never told a lie in work ever? They are the standards you are holding that person up to. 100% of your staff tell the truth all the time, M-F, 9 to 5 🤔 #possibledoublestandards

Double standards...
Ah yes. If only recruiters were as candid about why a job is vacant and how long did the predecessors lasted in that role as they expect candidates to be about why they leave a job ...
I was recently turned down after an interview for being too truthful about why I was considering leaving my current job after a few months (I didn't slag off my boss, just said I was looking for something more permanent). It seems as a candidate you can't win.

What2wear2work · 16/12/2025 15:06

Liveafr · 16/12/2025 12:57

Double standards...
Ah yes. If only recruiters were as candid about why a job is vacant and how long did the predecessors lasted in that role as they expect candidates to be about why they leave a job ...
I was recently turned down after an interview for being too truthful about why I was considering leaving my current job after a few months (I didn't slag off my boss, just said I was looking for something more permanent). It seems as a candidate you can't win.

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Maybe just maybe it wasn’t the only reason you didn’t get a job - maybe there was a better candidate- it is a buyers market currently.

I cannot believe that so many people think it’s ok to lie. What message does that send children. Kids shouldn’t lie but it’s ok when you are an adult.

Also if people lie then they are dishonest and it will be noted. Is it acceptable for doctors and nurses to lie? For politicians, lawyers, accountants, bank staff… Is it acceptable for their admin staff to lie or HR? Or should it be a free for all.
is it ok if they lie 10 % of the time or 50% or 85% of the time. Is it ok to lie to colleagues or to customers. Who gets to decide what’s ok when and who is ok to lie?

Mizztikle · 16/12/2025 15:16

That was really harsh, yes she should have told the truth but I don't see how that affected he ability to fulfill the role. If there were other red flags or discrepancies fair enough but clearly that wasn't the case since you gave her the position.
her reasoning was valid, it would have looked suspicious so even though it was wrong to lie you could have spoken to her first.