Lying on CV / in interview

[AhBiscuits]

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?

I think it is the outright lying that would be an issue for me. She said she was not working when she was. She could have said that she is working in a job that is unhappy in and is looking to change and hence why it is not on her CV. She has learned a harsh lesson.

This actually wouldn’t have bothered me.
If it was a lie about previous work experience, qualifications, anything related to her ability to do the job, then that’s a problem.
But not disclosing a recently started job, especially for the reason she has eventually disclosed, I wouldn’t have a problem with.
I have also previously started jobs, realised it wasn’t the right fit, and had the confidence to walk away.

Oh that's harsh. I've seen many threads on mn where someone has started a new job that turns out to be a nightmare situation and the advice is generally get out ASAP and leave it off your CV. I've also done this myself a few times.

Ouch that was harsh. I guess she didn’t want to disclose what was wrong at the other place. Tough life lesson for sure

That is harsh. I've a few carefully covered gaps in my CV, sometimes a job is a lemon from the absolute start and you know a reference won't be forthcoming. Best to move on as quickly as possible, but you know the next employer will judge if you declare.
I doubt a man would judge another man like this, most guys I know will bullshit some of their work experience in an interview.

I got this info from the HR manager whom I asked for feedback. She cited it as one of the 3 reasons I didn't get the job. While I admit there was some validity in the 2 other reasons (though one of the reasons, she said was not a deal breaker but something I would need to work on if I have got the job), my lack of bullshiting was definitely an important part of their decision process. By the way, the recrutement was a 3-rounds interview process, the second round included a 1hour case study. I passed the first two rounds, including the case study and the last round was just me vs another candidate (again, an information I got from the HR who have me feedback), so I'm confident I must have been a strong enough candidate. I've recruited myself when I was senior in a previous career. I know sometimes you have 2 or 3 very good candidates, none of them ticks all the boxes, so you have to base your final decision on just few details.
Anyway, if compete transparency is so important to you, don't you think it should apply to recruiters too?

It does seem very harsh. But it is a role with a lot of responsibility where integrity is very important. Leaving a job after a short time would probably not have been an issue. A blatant lie in the interview is an issue. I do wonder if there was more to why she didn't mention the other job than she disclosed to us.

@AhBiscuits wondering is pure speculation. My TV can't be the parent of my radio, despite them both being electrical. I could speculate but that would be nonsense...

The candidate didn't get the job because they lied (or, more accurately, were found to be actively lying at interview). No other speculation required due to job offer withdrawl.

I am not on your company's side nor the applicant. What I have put forward as a fact is that everybody will have told a "work lie" at some point. Most people will have got away with it. The candidate did not. There is little to zero point in attempting to qualify your reason. What did HR say when you told them you posted this on Mumsnet? (Is lying by omission in work "as bad"?)

I think that's really dreadful and if it's typical of the way you and the senior leadership at your company behave, I'd say she's had a lucky escape. What a terrible way to treat someone over something so insignificant. I hope she didn't hand her notice in at her current role before you withdrew your offer.

So why not ask first and then base your decision on the answer?

Tbh it was pretty short-sighted of her, if she’d accepted the role and started working for your company then the employer name and leaving date on her P45 wouldn’t have matched up with what was on her application form and would’ve given the game away.

I don’t think it’s harsh at all. We wouldn’t hesitate to withdraw an offer in these circumstances as integrity is fundamental to our organisation. It’s one of our core values and this would be an epic fail by the candidate and we would no longer trust them and would be wondering what else they might lie about.

Some employers are just crap!

‘Probably not’ and yet even you can’t say that it definitely would have been fine. Hence why she lied.

I don't think I have handed a p45 to a new employer in years so maybe she would have got away with it