We have short-listed 20 most popular lies applicants may tell in job interviews

Job interviews are high-pressure situations, and the temptation to misrepresent the truth or outright lie is sometimes overwhelming when someone is anxious to secure. The tense interview situation may make the applicant tell lies on some critical questions. We asked 100\’s of HR professionals and got the 20 most popular lies applicnats may tell in their job interviews.

Here are 20 of the most popular lies applicants may tell in job interviews. 

1. Express enthusiasm for working an inconvenient schedule, such as evenings and weekends. It might be true that some people like working evenings and weekends, but most often, people are willing to work less-than-ideal schedules when they are desperate for a job.
2. Claim to be looking for opportunities for personal growth. It sounds good to say this, rather than that you are looking for a steady paycheck.
3. Claim to be fluent in a foreign language. If competency in speaking a language is a requirement for the job, the candidate will be exposed quickly.
4. Claim to have never been convicted of a crime. People with criminal convictions worry that their record will keep them from securing gainful employment, but this is easily verified with a background check, so lying about it is rarely helpful.
5. Confidently state they are the perfect job candidate. This relies on a lot of assumptions the interviewee is not able to make reliably.
6. Claim to be always happy to help.
7. Use “I work too hard” as a weakness. Even if a person truly is a workaholic, it might be better to find ways to discuss the challenges they have met and overcome.
8. Misrepresent class ranking in school. This can be verified in a background check.
9. Claim seniority in their last position. This can also be verified in a background check.
10. Cover up having been fired by claiming that their position was eliminated. Many people, understandably, fear that had it known that they have been fired will hurt their chances for future employment, but a potential employer will be able to find out if the candidate was fired.
11. Misrepresent personal interests and state that they spend their time “giving back to the community.” A job candidate who feels the need to lie about this may not be the best fit for the organization.
12. Claim to be a “people person.” A better approach might be for the candidate to find a genuine way of describing their people skills.
13. Claim expertise in a particular skill or tool. Often these lies are caught during technical interviews.
14. Claim to have always wanted to work for your company.
15. Lie about their relationship with their current or recent boss. Many people do not want to disclose bad experiences with their bosses.
16. Lie about their satisfaction with their current or recent jobs. Again, it is distasteful to discuss negative employment experiences in job interviews.
17. Inflate their last salary. This might be in hopes of receiving a better offer.
18. State willingness to relocate or commute.
19. Leave out work history. While a resume does not necessarily need a complete work history, it is important not to misrepresent a partial work history.
20. Fabricate a degree or completion of a degree. This is also verifiable with a background check.

Background Checks & Ethics For Employment Screening Processes

If you are an applicant and want the interviewers to have confidence in you, despite their fear of lies job applicants may tell, attach a personal background check with your application to fill up those empty trust spots.

Order a personal background check