3 ms·

Here's a controversial opinion: one of the top tips to passing an interview is just to lie. I don't mean lying about qualifications, or lying about jobs you've

Here's a controversial opinion: one of the top tips to passing an interview is just to lie. I don't mean lying about qualifications, or lying about jobs you've had in the past. But, I feel no compunction about answering a question like "tell me about a time when you had a conflict with a colleague" by making up a scenario that could plausibly have happened and hypothesizing about what you might do in it. The reality is that no two such scenarios are ever exactly the same, so a real anecdote would not be helpful, even if you happen to have a good one in mind (which I never do). Next time, the people involved (including you) are going to be different, with different personalities, a different set of problems and pressures and constraints . Forget it, there's very low predictive power in a question like that, even if the interviewer were qualified to analyze you. So, just tell them what they want to hear, and prove you speak the dumb language of corporate interviews. Is this unethical? Maybe, but only to the extent that such questions are meaningful filters (which I believe they aren't). And it is surely no more unethical than answering a question like "why do you want to work for Company X?" by saying "I am inspired by the mission and the fascinating problems you're solving" rather than "the salary is higher than my current job, and I think it will make a good stepping stone to an even bigger salary at another company in a few years", which is what we would say if genuine honesty were what that particular discourse was trying to get at.

sctb 3y ago
I think it's possible to underestimate the extent to which people can perceive this type of dishonesty, because it may be in the form of an uneasy and largely unconscious experience that leads them to vaguely report "not a good fit".
blindriver 3y ago
Yep. I am really good at coming up with stuff on the spot, so when I last interviewed, I straight up made up some stuff for my behavioral interviews. I resorted to this because on my LinkedIn interview, the behavioral interviewer kept pressing me when I told him that the situation never came up (I can't remember exactly what it was, I think if I was ever asked to work on something that I disagreed with) and it dinged me on my evaluation. So from them on, I would make up white lies to satisfy my interviewers. I also make sure to note what I say on my interview notes so I keep my stories straight. Interviews want a certain "type" of answer, so if you don't give it to them, more often than not they will ding you. The same goes for Leetcode questions, if you get the answer wrong, you will get passed over, but if you get the answer "too quick", then you will get passed over because you were "too prepared", so better to just pretend to struggle and come up with the answer.
deleted 3y ago
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mikebenfield 3y ago
Yes, while I do not advocate lying, it seems clear to me that this is the effect of these types of interview questions: filtering for better BS artists. I am continually amazed that anyone thinks these questions are doing anything else. And in particular a lot of people seem to think it's impossible to lie and not get caught out, which... all I can say to that is I don't see how anyone who has lived as a human among other humans could possibly think that.
eschneider 3y ago
I would very much caution against doing that. I know when I'm doing interviews and get tasked to ask these sorts of questions, I usually ask follow up questions. I'm not trying to figure out if someone's just making things up, but once in a while, people draw a blank when you drill down on something and that just looks weird. It's far better to just prepare an answer based on something that's actually happened to you, so if you have to explain further, there's something actually there.
dahart 3y ago
Seems risky and not worth it over a fluff question that is unlikely to factor into the decision to hire you or not. Lying is grounds for termination after getting the job if you’re caught. You might underestimate the ease of lying in an interview, if you aren’t prepared for followup questions or a conversation. Speaking personally, it does seem a lot more unethical than a rosy half-truth to me. I can be inspired by the mission and problems and also interested in the salary & resume filling aspects at the same time. Leaving some of them out is quite different from fabricating experiences. I somewhat doubt that lying will help you in the long term, giving a great answer for this conflict question won’t hide any technical gaps.

sctb 3y ago

I think it's possible to underestimate the extent to which people can perceive this type of dishonesty, because it may be in the form of an uneasy and largely unconscious experience that leads them to vaguely report "not a good fit".

blindriver 3y ago

Yep. I am really good at coming up with stuff on the spot, so when I last interviewed, I straight up made up some stuff for my behavioral interviews. I resorted to this because on my LinkedIn interview, the behavioral interviewer kept pressing me when I told him that the situation never came up (I can't remember exactly what it was, I think if I was ever asked to work on something that I disagreed with) and it dinged me on my evaluation. So from them on, I would make up white lies to satisfy my interviewers. I also make sure to note what I say on my interview notes so I keep my stories straight. Interviews want a certain "type" of answer, so if you don't give it to them, more often than not they will ding you. The same goes for Leetcode questions, if you get the answer wrong, you will get passed over, but if you get the answer "too quick", then you will get passed over because you were "too prepared", so better to just pretend to struggle and come up with the answer.

deleted 3y ago

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mikebenfield 3y ago

Yes, while I do not advocate lying, it seems clear to me that this is the effect of these types of interview questions: filtering for better BS artists. I am continually amazed that anyone thinks these questions are doing anything else. And in particular a lot of people seem to think it's impossible to lie and not get caught out, which... all I can say to that is I don't see how anyone who has lived as a human among other humans could possibly think that.

eschneider 3y ago

I would very much caution against doing that. I know when I'm doing interviews and get tasked to ask these sorts of questions, I usually ask follow up questions. I'm not trying to figure out if someone's just making things up, but once in a while, people draw a blank when you drill down on something and that just looks weird. It's far better to just prepare an answer based on something that's actually happened to you, so if you have to explain further, there's something actually there.

dahart 3y ago

Seems risky and not worth it over a fluff question that is unlikely to factor into the decision to hire you or not. Lying is grounds for termination after getting the job if you’re caught. You might underestimate the ease of lying in an interview, if you aren’t prepared for followup questions or a conversation. Speaking personally, it does seem a lot more unethical than a rosy half-truth to me. I can be inspired by the mission and problems and also interested in the salary & resume filling aspects at the same time. Leaving some of them out is quite different from fabricating experiences. I somewhat doubt that lying will help you in the long term, giving a great answer for this conflict question won’t hide any technical gaps.