I lied during a job interview about my current employment status. What is the best way to fix it in the second interview?

Question

• In a first interview (with the head and global head of the department) for a senior researcher position in a multinational company, I hesitated and said that I'm currently employed instead of telling the truth: that I was let go 4 months ago.

• The reason I did this: in the past 5 years, I changed companies 3 times. No specific or performance issues.

• I did amazingly well at the first conversation. My background is a perfect fit for the position.

• Now that I was invited for a second interview (Skype, since we are in different continents), with more people (a HR rep., head and global head of the dep't, and another analyst in a correlated area), I feel I should tell the truth.

HOW can I do this without drawing attention to the fact that I omitted/lied about it? Would it be a good idea to not tell them the truth?

Answer 1

The fact that you are currently unemployed would probably not be a big deal. The fact that you intentionally lied is a huge one, however.

You can bet that they will run background checks on you, especially since they're such a large company.

I think your best bet is simply being honest:

"Before we start, I'd like to say something. Out of a misguided desire to impress, I said that I am currently employed. I was actually laid off 4 months ago. I apologize about my behavior, and hope we can continue to move forward."

I won't lie .. the situation is worse if you ALSO lied on your resume, because that can't be put down to a spontaneous impulse - that would be a premeditated lie.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Hope they ask you again in the second and answer truthfully. If they call you out that you said different in the first then just say "I am sorry I misspoke". Not a great answer but it might work. But it also might be better to just come out up front and say I misspoke in the first first interview about my current employment status. Lie again if they ask is probably not the way to go. It is likely they will check your most recent reference (especially if they asked your employment status twice).

Answer 3

You're not going to avoid drawing attention to your lie if you try to set the record straight.

Make a phone call, right now, to your contact at the company (no easy email for this). Explain to them that you lied (misspoke, etc., whatever the word you use, they'll hear 'lied'). Tell them that you wanted to set the record straight before proceeding any farther, and submit yourself to their decision to proceed, or not.

It is best to tell the truth. Next best is to come forward on your own and set the record straight. Worst is lying and being discovered while thinking you're still maintaining the story.

You might have made a deal-breaking mistake. If so, learn your lesson and move forward. If they decide to move forward with you, you will be so much more at ease and able to focus on your next interview if you're not dealing with a growing pile of worry in the back of your mind while you're talking with them.

And do yourself a favor: Practice your answer to that question so in your next interviews your muscle memory blurts out something favorable instead of something regretful.

Answer 4

I suggest trying to discuss this with your HR contact at the company, before your second interview, for two reasons:

1. If this is a non-negotiable issue, they may not even want to have the 2nd interview.

2. It will look bad for you to introduce yourself to an additional group of interviewers as someone who lies to get ahead. It would be better if they heard about your situation privately from the HR person, rather than you give a speech at the start of your interview and then they have to put on a good face for the rest of the interview. It is also possible, that even though you admit your mistake to the HR person they may not mention it to everyone anyway - perhaps they already know or they just feel it isn't a big deal.

Whether or not it's a good idea, depends on you. If it's not a moral issue for you, then it's not a moral issue for you. If it is, then you should act accordingly.

Answer 5

You just don't talk about it anymore. Keep the lie going if you need to. Play dumb if asked a follow up question.

They aren't hiring the liar. You might as well just pass over it. Calling them back to tell them the truth is silly. As a manager I would love it because I could not worry about interviewing you. Think that a manager has a certain degree of liability to his company (or loses their job) so if they hire a known liar and liar lies about something that costs company money, then manager is as culpable.

You now must lie in the bed you have made - just quit lying in the future.

Answer 6

They certainly will validate employment dates with a previous employer. Your only chance of continuing with the company is actually to bring it up, face it boldly and call it what it was: a mistake. You can explain that you answered out of reflex rather than an intention to deceive (hopefully this is true) and that you'd like to set the record straight before going forward. Then set the record straight.

At issue here is integrity. It is a rare and precious commodity, and you've damaged yours with this company. It may be irreparable, but for something as small as this I doubt it. However, bringing it up, taking ownership of it and not waiting to be "called out" on it will speak volumes more about your integrity. Certainly it would be better if the answer had been honest from the start, but it is not irreparable and you don't want to hide from it.

As a word of advice, they are going to quiz you on the topic and the reasoning for your original answer. You should know ahead of time how you will address the topic and what "attitude" you want to present with it. Do not memorize answers or responses to questions you think they will ask. If they ask you something slightly different, your hesitancy will only look like more dishonesty.

Do this as soon as you possibly can, even before the Skype call if possible. If they decide this is a deal breaker, it is better for everyone not to waste any more time on the issue.

Learn from this, and be honest and deliberate with your answers to all questions in an interview.

Answer 7

Would it be a good idea to not tell them the truth?

In any situation where you have to make a decision, but can't estimate the probability of a certain result, it is helpful to create a matrix. You write down the actions you can do (tell the truth, not tell the truth) as row, then what you don't control as column and in the fields the consequences and benefits.

Then you pick the row that looks the best, which means choosing the best looking interval of results and accepting it as fate / good / bad luck that any of them can come true.

If you do this with your problem (tell the truth, not tell the truth, they find out, they don't find out, ...), you will see that there is one row with guaranteed success - you don't tell the truth and they don't find out. The worst consequence of this row in all columns is that you don't get the job. This worst consequence is also the worst consequence of the other row, telling the truth. So by not telling the truth, you can have a guaranteed success without increasing the impact of the worst consequence at all.

From a purely logical point of view, not telling the truth is the only way to guarantee the job. The possibility to not get the job or lose the job in the future is part of the interval anyway, no matter what you do.

This approach does not take morals into account. If you feel bad about questionable actions, it is usually best to honor your own morals and accept the consequences.