How Important is Telling the Truth When Applying for a Job?

In my not so short life as one of the members of our small HR Recruitment Team, I often encounter some applicants who are into telling the truth and those who intend to tell lies just to become part of our company. Some of the applicants who told us the "truth" when applying often shows weak points in their personality. Some of them perhaps tried to hide the truth due to embarrassing experiences or it is their intention not to tell it, but since they cannot lie, especially in front of a general manager, the applicants shy away and thus, show weak personality.

And there's the other side of the coin. There are those overly confident applicants who are into lies. They tell you they are already in the manager's role and can overly confidently do other managerial jobs, but the upon assessing their qualifications during the interview, you'll know that they lack the experience in handling the position. These applicants also intended not to tell the truth and instead of exposing it, they created a believable "truth" that only them alone knows why on earth it was created in the first place.

For some, it is so easy to tell lies and think that everyone who are involved in the recruitment team are stupid enough not to know it. They think that the dice rolling on their palms are under their control. They often think that if they can pass the recruitment team, they will also pass the general manager with flying colors.

But then again, most companies do the verification process in order to have more qualified employees. This is where the lies start to melt away.

A company's verification process is divided into two sections --- 1) the character reference and 2) the previous employment verification. Each one has a different purpose but both can be utilized to expose the truth behind your application to a company. There are some companies who skip this process and pool a bunch of unqualified, lying employees. But of course, if the HR Recruitment is strictly involving itself during the first interview alone, the verification process can be skipped away.

So the next time you'll feel that you fail a job interview, be relaxed as long as you told the truth. Because in the end, the truth will always prevail and it might land us to an opportunity we can never imagine.

So be careful in telling the truth, but of course, don't overdo it. You don't want to give an impression that you are a kind of employee who always spill the beans. Telling company secrets is a big no-no. But that's another story. So which side are you, the truth or the lie? Good luck in job hunting!