When you hear advice about job interviews, you’re often told to be as truthful as possible.
People tell you to not lie about your resume, your qualifications, or what you’re looking for in a role.
This is usually because you don’t want to be on the job, unable to do something because you overexaggerated your qualifications.
But, employment expert and founder of PracticeAptitudeTests.com Guy Thornton, told DailyMail.com that with the difficult job market sometimes you need to fudge the truth a bit.
In fact, he said that a little white lie in some regards can actually help you land your dream job.
So what is it okay to lie about when interviewing for a job?
First and foremost, Thornton said that it’s okay to stretch the truth about any time you took off from work.
‘There are several reasons why someone might have gaps in their employment history,’ Thornton said.
Some employers may see gaps in employment as red flags, so it’s important to focus on any personal growth that happened during this time (stock image)
‘Whether it is travelling, taking a career break, or focusing on personal commitments, these gaps are completely normal, and becoming more common thanks to recent trends such as micro-retirement.’
And while these gaps should be more normalized, some employers still view them negatively.
They might assume that you’re uncommitted, that your skills aren’t up-to-date, or even that you were actually let go from a previous role.
‘That doesn’t mean you can’t present these gaps in a positive light on your CV or in an interview,’ Thornton explained.
‘Rather than focusing on what you weren’t doing, highlight how you spent that time productively.’
Whether this was freelancing, taking professional courses, volunteering, or even travelling, you can still show an employer that you take initiative and have a commitment to personal growth.
‘Make sure to connect these experiences to the role you’re applying for by showing how they’ve helped you build valuable skills and become more focused, adaptable, and motivated for the next step in your career,’ he said.
He also advised not to be totally upfront when you talk about what you might be lacking.
‘What are some of your weaknesses?’ is something commonly asked during job interviews.
When asked about your weaknesses, employers are assessing your self-awareness and commitment to improving (stock image)
And while some people may be tempted to dive into a spiel about how lazy they are, Thornton said this is definitely the time to sugarcoat your personality.
‘The employer isn’t looking for a list of your flaws,’ he said.
‘They want to know that you are self-aware and recognize room for improvement.’
He explained that the 10:90 method is his best advice here.
He said to spend 10 percent of the answer explaining the weakness and then 90 percent describing how you’re addressing it.
‘Choose a weakness that’s genuine, but not a deal breaker for the job,’ Thornton advised.
He said a good example of this is if you want to say you struggle with deadlines, you shouldn’t just leave it at that.
You should also mention that you perhaps ‘take too much on at once,’ but are also learning to prioritize better.
‘Ultimately, the aim is to show growth,’ Thornton said.
Thornton also advised that sometimes the description of your career goals may need to be glossed over – especially if they don’t align with the company you’re interviewing for.
‘If you are taking a job as a short-term solution or to fund future plans, that is completely fine,’ he said.
‘However, it is not something you should tell an employer during an interview.’
He explained that unsurprisingly, employers want to invest in workers who are committed.
So if you admit that the role is nothing more than something temporary for you, they might go ahead with someone else who seems more ‘focused.’
‘If you’re asked about your career goals or why you applied, focus on aspects like learning opportunities, the company’s mission, or how the role aligns with skills you’re looking to grow,’ Thornton said.
‘Avoid overly blunt answers like “I need to pay the bills” – even if this is true.’
