This happens all the time during job interviews. So far, the candidate has done quite well, provided good responses, and seems like a bright individual. Then, near the end of the interview, we reach the point where we ask, “Do you have any questions for us?”

Wait for it…

“No; no questions,” the candidate replies.

Really? There is nothing the candidate wants to know? This person is ready to quit their current job and come work here, and yet doesn’t have a single question about the position, the company, or anything else?

When this happens, the interviewers may be thinking that the candidate:

• Lacks enough knowledge about this line of work to have any questions.
• Already decided this job is no longer of interest and just wants to get the heck out of here.
• Thinks they already know everything there is to know about this job and the organization, which, of course, they don’t.
• Doesn’t really care about this specific job and only wants a job—any job—or is desperate to escape their current one.
• Is overly shy and maybe lacks social skills.

Ouch! Do you really want to leave the interviewers with any of those impressions?

I have seen this situation play out time and time again during interviews. Still, each time it happens, I feel bad for the candidate, and there’s that usual look of disappointment on the other interviewers’ faces. Asking no questions—or asking the wrong questions—is a really bad way to wrap up an otherwise great interview. So, what should you do? Continue reading →

Every job applicant wants to look their best on a resume or during a job interview. After all, the person viewed as the best will likely get the job.  But how far are you willing to go to leave that golden impression? Maybe stretching the truth a bit? Rating your skill levels a tad higher than they actually are? Outright lying? In reality, job seekers do all the above.

Politicians are famous for putting a “spin” on any situation so they always come out smelling like a rose. Similarly, applicants also want to cast themselves in the best possible light.  Experienced interviewers are well aware most candidates engage in a bit of “puffing.”  Merriam-Webster defines puffing as “to praise extravagantly and usually with exaggeration.” For example, consider an applicant who actually won sales awards only two months last year. On a resume or during an interview, the person may puff this somewhat modest achievement as “regularly” winning sales awards.

OK, so there is some deception out there. But how bad is it? According to a survey by Flexjobs, a job site specializing in listings for remote/work-from-home/flexible positions, “1 in 3 respondents (33%) have admitted to lying on a resume or cover letter.” Even worse, according to a survey by StandOutCV, a site providing CV advice and resources, “Our survey found that on average, 64.2% of Americans have lied about their personal details, skills, experience, or references on their resumes at least once.” Clearly, dishonesty by job seekers is not just a minor occurrence.

When Does Puffing Become Lying?

Regarding that question, the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania states, “The challenge, experts say, is not to cross the line from harmless puffery to a more damaging form of elaboration. In some cases, the limits of what is accepted and what isn’t are clear-cut — few would condone amplifications that break the law, for example, or cause others serious harm. Equally prone to reproach are cases in which company executives or leaders within an organization are found to have included degrees they never earned, or positions they never held, on their resumes…”

What Do People Lie About?

If people lie on resumes, cover letters, and during interviews, what kinds of things do they lie about, and how big are the untruths? Continue reading →