How old were you when you realized you could tell a lie and get away with it? Oooooohh good question! It usually is one that you have to think about for a moment, and then you think about what it was that you did when you lied. Or worse, you think about the one time you decided to lie and you actually got caught. Damn. Not exactly ideal. Some parents like to live in this fantasy that their kids don’t lie, at least … not to them. My mom certainly did not teach me how to lie, and my dad wasn’t going to share HIS secrets. He was one of the biggest liars I knew and never once did he tell me the tricks of his trade. While it is something you aren’t going to ask your parents, it is something that everyone should be aware of, and what the consequences are. Just so you know, lying under oath is against the law, and if you lie in an interview, pray they don’t follow up with further questions. Termination can be an option. Remember the movie “Don’t tell mom the babysitter’s dead.”? Of course, you might not get caught and if it happens, they might just look the other way like in the movie.
*
Did you know there are certain clues or signs that someone is a liar? Yep, it is true. In HR you learn all kinds of things when you interview someone face to face. Not looking at someone directly in the eyes many times can be a red flag. Whatever you do, don’t look away when asked a challenging ethics question. Don’t exaggerate your skills or abilities. Sure some things are hard to verify, but other things sometimes it takes a simple phone call. If you claim to know and have mastered Adobe Photoshop, then you should be able to detail your thought process when you retouch or edit a photo. Such as, “Well, before I touch a photo, I lock the layer and create a duplicate layer of that first layer in case if I need to revert back to original. I also like to have a “before” photo to show my results and the work that I have done.” Don’t be taken off guard or suddenly surprised when you are asked a technical question to determine your ability. Once I had an interviewer ask me to submit a marketing plan for the organization to prove my skills. I said I don’t work for free. If you want a marketing plan you hire me and I will do a SWAT analysis of your current offerings and make my recommendations for changes for improvement. In my opinion, if they are fishing for marketing plan proposals, they are already in big trouble. You better have an impeccable memory — so you can keep track of all your lies.
*
Whatever you do, don’t change your “story” or lie. Especially if you are being questioned by a police officer. Stick to your story, no matter how awful or stupid it may sound. Although, technically, you are not under oath talking to a cop, supervisor, HR representative or even your parents, so you can just lie all you want. Just remember, there are consequences for those actions. Am I saying it is okay to lie? Yes, no … maybe. Would you spare someone’s feelings by not telling the truth? “That skirt is F’ing hideous.” vs. “I love your skirt! Vintage.” Exactly, we all saw Mean Girls so we know there are all kinds of lies we tell/see.
And for the record, “I” didn’t teach you how to lie. You’ve been lying for years. Some people lie to themselves daily, like the ones who catch COVID and are literally on their deathbed telling the doctor they don’t have it. Millions of people don’t go to a physician for a health check because they don’t want to hear the results, so they just live in denial. Words are power. Use yours to empower.
