Ask Me No Questions, I'll Tell You No Lies

By Bonnie Lowe
Posted Tuesday, February 22, 2005

If only there were no questions involved in getting a job!

If you've been following NBC's "The Apprentice," you know who Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth is. She's had the honor of being fired by Donald Trump (and others, according to "People" magazine).

A while back, Omarosa claimed that one of the other contestants made a racial slur against her.

According to website opinion polls, only 10% of viewers believed Omarosa's claim; 90% thought she was lying.

These poll results were showing BEFORE viewers of the April 15, 2004 episode saw Omarosa lie to members of her team, including her "boss." It wasn't a little white lie, it was a biggy.

And it had nothing to do with trying to win the game, because she'd already been fired from the competition. I won't go into the details... talking about Omarosa could keep me busy for about 50 pages.

I believe that, despite Omarosa's obvious intelligence, talent and skills, her decision to tell lies rather than take responsibility for her actions (or inactions) is going to ruin her career. It's a real shame, because she has so much going for her. But her lying will be her undoing. And when she fails, she's going to blame others. She reminds me of... uh-oh, I'm starting to get off on a tangent. Back to my point... don't lie to employers... or potential employers!

Telling a little white lie when you "call in sick," is one thing. Lying about your qualifications on your resume or during a job interview is quite another... do not do this, no matter how tempted you are! It will come back to haunt you!

When you've been struggling to find a new job, have you ever thought about:

* Putting a friend's name as your previous boss on the application?

* Making something up about your experience so you'll match the desired qualifications?

* Exaggerating your education?

* Saying you resigned from a job when you were really fired?

* Failing to mention a little felony conviction from couple of years back?

Maybe the company in question is trusting, understaffed, or lazy and won't do a background check. But are you willing to bet your career on that?

In this fiercely competitive job market, the temptation to lie in order to boost your chances of getting a job can be pretty strong.

But BECAUSE the job market is so tough, employers are getting tough, as well. Very few are now taking resumes and applications at face value.

Trust is nice, but when it comes to their hard-won personnel budget, ever-increasing demands for better customer service, and their sometimes-fragile reputations, companies are taking no chances with the people they hire.

No matter how desperate you are for work, lying is a bad idea.

Most employers will check your references (carefully), do a thorough background check, and find out about your "inaccuracies."

Let's say you "exaggerate" your qualifications on your resume. The employer is impressed and calls you in for an interview. She asks about your qualifications, and you must lie to back up your resume claims. She falls for it, fails to verify your references or background, and hires you.

Can you breathe a big sigh of relief? Nope. Now you have to back up your claims with your job performance. If you start to struggle, chances are good that you'll start to lie again. Eventually people will get suspicious, and the background check will finally be done. You are busted!

But the sad story doesn't end there. You lose your job and vow to never lie again. You correct your resume... but wait... what about that job you were just fired from? It only lasted a few months. Would leaving it off be lying? If you leave it off and are asked during an interview about that employment gap, what would you say? So you decide to include it on your resume. Then you're asked in the interview why you left your previous job. Oh no! You tell them you left because it wasn't the right fit. This company does check you out, and get the truth from your previous employer. Now they know you were fired. But worse, they know you lied about it. There go your chances for THAT job.

See the nasty snowball effect that lying can cause?

Don't do it!

You may reprint/republish this article if you include my name and a link to this website.

About the Author
Bonnie Lowe is author of the popular Job Interview Success System and free information-packed ezine, "Career-Life Times." Find those and other powerful career-building resources and tips at her website: (http://www.best-interview-strategies.com).