Hiring manager asks : “What Do You Do In Your Free Time?”

candidate answers: “In my spare time, I basically like travelling on the
weekends, and doing a lot of voluntary work. For example my last
project has been in helping refugees, based in the Joel Nafuma Center in
my town, to learn english language”.

hiring manager replies: “Great, our company really cares about giving back to the community. Our dedication to Volunteer Time Off and other philanthropic initiatives is unlike anything I’ve experienced or even heard about at other companies. It is an important part of our culture from top to bottom”.

Obviously if your real passions are beer, pizza, and football, you should probably not mention those in your job interview.

If you’re going to list interests at all on your résumé or discuss them in your interview, make sure they relate directly to the job or the culture of the company you are applying to.

Infact as part of your pre-job interview company research, pay great attention to the kinds of events and extracurricular activities that the company, or the department you’re aiming to join, highlight on social media, on their official website, and in national or local media.

In Other words if the company page include photos of the team involved in charity events, in this case you have the opportunity to mention these interests, and so to express your willingness to volunteering and fundraising activity and get the job. You will always be in time to start doing and appreciate volunteer project and programs.

We’re all aware of the insane pressure placed on job interviews. The job interview is the crucial time you have to market and sell yourself as genuinely as you can in person. This is your time to shine, bring that application to life, and show everyone why you’re the one they should hire.

Therefore, lying is not OK, in life and especially when it comes to your career.

However, there are times when you can lie in a job interview without having to feel total guilt afterwards. That’s right, a little white lie during an interview may actually do you some good.

Infact omitting the truth is sometimes necessary in order to avoid you getting hurt on personal matters. It’s a fine line, but there are a few things you don’t need to feel ashamed about lying about, if you feel so inclined to lie about them.

Clearly you should be honest. Because lying about being able to do something you definitely can’t do just to match the job description will only get you in some pretty awkward trouble down the road.

That being said, as career and business experts like Peter Harris, editor-in-chief of online job board Workopolis pointed out to Business Insider, there are definitely some lies you will have to tell to get hired for the job. There are certain things you can leave out, embellish upon (always within reason), and times to considerately throw in that white lie, that won’t jeopardize your professional integrity.

Peter Harris explains “You certainly shouldn’t lie about abilities that you don’t really have. There’s no point in being hired for a job that you can’t actually do.”

You also shouldn’t lie about working somewhere you haven’t or obtaining educational credentials you haven’t actually earned, he adds. “These are easily confirmed in background checks and tend to come out in the end.”

But some half-truths, exaggerations, or white lies on your résumé, application, or in an interview are acceptable in certain situations.

I call them “True Lies”, what a beautiful oxymoron.

Yes lies can be true. Lies that good or beneficial are true ones, as the truth that is destructive is worse than a lie.

We speak the truth because it is good for humanity, hence if the lie is good than it is equivalent to a truth.

Originally published at medium.com