The One Time It’s Okay to Lie in an Interview

When your greatest weakness might keep you from getting a job

There are two universal rules that every job seeker is told to follow at call costs:

1. Never lie on your resume.
2. Never lie during a job interview.

The reason being is that if you are caught in a lie during any point of the hiring process, your application (and any hope of employment) will almost certainly be rejected.

Despite the risks, many candidates do lie — or at least, misrepresent themselves.

For example, I recently wrote an article about 7 ways that 70% of job seekers have lied on their resumes.

While it might be easier to lie on a piece of paper than it is when you’re sitting in front of a hiring manager, are there ever any circumstances where you should lie in an interview?

My Past Interviewing Experiences

Prior to ultimately leaving the workforce and joining the gig economy as an online freelancer a decade ago, I spent a considerable amount of time in front of hiring managers for many job interviews. I hated them, too.

As an introvert and deep thinker, it has always been hard for me to answer questions about myself, at least on-the-spot in front of others.

Here is a list of the most common interview questions I remember getting.

1. Tell me about yourself? Probably, every introvert hates that question.
2. Why do you want to work here? “I need a job, duh” isn’t the best answer.
3. What do you do when you disagree with a supervisor? They’re the boss!
4. How do you handle difficult coworkers? Update my resume and LinkedIn profile.
5. How many grains of sand would it take to fill up the Empire State Building? Honestly, I don’t know!
6. What is your greatest strength? I’m really not that great, just mediocre but highly dependable.
7. What is your greatest weakness? Even though I’m a hard worker, I tend to be quiet around others.

It’s that last question that’s really tough for most job seekers to answer in interviews.

While many candidates give canned answers like, “I’m a perfectionist,” they sound, well, canned. However, if you’re too honest, it can sink your chances of getting a job offer.

In my case, I was honest. I am a hard worker. That’s not why I decided to give up on finding a traditional J-O-B. Instead, it was because I needed to find a way to earn a living, and the internet offered better opportunities for me.

And I am quiet around others, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing for many professions. A lot of hiring managers are just conditioned to think that a more boisterous job candidate is more excited about working for their company.

Should you lie in your answer to the question, What is your greatest weakness?

Looking back, it would have been better for me to lie in my answer. Even something like, “It’s hard for me to settle for less than perfect,” probably would have sounded better to hiring managers than being honest: “I tend to be quiet around others”.

I don’t know what your greatest weakness is. It may be the opposite of mine. Maybe you talk too much and don’t know when to listen.

If a certain behavior is hurting your job chances, then it may be better to avoid bringing it up in interviews.

Evan Crosby is a freelance writer and author of multiple eBooks on money.