Why Do Job Seekers Lie to Their Recruiters?

Who doesn't tell a white lie now and then? Sometimes you just have to. We have all been confronted with the age old question :Do I look fat in these pants?" There is no easy answer to that question. If you say yes, you risk someone being upset, if you say no (and they really do look fat) then you risk someone else telling them the truth and there are still tears. People, if you have to ask how you look then you probably already know the answer.



But what about the job seeker that pads his/her resume or is less than truthful about why they left their last job? Or how about the person that has an idea about what they want in a new job and they don't tell you? Then there is always the person that has made a mistake in their life choices and they don't tell you until you get the criminal background check comes back. Come now, we are in the 21st Century and nothing is private anymore!!!! Let's get real and let's be honest with the people that are working really hard to find you a job.



As a recruiter I hold many titles; marriage counselor, financial advisor, tour guide, child psychologist, editor, friend, parent oh the list goes on. All of you recruiters out there in any industry know what I am talking about. But, what I don't do is lie to my clients or my job seekers. And I can't stand it when people lie to me. I mean I understand not wanting to say that you were fired from your last job because you were searching the Internet or that you had 2 DUI's. None of those things are very flattering. But, as a job seeker, you HAVE to tell your recruiter the TRUTH. Sure, some companies are not going to hire you as a result of your past bad behavior, but there are plenty of companies that will. Maybe you have to take a job that you don't like for awhile to rebuild your reputation.



Job Seekers do not lie to your recruiter. We are out there working really hard to find you the job of your dreams. After all, that is how we earn our living. Yes, I know for some job seekers knowing that your recruiter gets paid from your placement is difficult to understand. Many think that what we do is from the kindness of our hearts. For most of us it is a labor of love, but we do get paid for our labor.



When a job seeker lies to the recruiter it makes everyone look bad and the perfect job will never happen. Everyone makes mistakes in their past employment, some of us in our current employment. But, if we tell the recruiter everything then the recruiter can put the best light possible on your situation. Putting a job seeker and a client together is akin to being a match maker in marriage. The more you know about both parties the better your chances are at making the marriage happen.



Besides, being less than truthful with your recruiter will eventually make you miserable in your new job. What if you are a really conservative person and your recruiter offers you an interview with a company that markets itself as liberal? The money is great, the benefits are amazing, you tell your recruiter that you can be liberal in your ideas as well. You take the job and 6 months later are just miserable. Now you are back talking to your recruiter again because you need to find something new.



The moral of the story is that job seekers need to tell the truth to their recruiters. Otherwise everyone ends up unhappy.



Next Blog: What about the recruiter that doesn't tell the job seeker everything about the client????