Salespeople do lie about their products. Especially when a product does not have any selling points as its USP, then the more lies to sell it. A simple credit card often has more half truths and blatant lies. Unfortunately it is too late by the time you realize it. You are either hooked or have already been looted a few times. Consider the Country Club for example. First of all, it has nothing to offer. To top it every benefit quoted comes with a hidden rider and more expensive than what is available in the free market! Of course all of us have lied at some point in our lives. But to put our lies in writing is a different one altogether.
Earlier during the start of the techie companies, the shortage was compensated by fake resumes. But now that most companies have an established pool of talent and also offer more, you need to be careful as they verify each and every one. I have two experiences to note here
a. One misfired with a fake resume and got fired.
b. Another one - He quit a company to head to a new one and then realized that the new place was not his cup of tea. He quit the new company on the same day and came back to invite ridicule from his previous employees and colleagues. Even his close friends make fun at him as the job hopper (unlike the grass hopper)
The second one is an interesting one. All the more as he was made to work on Saturday and a Sunday (holidays for most techies) since he had quit on his own volition. He was forced to work since he had no further say and had to prove his loyalties!
Well! Greed can be a sore judge in some cases. But the above one needed quoting since it was a combination of a spiced up resume, an alternate career (changing jobs like a pilot trying to be a cricketer) and also without verifying what the new job would entitle. Even during the interview stage no technical questions were asked and only a few general and HR questions relating to salary.
The poor little techie is now weaving his way through all the web of humiliation, and secretly trying to search for an alternate job too.
Lessons to be learnt
Avoid adding something you don’t know
Why state that you know something when you don’t? You may be eliminated in the very first round (Technical) in some of those question savvy companies. Even otherwise it would come to light soon. I do know a few who have been diligent enough to keep the information in the resume accurate by working on the lacking skill sets. That’s quite a few of them still around.
But all the same, not very often do you get the time to hone your skills in a missing skill set. You may end up puzzled with your day to day tasks.
If you do know something highlight that well. Instead of lying you are actually being truthful. Also if the interviewer is tech savvy, or trying to show his knowledge, he would ask questions more frequently on what you know best. Simply because if you are able to answer that truthfully, then the impression is already made about your knowledge. This fact accounts for a major percentage because
if you are unable to answer the questions pointed at you, then it would point to your resume being fake, incomplete or your confidence being too low.
if you are able to answer on the highlighted topic, it would mean that you are the subject matter expert! So sometimes even if you have a missing skill set much desired by the company they still go ahead and hire you. (Let me know how many of you agree on this)
Why would an interviewer ask you something which you don’t know? They do ask that to test your awareness, but otherwise, not a compulsive factor.
If you don’t have any accomplishments, hey, its ok. Just highlight what you know. If you feel the resume is too short, then articulate about yourself. If it still fits in less than half a page then it’s time you seriously took some crash courses!
Using suitable post names is another. One of my friends was working in a startup around 2000. Later he got a call to Australia. When interviewed over the phone on what he did currently, he stated network engineer. The point is a network engineer in India takes care of the network either in part or overall. In Australian jargon, it means he designs networks! He was hired immediately, and the boss only later realized that he didn’t design any. When confronted, the boss came to know that it was a cultural misunderstanding. Still, he stated that he was a network engineer when actually he was a network maintenance admin. There can be a huge difference in some countries.
Sometimes there may a gap in your previous employment history. A few people are idle in between jobs for a considerable period. But why lie that you were working someplace? Instead list the courses you have done during that period. That would help fill the gap. They would understand that no one sits tall doing a course, even a short term course. Some people actually don’t realize that they have been working. For ex., working in a friend’s place or friends joining together to try their hands at a business. The business may fail, but at least you have been working, haven’t you? Failures tend to make you work harder. Why ignore it instead of mentioning it? That gap is actually a very useful gap as you might have gained something - Experience.
If you are still pursuing a course, it’s ok to mention it, but make a mention of the degree in brackets or note the information. Do mention even a basic computer course. And finally your experience in using operating systems does help. Even if you have used it for surfing only.
The other half of what is a must - Good listening and comprehending skills. Understand what the interviewer is asking the first time and answer him slowly. Take your time. But give a correct answer. To the point. Never exaggerate, it may lead to more questions. If you have any questions to ask, wait till the end of the interview and then shoot them.
Confidence - That guy may be looking at your sloppy clothes. But when you give him a look in the eye, he would rather look uncomfortably downwards or focus on the questions he is asking you. Shifty eyes are a sign of something wrong - either with the resume or with your answer.
’Introduce yourself’ is the most commonly asked question. Because it’s a filler question and goads you to speak about your accomplishments and education. It not only lets you gain confidence about answering the interviewer since you know the topic best, but also puts the interviewer at ease. It’s like a meeting ground question. Hey! I am interested to know you better. (A common chord is touched) (Be very careful what you speak here.) Speak mostly about your education background, and a little about your personal background. They are looking for a lot of information with this initial question - Your confidence, your level of speaking English or any language in particular, your mannerisms, actions and any loopholes which might be identified in your background. So make a point to redo this in front of the mirror before you go. Slow and sure is the way to go. Think twice before you open that stinky mouth of yours. That’s a sure fire question!