Dear SafetyXChange Members:

I'd like to share with you a story told to me by one of the members of ExecuNet. This gentleman was near the end of his job interview and things appeared to be going well. Suddenly, the interviewer asked a strange question: "Would you lie if you had to?" What would you do if somebody lobbed a question like this in your direction?

How the Member Responded

The member wasn't expecting the question. "Honestly, I was somewhat offended by the bluntness of the question," he told me. His response was to tell the truth. "No, I would not tell an outright lie," he said.

So what happened? I'll let the member tell you himself. "Needless to say, I didn't get the job."

How to Handle This Question

I'm not sure if there is an appropriate way to answer a question like this. I think that stressing one's integrity the way the member did is very professional. But I also think there's room for improvement.

One of the things I'd advise you to do if you get asked something like this is to explore the question in a bit more depth. Talk about when and why you might want to lie - or at least stretch the truth. I'm not suggesting saying that you'd actually give in and tell a lie; but none of us are beyond temptation.

As with most interview questions, you can make your response more memorable by bolstering it with a specific example. As part of your interview prep, I suggest that you prepare a few stories/examples that illustrate your integrity, e.g., what you did when faced with a choice in which you could have taken the easy way out but did not.

You would also be well within your rights to turn things around and ask the interviewer: "May I ask why you ask that question?" Perhaps the company has had some lying or unethical managers who have gotten them into trouble. Maybe they think mendacity is an admirable quality in a manager. Or, it could just be that the questioner abhors the practice of lying just as much as you do. After all, asking about lying doesn't necessarily mean condoning it.

Conclusion

But there's probably another reason for asking you if you'd lie, one the interviewer won't admit. Odds are, the question isn't about your morals at all. It's simply an attempt to catch you by surprise and see how you react to an unexpected situation.

So, if somebody asks you a question like this during a job interview, don't give in to moral outrage. Don't storm out of the office. Don't conclude that "I'd never work for this company." Roll with the punch. Answer the question and do it in a way that displays not only moral character but poise and professional balance.

Wishing you career success,
Lauryn Franzoni
ExecuNet, www.execunet.com

ODDBALL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

By Glenn Demby

As Lauryn suggests, asking an off-the-wall question is a favorite technique of some interviewers. Here's a list of some of some actual questions that job seekers said they were asked in the course of an interview:

• If you could be any character from fiction, who would it be?
• If Hollywood made a movie of your life, which actor or actress would you cast to play you?
• If you could be a superhero, what superpowers would you want to have?
• If someone wrote a biography about you, what would the title be?
• If you were shipwrecked on a deserted island and had all the food, water and other items to satisfy your human needs, what other two things would you want to have with you?
• If you had only six months left to live, how would you spend the time?
• If you could have dinner with anyone from history, who would it be and why?
• Which animal are you most like and why?
• If you were a type of food, what type of food would you be?
• If you won $20 million in the lottery, what would you do with the money?
• If you were a salad, what kind of dressing would you have?
• How do I rate as an interviewer?
• If you were a car, what kind would you be?
• Who do you admire the most and why?
• In the news story about your life, what would the headline say?

Source: Quintessential Careers, http://www.quintcareers.com/wild_card_interview_questions.html.

SAFETYXCHANGE CONTEST
Your Strangest Interview Question

What was the strangest question you were ever asked during a job interview? And how did you answer it? Send your responses to glennd@bongarde.com. We'll award a first, second and third prize in next Friday's issue.

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