Too many hiring managers avoid telling candidates the truth about a job. Their logic is that if applicants find out how hard they will work or how boring the core of the open jobs are, they will walk away. This is a mistake. To hire effectively, you have to be honest about what working at your firm is like and what it takes to be successful.
Stop Lying to Job Candidates About the Role
Too many hiring managers avoid telling candidates the truth about a job. Their logic is that if a candidate finds out how hard they will work or how boring the core of the role truly is, they will turn down the job. This is a mistake. Finding good employees starts with being honest about what working at your firm is like and what it takes to be successful in the role. It takes two to have an honest conversation, however. We suggest hiring managers spend a good deal of their time asking questions designed to help candidates lower their guards and truly understand if they will be happy in the role.
In our experience, most candidates for senior level jobs will not misrepresent what they enjoy doing just to get a job . As a rule, we feel that the risk of being intentionally lied to by senior level candidates is over-estimated in most organizations. On the other hand, the risk of a candidate not understanding if a role is genuinely a good fit for them is underestimated. One comparison that may be helpful is to ask yourself: ‘do some 40 percent of U.S. marriages end up in divorce because the bride and groom intentionally lie to each other? Or is more often the case that they don’t face the tough questions to see if they will be a good fit for each other?’