lying when job negotiating

If you bring it up, they have the right to ask for details. Do you have details? They will know that you are lying. And yes companies talk to each other.

I do not lie on my resume or in interviews. I have left certain things (jobs) off my resume, however. I do know people that have made "deals" with former employers that they will say (when/if asked) that the length of employment was longer than it was or to corroborate numbers.

Ahhh, they're just not that into you...

If you haven't heard, you are their second choice. They will gladly take their third choice for less money...

I did this one time and the job was awful. I considered it karma and went to the former company for less money where I have been successful and happy.

Business is business. It's not church. Do what you have to do. They will do whatever is in their own interest. Don't break the law, but everything else is just puffery. It shows you are a go-getter.

true true. Do you think they'll ask for the name of the other company if I say I have another offer? If they do, does it sound suspicious if I say it's none of their business?

This is a company that I'm afraid of and don't want to f*ck with. They were really into me at the beginning but their hiring process is so slow and the recruiter hasn't been responding as favorable as he was at the beginning.

They found a better candidate. See above.

Just wait them out, it still may work out.

(&%^GYVUI wrote:

They found a better candidate. See above.

Just wait them out, it still may work out.

Sigh. Here's the thing: Just to feel them out, I got in touch with them to find out what's going on with their hiring and to let them know that I was in the process of talking to another company (which I am). They said that they went through one round of hiring and they're going to start their next one later. From talking to people, I know that it's not too late for me to get hired. Plus the HR guy told me to keep him posted if I get another job. He's said this a few times, which is why I'm thinking I should just make up another offer and see what happens.

There is nothing to be afraid of here. Just tell the recruiter you are in a position to accept employment from another firm, but your first priority is to work for this company. You are now calling for a hiring status update, and, if no decision has been made yet, give the recruiter a date by which they and you have to come to a decision based on this development. You do not have to tell them anything more than that. If asked who the other company is, tell them it's a confidential matter, and that you are not in the practice of discussing interviews, negotiations, and hiring practices of one employer with other potential employers.

That seems pretty dangerous as the company might say "Well, due to travel and other commitments, the folks who would be interviewing are going to need another week or two. Good luck in the new position."

Remember in this economy, there is not a shortage of workers. I seriously doubt that you are the only person in the country qualified to do what you do.

Of course its not too late for you to get hired. But they have many good candidates that is why they have rounds of hiring. Now they are looking for ways to find the ones who will work for the least money. If you push them you will be out.

If you're going to make up a counteroffer, you shouldn't do it until they've already offered you the job. Do it during salary negotiations. It's dishonest, but I don't think it's all that terrible. After all, you're not forcing them to overpay you or lying about skills. You're just trying to maximize your salary.

Haven't you ever seen the Seinfeld episode where George lies about Vandelay Industries being interested in him and it ends up biting him in the butt? If you don't know what im talking about, you suck.

It kind of depends on you industry or location as to how risky this kind of thing is. In some industries you could get found out pretty easy for this stuff. In others, it should be easy.

I just accepted an offer to start at one job in a few weeks and am now trying to finish out the interviews I have lined up. If I get a better offer I will take it. If these employers ask, I will tell them I have an offer, but I haven't tried to push them. Mostly because I don't feel the job I lined up makes me look much better than I already do. If I have to, I will keep interviewing once the new job starts.

Honestly, my job search the last few months has been brutal. It's very much an employers job market. I have gone through tons of interviews, jumped through so many hoops and put up with pretty unrealistic time lines. In this environment I am kind of hesitant to play too many games. A few years ago I would have been more aggressive.

it really depends....... wrote:

Honestly, my job search the last few months has been brutal. It's very much an employers job market. I have gone through tons of interviews, jumped through so many hoops and put up with pretty unrealistic time lines. In this environment I am kind of hesitant to play too many games. A few years ago I would have been more aggressive.

Yeah, I hear you, and this is exactly why I'm not sure how to handle this. If I tell them I have another offer, wouldn't I have a date where I would have to accept by? Putting too much pressure on them to make a decision could make them say "bye and good luck, you were of 1 of 100 talented people anyways." But I just want to build some hype around me so that I look a lot hot commodity. Even contacting them to check up on things makes me nervous because I don't want to look desperate. Or maybe they only want people who are very very committed? Sigh.

I'm actually quite young and applying for jobs across many industries, so I don't think it's likely that the two companies would be in communication if that isn't standard procedure.

Quotes from your message:

"I just want to build some hype around me so that I look a lot hot commodity." "I'm actually quite young"

This doesn't sound good. You should not make up having a firm job offer with another company to leverage an offer from one company that you'd like to get a response from. You should be continuing to look at other jobs (in parallel) to hopefully get 2 (or more) offers to compare and choose from. As another said, follow-up with the company you interviewed with and find out what your status is and repeat your interest in the job and keep a dialogue going and whatever it takes to get a solid offer. Then you can attempt to negotiate salary. You can do this with another (real) offer at another company, or you can research your industry and determine what a typical salary range is for the position. Get help from a professor or career counselor at your college with this or people already working in your industry. If you truly feel that the offer is low compared to what you've researched, ask how the benefits add to the salary and if anything is negotiable (including the salary). You can take the job if it's a good career/learning experience and then move on, or you can decline the job and keep looking. That's better than making up an offer with another company.

Thanks a lot for your response. Also, as far as the negotiating salaries thing goes, I'm not even at that point yet, and that was just a separate question I was curious about.

I've only lied about another offer one time, and that was to turn down a company that I interviewed with and had come to the conclusion that it would be better working for fast food than it would be them. I'd never use it as a negotiating tactic. If they have not moved forward with an offer as of now, keep your search going. If they do come back, you have played your hand that you’re desperate and there will be no negotiating.

The chances of this backfiring are pretty small. Companies don't really talk to each other but you never know who knows people. Seems like a slippery slope.

I'm not actually sure having another offer will really help you that much either. So much of hiring at a jr level is about fit and whether they like you so you have to be careful with your approach. You run the risk of just pissing them off if you start pushing them.

For what it is worth, in interviews I always say I am interviewing with other companies/pursing other opportunities (even if I have nothing atm) and that I am being selective because I want my next job to be a good fit. Never be desperate even if you are. Nobody has ever asked for specifics, just industry/location.

If you want to follow up, nobody will lose their shit over a two line email asking where they are in the process. Even say you would like to know because you are progressing with other opportunities. Reiterate you are really interested in the job too. It might separate you from a few people.

off the leash wrote:

If you bring it up, they have the right to ask for details. Do you have details? They will know that you are lying. And yes companies talk to each other.

I do not lie on my resume or in interviews. I have left certain things (jobs) off my resume, however. I do know people that have made "deals" with former employers that they will say (when/if asked) that the length of employment was longer than it was or to corroborate numbers.

The people who told you they made such deals with former employers were lying