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Writer's pictureSzilvia Olah

Recruiters Lie

Updated: Oct 9

The job market is bonkers. Recruiters are inundated by CVs that don't meet minimum criteria, systems are overflown with applications and the volume can no longer be managed. We then see ghosting from both sides, wanting to underpay employees, five rounds of interview processes and so on. Putting your CV out there is just a horrible experience in general.


Something has gone wrong, just pay attention to LinkedIn posts and you will see all parties complaining. Employers say that they cannot find people who want to work and candidates complain that they cannot find jobs. Despite all that AI and technology (which I believe is the source of the problem), everyone's experience has gone down the drain.


Top that up with the fact that recruiters lie. Yes, surveys show that they lie about and I quote:

"Most frequently, hiring managers lie about a role’s responsibilities, followed by growth opportunities at the company and career development opportunities overall. They also said they lie about company culture, benefits, commitment to social issues, compensation and the financial health of the company."


Ok, we all lie even candidates and I am ok with it. Now the question is; aren't those areas recruiters lie about directly linked to engagement and motivation they are so desperate to address? What do they think will happen when the candidate joins and finds out about those lies? They immediately get demotivated, and disappointed and will leave or become bitter and resentful.


But we don't consider this and we blame the managers and the candidates. All of a sudden it is everyone's fault but the hiring person.


"The recruiters said they tend to lie to “cover up negative information about the company” or “make the job sound better than it really is.” They also lie to “attract more qualified candidates” and “deliberately say things that will please the candidate.”


Pleasing anyone with a lie is a short-sighted approach and lacks consequential thinking. It also impacts people's level of resilience because from studies we know that facing facts makes people tougher and more resilient. It is not that people are not resilient enough to build up a company from the ground up, it is that they were told that there is a well-functioning company and now they need to take it to the next level.


This is a very different picture and the one that will have any self-respecting employee turn around and leave.


I wonder, how lying to people aligns with the company's values because I am sure that we are very quick to tell people "Don't lie" or put the word "Integrity" on the wall as one of our values.

Believe it or not, grown-up adults can handle the truth but they find it difficult to digest lies. I prefer to be told "Look, this is a shitshow in here but I want you to join and build things up. It will be difficult because of ABC but if you are up for a challenge this is the role for you."

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