In addition to appearing in this space, my blog entries also appear in my Facebook profile, and occasionally I get more comments on the Facebook version than I do here at A Storied Career.
Such was the case with Tuesday’s entry about whether career-changers should use a white-lie/half-truth “cover story” when asked what they’re up to between jobs.
Here are the responses I got over on Facebook:
I advocate authenticity. Dig a little into the truth of the time you need to “cover”. Surely you traveled, managed investments and or studied something .
If you can’t find something in the truth to talk about, then something is wrong. Maybe that’s the story that needs to be looked at & a better story created through doing something positive. Sometimes it’s hard to see the positive side of the story, but if it’s not there it can be created through community work, internships, education, or a short term meaningful job. There is always a way to create a positive truthful career story. … I have worked with people who were in desperate situations & feel that lying or covering up is the only solution. After a short conversation, they could always come up with an honest story for the interview.
Interesting conversation! I think that when we look at our lives, we have a habit of thinking in terms of negative at times. When we are preparing for an interview, it’s a great time to truly think about our story, not try to lie about it, but take the time to give ourselves credit. If we were not working in a for paid position for awhile, the things we were doing still had value. Were we caretaking for someone in need? Were we taking time to make sure our children had a solid foundation after a move or other life change? Was there a death of a family member that caused emotional trauma? Many people typically do not give up their job for a reason so we just have to think in terms of the positive and view our life stories in a positive manner. After, all our life stories make us who we are!
Integrity alone disallows half-truth and white lies. There are generally good, and reasonable explanations for changes, or periods of unemployment, whether good or bad. However one could take their experiences, something like volunteering during that time and apply it to their story. Nothing like thinking you are down and out and then go volunteer in an intercity soup kitchen to let you know just how great your life is…
I’m very glad that all these readers agreed with me that an authentic story is always the way to go.