The hiring process can feel daunting for job seekers, eager to present their best selves in the hopes of landing the role. And while it’s not uncommon for candidates to lie in job interviews to appear more attractive, research indicates that dishonesty on the employer’s side can be common as well. A recent study from ResumeBuilder finds that 36% of hiring managers – nearly four in 10 – say they’ve lied to candidates about the role or company during the hiring process.  

Of this group, 75% of employers have been dishonest during interviews, 52% have lied in the job description, and 24% have misrepresented in the offer letter. While some say they are dishonest more frequently than others, with 6% saying they lie “all the time” while 25% say they don’t lie often, the vast majority (80%) of hiring managers say that lying is very or somewhat acceptable at their organization.  

Before trying to combat dishonesty in the hiring process, it’s important to first ask why hiring managers feel they must lie to candidates to engage with them and hire them, says Stacie Haller, ResumeBuilder’s chief career advisor. If hiring managers are embellishing a role to make it sound better than it is, Haller says HR must address either the accuracy of the job description or support what is needed for those roles to be attractive without resorting to lying. In fact, 92% say they have misled a candidate to accept a job offer.

“Leaders need to develop talent acquisition and retention practices for hiring managers and find out what they feel they need in a job role to attract and retain talent,” Haller says. “To improve honesty and transparency in the hiring process, you need to remove any reason for anyone not to be honest.”

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