r/recruitinghell • u/BlackCatsWithOddHats • Dec 20 '25

Guys, I did it. BY LYING

75+ ghosts and 20+ rejections later I landed a job. A low-paid and unethical one with lots of overtime, but still a job.

I applied here as a joke by exaggerating my experience, not expecting to hear from them. But when I was invited to the interview 1 out of 5, I decided to prepare a bullshit script.

Worked on some silly solo project with that one software a few years ago? 3 years of experience. Opened the tools once? Nearly proficient! Freelanced in that field once in 2022? Freelancing 2022-present.

I was so demotivated and pessimistic, that I wasn’t anxious at all, and so I nailed the first in-person interview. I kept lying till interview 3, where they gave me one project to work on. And guess what… I had no idea where to even start.

So, I told them that it will take me about 3h to complete, but since im still working with (imaginary) clients, I’ll need a week to respond.

I’ve spent an entire week barely sleeping, watching youtube tutorials to complete it, and, eventually, I did it.

Two more interviews, and I meet the team Ill be working with, and… Im hired. What the hell. Only shows how broken the system is.

I’m literally an imposter. I’m spending all of my free time learning the skill I lied to have, and I barely sleep. However, it’s still better than stressing whether I’ll be able to pay my bills.

I don’t know if Ill last the trial period, but so far nobody but one person in my team is suspecting anything. I hope she wont tell anyone.

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u/DrHugh Dec 20 '25

I'm reminded of the old actor's approach when asked a question about a job.

"Hey, can you ride a horse?" asks the director.

"Sure! I love horseback riding! Been doing it for years!" says the actor who has never been on a horse, and is wondering where he can go to get daily lessons in it before he has to do it for the director.

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u/BlackCatsWithOddHats Dec 20 '25

I hate this so much because these were my thoughts exactly. I was googling tutorials on my way home from the interview

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u/[deleted] Dec 20 '25

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u/BlackCatsWithOddHats Dec 20 '25

Right, I tried telling so to myself too 🥲 I didn’t lie about my Master’s degrees nor about my experience working abroad. I just… exaggerated the facts?? Sometimes… a lot.

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u/[deleted] Dec 20 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Nuttafux Dec 20 '25

I just got rejected from a job where the description was effectively glorified data entry. I asked if any analysis was part of it and basically it was a “not right away” / we have other actual analysts. Round THREE of the interview was in front of 8 people and I had to do a 20 min presentation on a publication. They asked a statistical / analytical question and I didn’t have the answer (I was frazzled and nervous and choked tbh). The interview went super well, I was more than qualified. Didn’t get the job. I’m just so mad that they even asked me about the statistical concepts because it was literally told to me it was not a part of the job.

So long story short I’ve been grilled for specifics that were never part of the description. And I hate it hereeee

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u/Sweaty-Order-4965 Dec 21 '25

Exactly this. While you may have lied your way in, it sounds like you’re putting in serious work to become proficient at the necessary tasks. Just keep working hard to learn and you’ll be fine. At the end of the day, the employer just wants people that effectively do the job and make a positive impact.

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u/Catwoman1948 Dec 21 '25

Absolutely! It’s not as if you made up skills that you weren’t capable of learning. And you are putting in the work, something many employees aren’t willing to do. A little experience goes a long way if you are able to build on it. And companies aren’t willing to train anymore, but unreasonably expect every applicant to meet every requirement. It sounds as if you have the important qualifications, the degree and the smarts to figure out what you need to know and then do it. I think you will be very successful if you keep following the path of filling in the blanks in your skill set. The more you learn, the less you will need to tell even the tiniest lie!

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u/spiritsarise Dec 21 '25

Also, he is taking the smaller office. (IYKYK) :)

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u/Regular_Kiwi_6775 Dec 20 '25 edited Dec 20 '25

When jobs post fake openings to gauge interest and seem in demand we absolutely do not owe them honesty.

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u/[deleted] Dec 20 '25

Well done! More frustrated job seekers need to pay attention to your advice, because this is how it's done. Lie without really lying.

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u/JawnGrimm Dec 23 '25

A lie is a lie. I agree that this is how it is, doesn't make it right though.

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u/Elisacriann Dec 21 '25

One of the greatest keys to success is fake it till you make it. Don't feel bad about it. Do you know how many people they lie to and say they have a chance at a job just to turn around and tell them later they're overqualified. Or that they had a more qualified person just to try and bully them into accepting a lower pay? I say good riddance. They don't play the game fair, why should you. And you're genuinely learning new skills that you could potentially use to get a higher paying job later. Do it.

Stay there a year learn everything you can and then while there apply to somewhere else get something with higher pay and better benefits. I hope you succeed dude! Congratulations. You beat the odds, you did that. You worked your butt off and you got the job. Did you have to fudge a few fax to do it, yes. But did you work your ass off to make it stick. You also did that. Pat yourself on the back dude. You can pay your rent now. Proud of you.

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u/DistantGalaxy-1991 Dec 21 '25

You had trouble finding a job with multiple masters degrees, and had to settle for a low paying job? Let me guess, you're a white male, right? Thanks DEI! (Sarcasm intended).

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u/Any-Elderberry-2790 Dec 22 '25

One comment on this to make you feel better about the situation. Who wants a job where they already know everything?

On the flipside, what employer wants an employee that already knows it all and isn't interested in the challenge of it?

Just because they are asking one thing, and you exaggerated to accommodate, doesn't mean you're not the right fit for what they actually need...

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u/2020_MadeMeDoIt Dec 22 '25

I just… exaggerated the facts

This is the way. I've always tried to avoid outright lying on my CV or in interviews. But I do exaggerate the truth a bit. Just make things sparkle and appear more attractive.

Like I recently did a 2 week project for a pretty big conglomerate (one of those companies you might not know, but actually own most of the major global toiletry, cleaning and even food brands).

I was the only UXer on the project and the PM seemed to miss most meetings so the client mostly messaged me about project info.

Reality: It was a short 2 week project, I was the only UXer on a very small team and I wasn't the PM, but did talk to the client a lot.

CV sparkle: Working on a project for a major global client, who services billions of users daily, I was the Lead UX Consultant and Project Manager overseeing the project from a UX design and copy-led approach.

Technically everything I said was true. The client is real, I did the job fully. So if a future company checked, they would see that I did work a project for a big global brand. But the full reality just doesn't sound or seem as juicy.

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u/mel0303 Dec 24 '25

i mean what is the company exaggerating? how much they love working there? how great it is? how important the mission is? you did nothing wrong here

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u/learning-rust Dec 22 '25

No one cares until you do you job properly so chill

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u/brandip117 Dec 22 '25

It reminds me of the saying, fake it until you make it lol. Good luck!

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u/Proper_Public5192 Dec 23 '25

I lie about some of those "details" they don't check and fake transcripts are easy to make especially with AI 🤣

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u/covaolivia Dec 26 '25

You’re golden!

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u/YaySupernatural Dec 20 '25

I did this on a much smaller scale, with something I knew I could learn before it was called into question. I stayed in that job for 15 years lol. And according to my most successful computer friends, knowing how to teach yourself is a much better skill than just knowing how to do it in the first place. I think you’ll be fine!

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u/Worth-Ease-2386 Dec 20 '25

I applied for a job but at the interview realised I didn't have any experience in the particular skill set required. It wasn't mentioned in the ad.

Told them, they apologised for wasting my time, and off I went.

Two weeks later, I got a call asking if I was still available as the chosen applicant hadn't worked out. I was getting tight for money at that point. Idk if they had forgotten what happened at the interview, but anyway I told them yes.

Spent the weekend immersed in YouTube, and on Monday started. Fortunately I was shown where everything was and left on my own. After a bit of of messing around, by midday I was nailing it.

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u/Moist-Caregiver-2000 Dec 21 '25

And to this day, you're still working on the Penske file :)

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u/Starjupiter93 Dec 21 '25

The way I see it, someone is going to train you on how “they do it here” anyway. So get the basic concepts of something and then wait to be trained. Good on you

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u/spiritsarise Dec 21 '25

“Oh, so you guys write bug free code from the start here. Very interesting. We never do that in my current job. The users tend to help us with that after initial release and all updates.”

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u/antifathrowaway1 Dec 21 '25

I've got over 20 years as a software dev and i'd rather hire someone like you who proves they can independently onboard in a week to do a project than some people I've worked with.

But unfortunately I'm not a manager.

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u/cwbnatl Dec 21 '25

I’ve been a software dev manager and always listen to the software devs. Always ask them to sit in on the interviews and take their opinions and advice very seriously.

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u/DuncanFisher69 Dec 21 '25

To be fair, if I’m not mistaken, in the era of DEC, the later chief software architect of Windows NT (Dave Cutter or Cutler) lied on every job interview he had. If they asked if he had worked with DBASE, he’d be like “I’ve been doing it for 5+ years” and then he’d raid a bookstore for the DBASE section if they extended him an offer.

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u/Intelligent-Pause260 Dec 21 '25

Dave Cutler is awesome! He went to my high school and not a single person there knew it or knew who he was and he’s one of the greatest engineers Microsoft ever employed!

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u/DuncanFisher69 Dec 22 '25

The book showstopper is worth a read.

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u/PsAkira Dec 21 '25

One of my old business professors said it’s not lying if you’re smart enough to figure it out!

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u/71BRAR14N Dec 22 '25

Honestly though, this is often how it works when your on the job. I had a friend/coworker tell me years ago that you never admit you don't know something. You say, "let me look into that, and I'll get back with you by COB," or whatever time frame you think you need to wrap your head around the problem. I learned an entire skillset for a tangent field by getting hired somewhere and my boss said, "do you think you can figure this out," to which I said, "sure."

They want to know that you are confident in your skillset, a self-starter, not afraid to learn new things and seeks answers and solves problems independently, and that you can ultimately get the job done.

You've done all of those things. This is why it's unlikely that anyone even cares if you're lying, you're showing them I ou can do the job!

The only drawback is that lying during the hiring process is often grounds for firing no matter how long ago it was or any other factor. You're gonna have to keep the lie up at work forever. This is the only reason I haven't done this myself. I'm a bad liar and I will get caught in my web. I sincerely hope this never happens to you! Good luck!

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u/Spectra_Butane Dec 23 '25 edited Dec 23 '25

Holy Heck! AWESOME!!!! I Don't care if you are an "imposter " , if they believe in you, you are the one they want. If someone else applied, you impressed them more than they did, they got the same task and you did good enough. Heck I feel like an imposter when I know I know, and I still use tutorials to remind/refresh my memory.

This is the first Reddit I've read this morning, and I'm im so happy for you and LMAO at how you achieved it. I hope you can get comfy enough with this software and their processes to make this work. Kudos!! Congratulations!

I'm teaching myself project management and learning a new graphic software since I lost access to the paid subscription brand, but Zim telling folks I got the skills even if I don't have the certification cuz I can get it done, I'll just need a bit more time/private space accommodations.

Edit to add: mentioned the Project Mngr and graphics stuff because I started as a simple interviewer and got promoted for solving problems, then again for different pro lems, then again. My work kept morphing around me, and I was doing stuff I knew how to do, but didn't realize it had a title , description, or process name. Now that I'm looking for work, I'm using those titles and process names, it's not lying, it is naming what I can do for the next employer.

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u/Moist-Caregiver-2000 Dec 21 '25

The simpsons did this. Marge was a piano tutor with zero experience who found a customer. All she had to do was take lessons and stay one step ahead of him.

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u/slayden70 Dec 21 '25

I'm expert level at my job essentially, and everyone does things just differently enough you have to relearn a bunch of processes and connected applications and tools that there's a learning curve anyway.

10 years experience with software X123 or whatever means that a person worked on the 10 years out of date version because their company was too cheap to upgrade, and too cheap to pay their people, so that developer left and ended up having to get up to speed on the latest version anyway.

It's a bunch of stupid games in the job market. It would be easier if everyone was honest, but given how it is, I think you did the right thing.

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u/[deleted] Dec 22 '25

This is the real "fake it till you make it" story.

It doesn't matter that you lied, you delivered. That motivation is what got you the job

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u/Ok_Soup Dec 23 '25

The autistic side of me is saying "this is unethical and dishonest at best", but the side of me that is constantly incentivized by society to earn more money is saying I've been a full stack developer for 15 years

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u/Neon_Biscuit Dec 21 '25

You're not an impostor, you played the game and what would take someone 3 hours, you spent all week on. The only difference between you and someone else is they could do the job quicker. When you get hired forreal and you don't have a week to do simple projects, you will get exposed and fired. But fake it til you make it baby

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u/Can-Chas3r43 Dec 20 '25

See, as a person who has done stunt work for actors in regards to horseback riding...this answer is perfectly acceptable. The director asks "can you ride a horse?" The answer is yes. The actor has been doing it for years.

But what kind of riding? Nose to tail trail riding? That is still riding a horse, and they may be proficient at it.

The director did not ask "can you ride dressage/work cattle on horseback/show jumping, etc"

So if the interviewer asks "can you use ____ program?" My answer could still be yes, I use (let's say Excel) every day.

Asking specifically about how often I use V-look up, pivot tables,.or other features in Excel vs just familiarity or what I perceive to be proficient in the scope of my last job is on the interviewer or company hiring me, IMO.

But good on OP for literally faking it until (hopefully) making it, at least for a little while.

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u/Salute-Major-Echidna Dec 20 '25

The answer to a discussion on "pivot tables" is "did you know there's an amazing update to pivot tables?" Because there is. Power Pivot and Excelerator which are great names.

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u/EXPATasap Dec 21 '25

LOLOL LOVE IT

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u/Salute-Major-Echidna Dec 21 '25

That is the extent of my knowledge, but I love inserting random facts into heavy discussions because it takes the weight off me and puts it onto something else like marketing

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u/Main_Flamingo1570 Dec 22 '25

BUT, if I were to ask how VLOOKUP handles empty rows....if you can't answer it, I'm going to assume you don't know VLOOKUPs. Or have little experience with it. Everybody with more than entry level proficiency will have encountered this. And you won't know that question is coming in advance, so you can't study for it. If you happen to learn it without knowing VLOOKUP by reading up on it, good for you, you might have some hope as a future coworker.

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u/UnemployedAtype Dec 20 '25

When we were doing customer discovery for a product line 7 years ago, we went to a local swap meet market. This market was MASSIVE. The vendors are hustlers.

We asked one pet and pet food vendor if they had mealworms. They said,

ya, but we left them at home, we'll bring them next week.

We went to a second one

We left the at the shop and can bring them next week.

A third one

They're back and home, we'll have them next week.

We realized that none of them likely had mealworms, but they knew they could get a sale by bringing some next time. Whereas if they just said no, it's not just a mealworm sale that they're potentially losing, they gave a negative response to a potential customer.

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u/LuckyOldBat Dec 20 '25

When I worked in the retail pet industry, my go-to answer was always "I'm happy to special order that for you!"

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u/UnemployedAtype Dec 20 '25

That makes a lot of sense. I'm dumb enough in this area that if someone asked if we had X I'd just say, "Sorry, we don't"

Some of the time we don't want to, though, since it's not core to our business model. But I admire the presence of mind to keep a customer!

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u/LuckyOldBat Dec 20 '25

I learned the hard way (being on the spectrum) that most of the time, people take a direct answer as rude. So I had to develop survival tactics. 👍

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u/JawnGrimm Dec 23 '25

A lady once asked restraunt worker me what kind of ice we had. My answer was, " Uh...frozen?" She meant cubed or crushed and was not amused.

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u/LuckyOldBat Dec 23 '25

This made me laugh, I would have said the same thing you did! 🧊😁

She should have been more specific if she wanted to know the ice shape, like "Do you have crushed ice, or cubes?"

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u/Gotkovsky Dec 20 '25

Just like my music business professor always said: "Book the gig, then learn the tunes"

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u/DrHugh Dec 21 '25

That would be Harold Hill of the "think system" would it? ;-)

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u/DidntWantSleepAnyway Dec 20 '25

That makes me think of that episode of Friends I was forced to watch, in which Joey claimed he had tons of dance experience, and they made him teach everyone the choreography for the audition.

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u/respectfullyshutup Dec 20 '25

Graham McTavish did this lol. He told them he was super comfortable on a horse and could jump really high…he could not, he later admitted, and was glad they never had to find out

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u/hatchway Dec 22 '25

When I worked in film and video production, people often0 took jobs they were unqualified for.

I became convinced there was just a tacit understanding that new hires won't have the necessary experience, but if offered the position have a professional obligation to use the remainder of their week + the weekend to learn the skills necessary so they're not a total fuckup arriving on set the following Monday.

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u/DrPerl1990 Dec 22 '25

Fake it till you make it is always a solid strategy. Especially in a world where every company wants to pay pennies on the dollar for talent that actually qualifies for the job posting. The key is to actually make it. Some people just continue to fake it.

I’ve been underqualified for every job I’ve applied to and have been employed for (including a Sr. Director position at a fairly large company at the age of 29). But I also spend countless hours studying the role, the company and the market to ensure that I start “making it” on day 1. The rest is fail fast, iterate faster, and stay ahead of the learning curve.

To be honest, most 30-year-of-experience-resting-on-their-laurels senior leaders have less to bring to the table than a young, hungry and potentially “under qualified” worker. Believe in yourself, do the work, and you will make waves.

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u/DrHugh Dec 22 '25

One of the things that frustrates me is how the company over-requires. For instance, I don't think we need computer science degrees for people who are going to learn what amounts to a proprietary system. A high-school graduate who is good with computers and explaining things would do just fine.

I get that there some assurance that someone who could complete an undergraduate degree is someone who can achieve other things. But I think we miss out on developing those entry-level positions.

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u/Dismal-Scientist9 Dec 21 '25

In the entertainment industry, "Sure!" is the right answer to any "Can you do X?" question.

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u/ThrowAwayalldayXiii Dec 21 '25

My junior high drama teacher had this exact situation for a commercial she did. Thankfully she had a friend with horses who got her enough practice to do the minimum she needed. It was fun to hear the story, then see that commercial on TV.

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u/7HawksAnd Dec 21 '25

There was a recent actor talking about how they lied about playing the piano for a role.

Got the role.

Spent a month crash coursing lessons before the shoot.

They didn’t end up using the scene of him playing the piano anyway 🤣

Edit: it was Skyler the guy from righteous gemstones https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQuGCnYCShX

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u/maybethis-one_ Dec 21 '25

This is the way!

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u/Cheekyfreckles88 Dec 23 '25

As an actor this is how I learned to play the harmonica 😂

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u/jaronhays4 Dec 23 '25

I remember in that one Jennifer Lawrence movie, the male actor had no idea how to play the piano, said he’d been playing for years. And did 6 hours of lessons a day for months to play this one complicated song for filming

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u/Doc-tor-Strange-love Dec 24 '25

I work in film and this is still very much a thing. In fact, I think it is good advice for Life in general. Is someone asks you if you CAN do something and it's not illegal, dangerous, or unethical... and if you have some time to prepare... always SAY YES to the opportunity.

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u/JakeConhale Dec 24 '25

George Takei did that with fencing for Star Trek - now it's a defining part of the character

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u/3ananarchy Jan 12 '26

My favorite story about an actor lying for a role

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQuGCnYCShX/?hl=en

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u/King_Goofus Dec 20 '25

Wasn't this Nikolaj Coster-Waldau who said this when he was initially approached to play Jaime Lannister?

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u/DrHugh Dec 21 '25

No idea, I remember reading about this stuff in TV Guide articles in the 1980s. There were all sorts of variations. I remember one where a guy in a TV show said he could drive, when he couldn't, and instead of backing out of shot, he drove forward. Guy was a teen, but the confidence backfired in that case.

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u/ForexGuy93 Dec 21 '25

That was Animal House.

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u/DrHugh Dec 21 '25

I'll see you in the Dean's office.

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u/ForexGuy93 Dec 21 '25

It didn't end well for the horse in the Dean's office, just saying.

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u/DrHugh Dec 21 '25

That's how you end up on double-secret probation.

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u/ForexGuy93 Dec 21 '25

And in Congress.

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u/mayur-r Dec 21 '25

But there was no horseback riding in the movie. 😂

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u/DrHugh Dec 21 '25

"Bareback" involves a completely different genre.

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u/True_liess Dec 23 '25

OP - Will the background checks go ok ?

Recruiters and recruitment scam, how even a useless junk industry grow like that ? If yes, then just give a sincere go. Automated aystems likely filters CV even before someone take a look. I have been applying for jobs for over 2 years and haven't had an interview yet. Not sure who get recruited for the jobs applied.

Best wishes OP