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Earlier quoted context omitted.
In this case, "taking care of a sick relative" is also an accurate statement, and reveals less information.
I think this answer draws the right balance between truth and vulnerability. A corporation is not your friend. The interviewer is probably feeding you less benign little lies about the company simultaneously.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think this answer draws the right balance between truth and vulnerability. A corporation is not your friend. The interviewer is probably feeding you less benign little lies about the company simultaneously.
You must have had some pretty awful managers. I’m sorry. There are better managers out there.
The unfortunate thing I’ve discovered about great managers in big companies is that the work (not personal) relationship is temporary. There’s a good chance they get promoted/move on before you do.
Edit: I’ve also been a manager and even with the manager cap on I stand by my advice. I would not fault an interviewee if it turned out “Taking care of family health” really meant “Taking care of my own health”.
To me it’s no different than a company telling candidates how well funded and good the future prospects are, right up until the layoffs.
Ever had a private company recruiter show you a slide deck of how many millions your options will “surely” be worth in a couple years (via their non-GAAP proprietary metrics)?
Same stuff, it’s all a game. Loyalty is owed to individuals, not corporations.
If they ask you to describe a a project you did, describe some long-ago project. If they press for specifics of a given timespan, say that you take your customer NDAs seriously.
If I hired someone, and found out that they lied during their interview about anything at all, they'd be fired, period. I could not trust someone who lies during an interview to make ethical decisions in the future. Honesty doesn't have to mean full disclosure. You can be honest while keeping some facts to yourself. Here's a good example: I was taking some time off for voluntary reason when I became ill. I was lucky…
Alice just jumped to the conclusion that Bob was a criminal? How is that okay? The answer to your story isn't for Bob to reveal potentially embarrassing personal information in a job interview but for Alice not to assume that everyone with a gap in their resume is a criminal.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think this answer draws the right balance between truth and vulnerability. A corporation is not your friend. The interviewer is probably feeding you less benign little lies about the company simultaneously.
You must have had some pretty awful managers. I’m sorry. There are better managers out there.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
In this case, "taking care of a sick relative" is also an accurate statement, and reveals less information.
I would stick with the truth. The truth doesn’t mean the whole truth, but some subset. At minimum you will feel better if you don’t lie, but worst case you get the job and your manager later learns there was no relative. You’ve abused trust and can harm the relationship. You are allowed to be ill. You don’t have to elaborate on the condition. Just emphasize it was serious enough you were unable to work. Assure them y…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I would stick with the truth. The truth doesn’t mean the whole truth, but some subset. At minimum you will feel better if you don’t lie, but worst case you get the job and your manager later learns there was no relative. You’ve abused trust and can harm the relationship. You are allowed to be ill. You don’t have to elaborate on the condition. Just emphasize it was serious enough you were unable to work. Assure them y…
It is the truth. Are you not related to yourself? I've said this exact line in a similar situation and I consider my integrity to be fully intact.
> a thing having a relation to or connection with or necessary dependence on *another* thing