When you hire someone to work with you in your business, you’re looking for certain qualities. You want someone well-educated with a certain amount of work experience. You want someone honest. You may want someone detail-oriented or someone creative, depending on the position. Punctuality may or may not be important to you; some employers are ok with lateness as long as the person gets the job done. In any case, when you interview someone, you’re trying to get a feel for who they are and whether they’ll fit into the position.
Many People Tell Small Lies
Even the person who is coming in for the interview wants to make as good an impression on you as possible. It’s possible that they might even tell some small lies during the interview. They may claim to be very punctual when they’re routinely half an hour late! Or they may claim to have five years of experience instead of four. This kind of thing is actually quite normal.
Small Lies vs. Big Ones
According to Pamela Meyer who gave a Ted talk on lie-spotting (which has been viewed by 19 million people), people who have just met each other lie three times in the first 10 minutes! But most of the time, these might be small lies and not big ones. But what if the person who comes into your interview is actually telling you a big lie? What if they are not the person they claim to be at all? What if they don’t have that college degree they claim to have? What if they have no work experience to speak of but claim to have 10 years worth? How do you spot such a person and avoid hiring them?
Lies Are Rehearsed and Sound Formal
According to Meyer, there are a few ways to do this. One is to pay attention to the language that the person is using. Liars, it seems, use more formal language. Obviously, they have prepared the lie in advance, so they don’t hesitate when telling it. So it may not contain any of those usual hesitations such as “like” or “you know” which we use in everyday life. And it may come across as rehearsed.
Shifty Eyes and Other Facial Expressions
Also, you expect a liar to have shifty eyes. But liars know this, so they will look straight into your eyes when lying. Additionally, you’ll find that their body language doesn’t agree with their words. They may shake their heads while saying “yes” or nod their heads while saying “no.” If you look carefully, you may even be able to detect a small smile on their face because they’re having so much fun fooling you! Turning up one corner of the lip might also indicate that they feel disgust rather than respect which is what you are looking for in a good employee.
Lie-Spotting and Background Checking
The fact is that lie-spotting is a complex process. But if, for some reason, your gut is telling you not to trust a person, think about whether they display any of the above behaviors and make your decision accordingly. Don’t forget to get a background check done as well.
