Would you lie in a job interview?

I just returned from a long job interview that took me no less than 3 hrs. They gave me a job application form to fill in and the question "What's your religion?" was in it. I almost got a nervous break down, I felt tempted to write Jehovah Witness but thought it would be more interesting to put "None". The reason why I didn't wrote Atheist is because Atheism is not a religion, so basically I don't have a religion. If they were asking me whether I believe in god(s) then I would have answered I'm an Atheist but I think that is none of their bussiness.

Anyway now my friends and family members say that I should've wrote I'm a Catholic... But that is a small progress that I didn't put Atheist (4 years ago I was asked about Euthanasia and I said I agree with it and the recruiter sent me home lol). I know that there won't be any sort of punishment for me if I lied about that issue and that I would actually get a benefit from it, but I don't feel like going around saying I'm something I am not just to please some random person who doesn't even know me.

Or maybe is because is not a matter of live or death.

So.. would you lie about your atheism to get a job?

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Permalink Reply by Freek on June 30, 2012 at 4:02am

I live in the Netherlands, and when I had a job interview about a year ago the question came up as part of them wanting to know my personality a bit better.

The thing was, I had been reading a few stories on this site about people having had problems being Atheist at their jobs, so I'd be lying if I said that question didn't raise my heartbeat a bit :)

Anyway, I told them then that I didn't really believe, and that religion wasn't making much sense to me.

btw, it turned out that I wouldn't have had to worry anyway. about 90% of the department where I work is in various forms of Atheism.

Permalink Reply by James Cox on June 30, 2012 at 3:30pm

I guess it question could go the other way, maybe they only want atheists to relate to, might make the office air sweeter!

Permalink Reply by Gabriela Menicucci on June 30, 2012 at 3:33pm

Freek I thought that in the Netherlands they didn't ask that question because a good part of the population is Atheist. I'm glad saying the truth worked out, you imagine saying that you are a christian and not getting the job?

Permalink Reply by Freek on July 1, 2012 at 2:25am
I really doubt they care much about which religion a sollicitant has. In my department are at least one practicing Christian and one practicing Muslim. And they got a job without problem as well.
Permalink Reply by kOrsan on June 30, 2012 at 4:04am

Sure I'll lie. The joke's on them.

Permalink Reply by Heather Spoonheim on June 30, 2012 at 7:02am

About 15 years ago I had an interview with a company that wrote industry-specific software.  The owners, two brothers, conducted the interview and made a point in the middle of it to tell me that their business was a 'family business'.  I said that since I knew they were brothers and the owners that that seemed a little obvious.  They then clarified, "What we mean is that this is a family oriented business, we like to uphold family values and we feel Christianity offers the best foundation for this."  I stood up, reached across the table, shook their hands and said, "Good luck with that," and walked out.

I would lie about a LOT of things in a job interview to get the job, but pretending to have a religion is not one of them.

Permalink Reply by Gabriela Menicucci on June 30, 2012 at 3:34pm

That takes a lot courage Heather, is like telling someone "No you are not breaking up with me, I'M breaking up with you".

Permalink Reply by Heather Spoonheim on June 30, 2012 at 4:30pm

It doesn't really take courage, just some honesty with myself as well as them.  There was simply no way that I could have spent more than a week in a place where people spoke regularly about their relationship with Jesus without telling them they were bullshit filled theotards.  What would be the point of even taking a job like that?

Permalink Reply by Unseen on June 30, 2012 at 8:58am

While it's true that "two wrongs don't make a right," savvy job interviewers will use various sorts of devious stratagems to trick people applying for work to reveal things about themselves that many world say are none of the company's business.

For example, if you go into the interviewer's office and they have numerous pictures of children, the idea may be to get you to say something like, "You have lovely children. I have four kids under 12." This is gold for the interviewer because you might as well be saying "I'll be needing a lot of time off to take my kids to the doctor, to attend afternoon soccer matches, to attend to my kids when they are sick," etc.

They may walk you out to your car, not to be nice but to see what kind of car you drive. If it's a wreck or if it appears to be a car you couldn't possibly afford in your circumstances, this could count against you.

Now, I'm not saying I would lie in a job interview, just that you need to view it as somewhat adversarial and think about the effect of what you reveal in it.

Permalink Reply by Gabriela Menicucci on June 30, 2012 at 3:47pm

LOL that one of taking you to your car to kow what you drive is a good one, is even useful for when you are dating someone, excellent.

Permalink Reply by Dale Headley on June 30, 2012 at 2:15pm

I would WANT to answer “atheist,” if only to show that I’m proud of it.  The correct answer, though, would be “none.”  In any event, I would NEVER lie.  I wouldn’t lose sleep over losing out on a job.  But I would lose sleep over realizing that I was a coward, willing to sacrifice my self respect over something as transitory as getting a job.

Permalink Reply by Unseen on June 30, 2012 at 2:46pm

You could say you're a Dawkinsian.

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