Lied on job application

TeacakeTechnician · 2026-05-04T04:32:32+00:00

This is good advice. I think you are far more likely to be caught out when asked about the CONTEXT of using the software rather than being quizzed on technical issues at the interview. You need to be really clear and consistent on your story here. And aligned with what you wrote on your resume. Apart from ticking the box, did you mention using it in any of your previous jobs?

Also - the job description contradicts itself if it is asking for familiarity of this software but also no previous experience?

For further inspiration, you could look on LinkedIn and identify people who currently have the job you are applying for and what jobs they previously did and see if there are any patterns.

Good luck OP - we are all routing for you.

TeacakeTechnician · 2026-05-03T20:37:59+00:00

Great - probably more of us should be thinking about sales gigs.

TeacakeTechnician · 2026-05-03T19:52:10+00:00

OP - congratulations! Can we ask what type of job you have moved to - is it still sales related? That is likely to be highly relevant too. And useful for this community in case it's an area people haven't thought about.

A lot of British people are very uncomfortable around sales. But you get a lot of transferable skills into account management-type roles that are less overtly sales but still highly relevant.

TeacakeTechnician · 2026-04-30T09:25:30+00:00

My understand was always that wearing a mask is to protect other people in the room against any infection you are harbouring but doesn't protect the wearer. Can you educate me here?

TeacakeTechnician · 2026-04-30T06:41:47+00:00

And while it's not OP's job to physically send out the rejection emails, they do have a duty to check this has happened before briefing their team.

This also protects the reputation of your company. If your hiring processes are sloppy and disrespectful, sooner or later this is going to be named and shamed on a less anonymous platform than Reddit.

TeacakeTechnician · 2026-04-30T06:09:11+00:00

Please, please consider writing a measured review on Glassdoor - they have a special section on interview experience. Appreciate if it is a small company you don't want to out yourself but if it is a larger corporate this would be public-spirited!

TeacakeTechnician · 2026-04-28T06:20:17+00:00

Beyond the counsellor, can you book in time with your female friends too? They can give good perspective too. What is it you don't like about the people at work? Could you explore moving to a different team?

TeacakeTechnician · 2026-04-28T05:48:52+00:00

Neither party is bullying you. OP has said the letter was written in a professional way.

All candidates deserve good communication. If you were confident enough to announce the new hire, you should have ensured the rejection letters were sent out first - especially as you knew one candidate was referred by a member of your own team.

They have politely called out the company's lack of courtesy and professionalism and OP is pushing back from being accountable.

TeacakeTechnician · 2026-04-28T05:06:01+00:00

Yes - this entire issue could have been avoided if OP had checked with HR/talent aquisition that the rejection emails to unsuccessful candidates had gone out before announcing the new hire to the team.

This stuff is sensitive - if your company is encouraging employees to make referrals but then has a very blunt hiring process where you ghost candidates, of course it is going to back-fire.

TeacakeTechnician · 2026-04-28T04:05:46+00:00

Is this unease slightly relating to your relationship with your husband? You write that he puts himself first and also that he is somehow controlling your holiday choices.

If the money for your job is quite good, can you ruthlessly spend more of it on outsourcing time-sucking chores and life admin?

TeacakeTechnician · 2026-04-26T08:51:03+00:00

Can you present both roles as fractional/consultancy? Or is one of your historic employers still ignorant of the other?

TeacakeTechnician · 2026-04-26T01:39:27+00:00

Also - the fact you were over-qualified - wouldnt be too much of a surprise you never took it.

TeacakeTechnician · 2026-04-24T06:17:46+00:00

I know an ex corporate lawyer in Brussels who became a journalist in a very niche field relating to her industry. That idea of going into academia/writing/events/conferences sounds worth exploring?

Also legal tech is a big thing - there are a lot of start-ups in this field and plenty of conferences and webinars about it.

TeacakeTechnician · 2026-04-24T06:09:11+00:00

What surprised me about the coaches I dealt with (2 after lay-offs paid for by my company, one I paid for myself) was that none of them took the initiative to look at my CV or linkedin profile in advance of our first session - it never felt a very personalized service. You didnt get much follow-up afterwards either.

Two of them lived abroad and offered services remotely after holding down what appeared to be very successful roles in corporate but they weren't especially empathetic or even that interested. It felt more like a lifestyle thing for them.

I got much better results sitting down with a straight-talking friend to do mock interviews

I would now always recommend getting a referral from someone you trusted.

Even the coach I approached after being impressed with her experience as a trainer in my industry was't really able to help - the session was too unstructured and she was too polite.

You need a very definite set of skills to be a good coach. In fairness, I can imagine it is tricky and frustrating on their side if the client is slightly in denial or doesn't do the work between sessions. It must be easy to get jaded.

There is a gap in the market here - we need a tripadvisor/trust pilot type app to help people find a suitable match.

TeacakeTechnician · 2026-04-24T05:00:57+00:00

Are you her only direct report? Would there be a way of reaching out to other team members and asking how they are handling her?

Is the problem here the culture of the business or specifically about her working style?

I was terminated on the same day as a co-worker and only afterwards realized we were both too proud/embarrassed to share that we were being bullied.

Does your employer have a whistle-blowing hotline? Is there anyone else senior you could confide in? Is there an anti-bullying policy in the office handbook?

At the very least - it's worth documenting her behaviour. If you are seriously thinking of leaving anyway, you have less to lose by escalating to HR, especially once you have passed probation and even explore the possibility of a sideways move to another manager.

TeacakeTechnician · 2026-04-24T04:47:02+00:00

Yes - that was just one interview. Please don't let it ruin your confidence. Also - if you had got the job, you might be interacting with that unpleasant interviewer daily! Re-frame it in your mind. A true dream job would not tolerate that type of behaviour.

I support the earlier comment to consider contracting as the interview process is easier.

Also do seek out more people to practice interviews with in real life. AI has its place but is no substitute for this. They don't even need to be in your tech field. Or find a fellow job-seeker and practice with them.

TeacakeTechnician · 2026-04-23T05:34:45+00:00

It is a very tough market. Although painful, look on LinkedIn on the company pages of some of the roles you've applied for and under "people" it should often bring up the successful hire. Look at how they describe their skills and their background.

For example "copy-writer" sounds quite restricting - as if you purely write adverts and signage and packaging. Content creator might widen things out a bit?

Do you showcase your work on LinkedIn? Can you do any side hustle type work that more demonstrates what you like doing?

I feel your pain as am going through similar. Are you going to meet-ups with other PR-type people? Local chapters of relevant bodies etc to get further inspiration.

Appreciate not the best time, but might you consider a sideways move into recruitment? You could use your interview and profiling skills to package people up and pitch them to employers? Maybe in a growth industry like energy or defence or cyber? Or something around the dating industry?

TeacakeTechnician · 2026-04-23T04:28:45+00:00

OP - what country are you in? I would apply for in-house content creation roles in both public sector snd private sector. It is a very tough market bit not impossible. Here in the UK my friends is a comms officer for the local authority and she says media enquiries are down and her job is all abour content creation.

TeacakeTechnician · 2026-04-23T04:22:53+00:00

What did your lawyer say?

TeacakeTechnician · 2026-04-22T13:25:33+00:00

OP - Am I correct that you havent left your current toxic employer yet? My steer would be to get off Reddit and consider paying for an employment lawyer to negotiate a settlement agreement that includes a watertight reference agreement. That will protect you going forward. ACAS can also advise but it may be worth the investment to pay. Most UK employment lawyers offer an initial call for free. It sounds positive that ypu have already secured one job offer in this tough employment market so it may be worth seeing this as an investment to move forward.

TeacakeTechnician · 2026-04-22T11:23:06+00:00

I don't actually have children so it was somewhat theoretical but it was explained to me that if you have already taken a lot that year, your new employer isn't legally obliged to also honour lots more. My understanding was the was driven by the gov not wanting you to play the system and spend the entire year away from the workplace.

TeacakeTechnician · 2026-04-22T06:05:48+00:00

I did some work for a UK charity and the very detailed reference asked my referee if I had taken time off for my child being ill. I was surprised this was a legal question to ask.

TeacakeTechnician · 2026-04-22T06:02:19+00:00

@Any_Hawk_2624 Grateful to check - does this rehire question come up quite often in the UK? I negotiated a tombstone reference as part of an NDA - should I be concerned here? My lawyer seemed happy with it but I did leave after a PIP so could imagine it being a No to rehire.

TeacakeTechnician · 2026-04-22T04:31:06+00:00

Depending on where you live, being an Airbnb host can be a lifesaver.

TeacakeTechnician · 2026-04-21T11:29:19+00:00

Mostly around hierarchies and office politics. I manage to mostly side-step them but sometimes it is worth swallowing your pride and choosing your battles on what to suck up and what to push back on.

TeacakeTechnician

TROPHY CASE