Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

When honesty pays at the workplace

What helped me get my first job? That’s almost 40 years ago, and I can’t remember exactly what I said or did that helped. But I would like to think that I answered every question honestly. Being honest always helps.

To be honest during an interview, you’ll need clarity on answering questions such as: What about this job do you love, and what you don't? Are you up to travelling 50 per cent of the time, or willing to work over weekends?

To be honest during an interview, you’ll need clarity on answering questions such as: What about this job do you love, and what you don't? Are you up to travelling 50 per cent of the time, or willing to work over weekends?

Follow TODAY on WhatsApp

What helped me get my first job?

That’s almost 40 years ago, and I can’t remember exactly what I said or did that helped. But I would like to think that I answered every question honestly. 

Being honest always helps. It can help in job interviews, boost your career by making you stand out, and grow trust between you and your colleagues and superiors.

BEING HONEST IN JOB INTERVIEWS

I remembered being interviewed for a role to develop leaders in General Electric (GE). 

I was surprised to be picked for the interview. I was then a civil servant applying for a role in the world’s most valuable company, led by one of the most admired chief executive officer — Jack Welch.

I thought I had zero chance of being selected. But what did I have to lose? So I just tried for the heck of it.

I read everything about GE, including what its critics said about it.

Then I practised answering all the questions they were likely to ask, prepared a couple of choice questions to ask them, dressed the part and arrived early for the interview.

I got the job — partly because of the preparations, but I think my honesty was what set me apart from the other candidates.

I was honest about the way I felt about GE and the CEO. I thought Welch’s leadership was phenomenal — he rallied 300,000 employees with a simple statement: Be #1 or #2, or fix it, sell it, close it.

I was also honest about my fear of not being able to transit from the public sector into GE.

But I also shared that my in-laws were an Englishwoman, a Sri Lankan, a Eurasian and my wife, a Filipina.

So, whilst others may talk about diversity and inclusiveness, I lived it every day. I explained that this open mindset could help me make a successful transition.

WILL HONESTY COST YOU A JOB OFFER?

To be honest during an interview, you’ll need clarity on answering questions such as: What about this job do you love, and what don't you love?

Are you up to travelling 50 per cent of the time, or willing to work over weekends?  

But will being honest cost you the job? Yes, it may.

So if you know that your lifestyle will not let you take a tough travel schedule, be honest and say you can’t do it.

But you can also let them know how much travel you can do and how remote management can allow you to lead teams and get the job done while reducing cost and increasing productivity.

At the worst, you spare yourself and the company an unwanted parting of ways. At best, you and the hiring manager find a solution and you’ll get an offer.

Notably, dishonesty can get people in big trouble.

High profile cases include Yahoo’s boss, Scott Thompson, who lied about having a computer science degree and paid the ultimate price for getting caught — his job and reputation.

It’s also not uncommon for mid-level staff to be found to be dishonest.  

A person I know who had served in a company for 25 years was fired because she cheated on her educational results.

While this may not reflect who the person is today or has anything to do with her performance, the company had a clear policy for this — termination.

ARE YOU BEING NAIVE?

Being honest is different from being naïve, though the line can be fine.

If a hiring manager asks: “If I offer you the job right now, what would you say?”

My response, “When can I start?”

Do I mean it? No. 

Is that being dishonest? No, because the hiring manager is asking a hypothetical question and is not expecting an “honest” answer.

He is expecting a savvy answer.

Anything less than a resounding yes indicates you are not completely committed to accepting this job. Then why would the hiring manager make you his #1 candidate?

HONESTY AND STANDING OUT

Many are naturally uncomfortable with self-promotion or boasting about their achievements.

But it should not discourage high-achievers to be honest about who they are and why they are successful.

They impress because they effectively sell their ideas and articulate the benefits of their projects clearly.

And the ones who clearly stand out have one special X factor: They always communicate honestly. They use facts, they don’t embellish and they own up when they make a mistake.

So, don’t let a flawed understanding of being honest limit your growth and career. Being honest does not mean you have to give up being impressive too.

HONESTY IN ORGANISATIONAL COMMUNICATION

There is much truth in what management guru Spencer Johnson says: “Integrity is telling myself the truth and honesty is telling the truth to other people.”

That’s why effective organisations communicate as soon as they know something’s wrong. It is far better that they break the news rather than it be picked up and presented via social media.

An example is the Virgin Galactic test flight crash in 2014. One pilot died while the other was injured.  

The Virgin Group shared details quickly, showed genuine concern for the pilots and their families. And Richard Branson was at the scene of the incident and took ownership.

Their message of not wanting the pilot to die in vain resonated well with the public. "Space is hard — but worth it. We will persevere and move forward together."

More recently, Shell Singapore announced that it is shedding 38 per cent of the workforce — 500 jobs, by 2023 — at its Pulau Bukom refinery.

"Bukom will pivot from a crude-oil, fuels-based product slate towards new low-carbon value chains. We will reduce our crude processing capacity by about half and aim to deliver a significant reduction in CO2 emissions," the company said. 

A Shell spokesperson added that the earliest staff movement related to the reorganisation will only be in the fourth quarter of 2021.

In both examples, Virgin Galactic and Shell Singapore communicated the news quickly, with honesty, compassion and gave reasons, not excuses. They took responsibility.

The lesson: It’s not just about who said it, what was said or how it was said. Above all, it’s whether the words came across as honest and are followed up by action.

Being honest isn't always the easiest thing but it's often the right thing, at work and in life. Like many, I would never choose when to be honest and when to be "less honest". I am honest, period.  

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

David Wee was formerly head of GE’s Leadership Development in Asia Pacific, Johnson & Johnson’s Chief Learning Officer and the Chief Talent Officer for the Sinar Mas Group. He currently serves as an advisory board member at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Complex Choices and as a council advisor for Avanz.

CLARIFICATION:

An earlier version of this commentary stated that Shell Singapore announced that it is shedding 38 per cent of its workforce, or 500 jobs, by 2023. The company has clarified that the job cuts are to its workforce at its Pulau Bukom refinery.

Related topics

work workplace values interview

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.