The Shocking Interview Question That Made My Jaw Drop

Our client Dierdre worked in city government for 25 years. "I went up and down in that job," she said. "At first I was learning a lot. Then I got bored, but I stuck around because of the job security.

"Then I was really sure I was going to quit my job and find something new, but my daughter had health problems and I stayed for the medical benefits."

Dierdre got laid off after 25 years on the job. There had already been three rounds of layoffs and her department had shrunk from 19 to 11 employees. Dierdre went to see her manager, Frank.

"Frank," said Dierdre, "I want to be on the list of people to be laid off if there are any more headcount reductions in our department."

"Why?" asked Frank. "I really need you. You do a great job."

"Frank, I don't want to sit around and wait to be laid off eventually," said Dierdre. "Gradually the city is outsourcing IT jobs. It's obvious. I might as well get on with my life. What can I do for you to make this a good deal for you?"

Frank said that if Dierdre would help him get a big project finished, he would put her on the list of people to be laid off in the next round of headcount reductions. Dierdre got laid off with four months of severance pay and no career plans.

"Now what?" Dierdre asked us. "What do you feel like doing next?" we asked her.

"I think I want to work in New Product Development," said Dierdre. "That's essentially what I've been doing, except I've been creating city services rather than traditional products."

"Interesting," we said. "Working in the city's IT department, you've been able to launch new services?" 

"Yep," said Dierdre. "I got on a task force years ago when we were coming up with new revenue-generating ideas, and I loved that kind of work. Since then I've been continuously involved in new product launches, and it turns out I'm good at it."

Dierdre rebranded herself. She was nervous that her 25 years of government experience would turn off private employers, so we wrote this Summary for Dierdre's Human-Voiced Resume:

I'm a Product Development Manager whose passion is to conceive and package consumer services and market them effectively. My products were responsible for $4M in revenue last year. If I can push big ideas through the City of Townsville bureaucracy, imagine what I can do for you!

Dierdre's title at the city had been "IT Analyst III." Government agencies have some of the worst job titles ever! That's okay -- Dierdre still got interviews. On a second interview for a Product Development job, Dierdre got a shock.

"I was meeting with the company's HR Director, the last person they assigned me to meet after a full day of interviews," said Dierdre.

"I had already met my hiring manager, Brenda, twice. We really hit it off. My last hurdle to surmount was an interview with Leo, the HR Director. Brenda warned me. 'Leo is old-school,' she said."

"So what happened in your talk with Leo?" we wanted to know.

"Leo asked me why I was job-hunting," said Dierdre. "I told him the story about Frank and the deal I made with him get on the layoff list at the city. Leo just stared at me like he couldn't take in what I was saying. Then he blurted out a question:

"Did that really happen, or are you lying?"

"Whoa!" we said. "What did you say?"

"I must have been feeling my mojo," said Dierdre. "I had my birthday last week. I turned 57. I heard Liz's voice in my head. I thought 'If they don't get you, they don't deserve you' and I told Leo the truth."

"How, exactly?" we asked, dying to hear.

"Like this," said Dierdre:

LEO: So, that sounds like a made-up story. Are you lying to cover up the fact that you were laid off?

DIERDRE: You ask a great question, Leo. Was I lying just then? That is an interesting question to ask. No, it's true what I told you -- I made a deal with my manager, Frank, to make sure that my name was on the layoff list. But you raise a good point. Anything I told you could be false. Anything you've told me could be false, too. There is a lot of trust in a job interview, isn't there? We both have to believe one another. If you think about it, why should you believe me? Why should I believe you? 

LEO (stiffly): :Well, sometimes people exaggerate.

DIERDRE: I'm sure that is true! Sometimes job-seekers exaggerate. They get fearful. Sometimes interviewers exaggerate. They get fearful, too.

LEO: What would an interviewer have to be afraid of?

DIERDRE: They might be afraid of making the wrong hiring decision. That could reflect badly on them. They might be afraid of getting in trouble if they don't serve as a recruiting expert to the hiring managers in their organization.

LEO: What's your point -- do you think I'm lying to you?

DIERDRE: I sure hope not! I trust you. I pretty much trust everyone until I learn that I shouldn't. I'm just pointing out that you've asked me a very strange question. You asked me "Are you lying?" That is not typically something we hear in conversations outside of police stations. 

LEO: You think I was wrong to ask you if you're lying?

DIERDRE: It's an unusual question. How would you feel if I asked you whether you were lying? Would you be comfortable with me asking you that question? 

LEO: Let's move on. So, have you and Brenda talked about compensation?

Dierdre could have gotten rattled and indignant with Leo. Obviously Leo is not a graduate of any Human Workplace Recruiting with a Human Voice courses. That's okay!

He is a fallible human. He got fearful when Dierdre told her story about asking to be laid off, because Leo could never imagine having enough confidence to ask his boss to terminate his employment.  He needs his job, not just for the money but for the identity his business card gives him. He'd be lost without it. 

Many people have the same problem. 

Leo was so taken aback by Dierdre's story that he could only assume that anyone who told her story must by lying. Leo is stuck in fear, as many working people are. Dierdre has stepped through her fear into confidence.

She had two weeks of severance pay left in her bank account when Brenda made Dierdre a job offer.

"The crazy thing is that I get along really well with Leo now," Dierdre told us after a few weeks on the job.

"On my first day of work, after the new employee orientation, Leo came to walk me to my department, and he said 'I'm sorry about that question I asked you during your interview.' I told him to forget about it."

"I have to give him credit for owning up to his mistake. I'm learning not to judge people, starting with myself!"