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From: marty1@houdi.UUCP (M.BRILLIANT)
Newsgroups: misc.jobs.misc,comp.misc
Subject: Re: Lieing to get a job
Message-ID: <1319@houdi.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 22-Sep-87 10:47:48 EDT
Article-I.D.: houdi.1319
Posted: Tue Sep 22 10:47:48 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 24-Sep-87 06:21:23 EDT
References: <957@bc-cis.UUCP> <1839@tekig5.TEK.COM> <158@tijc02.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Holmdel
Lines: 30
Summary: Could you answer their real question?
Xref: mnetor misc.jobs.misc:728 comp.misc:1285

In article <158@tijc02.UUCP>, pjs269@tijc02.UUCP writes:
> When I was interviewing for a job ...
> One of the questions on the application was (paraphrased):
> 
> 	Would you be willing to work on a defense contract?
> 
> I answered this question honestly as "no".  During the interview the
> interviewer spent five minutes asking me why.....

> ....  If I had enough time in
> an interview I would be able to show the interviewer I was not a
> communist and could be a benefit to their company.  But the question
> "why" is impossible to answer in a thirty minute interview.

The interviewer's real question was not "why?" but "is your answer an
evasion to hide something that would prevent you from getting DOD
clearance, and might interfere with your job?"  To be successful in any
negotiation, you have to figure out what the other person's real
problem is, and answer that.  Of course, if your answer to the real
question is a lie, you will have more problems later.

Example: apparent question is "do you have experience in X?"  If the
real question was "can you solve our problems with X?" you will have no
trouble if you lie to the apparent question.  But if your answer is
checked with your references, there was another real question you
didn't know about.  You can't tell for sure.

M. B. Brilliant					Marty
AT&T-BL HO 3D-520	(201)-949-1858
Holmdel, NJ 07733	ihnp4!houdi!marty1