I accidently lied at a job interview....help!?

Question

in the one sentence he asked how much id expect/what did i get paid at my previous work, so i answered what i expect and he took it as what i got paid at my previous work which is ten grand more!! my question is, when he calls my referee, will he bring it up at all? or do you think its fine?

Answer 1

Generally referees don't discuss your rate of pay but that doesn't mean they definately won't check it.  But if they question it, say that you said that in response to what you expect to get at your next role.  Don't act like you have made a mistake or they will think you are unreliable.  Be confident about what you have told them.  You didn't actually lie.  And if they say "Well, we can't pay you that much more" then negotiate - always ask for more than you expect to get!

Answer 2

Previous employers do not give out salary info, unless you authorize it. So, you have nothing to worry about! Good luck!

Answer 3

You have nothing to worry about. Your salary at your previous employer cannot be revealed without your explicit consent. Although you list someone as a reference, they are not permitted to reveal personal information about you such as your address, phone number, ... and salary. They can only discuss your performance at that job.

You didn't lie and it's not a big deal if something is misunderstood in an interview. What does matter is if you outright lie. That's bad!!

Best,

-- Liam

Answer 4

While it's not a good practice in general to be un-truthful during an interview I wouldn't worry too much about this one.  First off it would be very odd if while checking your references that they confirm compensation with them.  Sometimes employers will ask if you can confirm your current compensation by requesting you provide a W-2, pay stubs, etc. but that is somewhat rare.