Back to getting the job...or not. In my position as Human Resource officer I have conducted a handful of interviews and you will be amazed at just how silly some people can be in their attempt to keep every thing honest. Don't get me wrong I like everything laid out on the table, but in my opinion you lay your cards all out when you've got all the aces.
So what do I propose you do?
Fake it!!! Until you make it.
For instance I am currently trying to recruit for the position of HR/ADMIN officer, and if it were left to me alone, as a psychologist, I would pick the best fit for the job from among the candidates who have come in thus far. But its not up to me alone, because also seated during these interview sessions is the External HR Consultant and my COO....and my MD at the last stage. Yes ke...it is a very sensitive position.
My concern is this, those with all the ability to do the job well and learn and grow with the organization if selected, are the ones who decide that honesty is the way to go. No!!! your employer wants to know what you know about the role, what you have done in that position and how you will be of value in filling this vacant position in their organization. Yes its not your fault that the operations in your former company (for instance in HR/ADMIN) differ greatly from this new company, but it is not for you to point it out...eg:
''...well I didn't handle that part of human resources, we had a recruiter for that, and also we had a lady in charge of handling personnel benefits and rewards, training/development was at the discretion of management and they initiated it...what I do in my current company is personnel management, making sure the payroll bla bla bla and they come to work on time or initiate disciplinary action bla bla''
That's the point, you don't have to be painfully honest!!! because if thats your response above, you therefore don't know
''...part of my job description includes recruitment, where by it is my responsibility to match suitable personnel for any vacant position in the organization, personnel training and development are also key areas in my function and this I do side by side with management by identifying areas where staff can be trained to better improve on their job to give them a competitive edge... I also am in charge of payroll administration and I do this together with the financial manager to ensure that tax, pension, loans and any other deductions are properly done. I have an assistant who is in charge of health insurance for staff as well as the other insurances, I oversee his work etc etc etc'
Now note... these are some of the functions of Human Resource Management, you can subtly leave out Strategy planning and all those other harder stuff, but come on don't tell us you were not hands on the common areas of the job and you expect we would say 'no problem, thanks for your honesty, you got the job' no be so ooo.
Every employer as much as possible want to know that you are coming in to add value, if they have to train you on the common aspects of the job, then they might as well train someone already within the organization. Your prospective employer need to have confidence in your ability to do the job even better than the last person did.
It is your job to know about the job functions of the title you bear (Mechanical Engineer, Chemical Engineer, HR professional, Business Development Manager etc)....so talk your title. Whether or not you were responsible for every aspect of the job in your former place is of no consequence to your new employer... TALK EVERY ASPECT...
I don't think that is being dishonest. Do you?
Nutty Jay
