Is Honesty Always The Best Policy?
I have always been a very honest person. Dishonesty and other similar acts are actions I can not stand. I can not respect a person whom I know is dishonest. My general rule in life is to treat others as I expect to be treated. This is why I am always helping people. I hope that if I ever truly need help, someone like me, will be there to help me.
Reflecting on the past years efforts in job hunting, I have realized that there were likely a few factors which corresponded for myself not getting a job I was interviewing for. The biggest of these factors was my honesty. To give you an example, I will reference my very first job prospect. It came from someone reading my blog. He had seen my Aud article and the photos of the bomb robot, and read that I was interested in it.
As I learn’t more about the job, I did start to get excited. Basically I was to pilot a underwater exploration remote controlled submarine, in order to survey underwater tunnels, pipes and mines. Having had experience piloting airplanes, and a lot of technical knowledge, and good hand eye co-ordination – I seemed suited for the job. The position would of taken me around the world for field work, and many of the locations I would be working would require security clearance.
So one of the questions is if I had a record or any history which might preclude me from getting such clearance. The honest answer is no, I do not. My criminal records are completely clear in both the US and Canada. But I felt it was prudent to go a tad further and suggest that I have been caught trespassing a few times, however was never issued a citation. That and a few minor speeding tickets several years ago in Canada would be the only things potentially on my record. Even though I know none of those things ARE on my record.
I felt the need to be upfront with that information as I do not hide my past or who I am. If I were to get employed and I told a story of getting caught somewhere, they may have questioned my honesty in the interviewing process. Likewise the interviewer in this instance, already knew I was an urban explorer – as he did read of my adventures in the Aud.
Would I of passed security clearance? Yes most likely.
After that conversation, I did not hear much from the man. I assumed I killed any chance I had at that job, simply by being honest, and myself. I refuse to hide behind a mask and pretend to be someone I am not. In my reasoning, if an employer does not like who I am, then why bother even attempting to deal with that. It is better off to be myself and find out quickly, then to put on a false face and be living a lie, always trying to balance yourself, with some fictional personality.
In conclusion, I will always remain honest. I will not give into this whole “ten steps to success” thing that I get from these job sites, which suggest what I should say and such. That is not me.
I have 2 job interviews coming up in the next week or so… Wish me luck. I am also actually working now! I have a job at a medication delivery service, and it is not bad for now, however it does put a lo of mileage on the car. Also note, I seem to be picking up the job just fine, and I did not even have to interview for the job. They just let me be who I am… Imagine that. Sadly this does not pay much, and I will likely not be relying on this for steady income.
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