To Lie or Not to Lie: Debating the Validity of Job Interviews

Job interviews are the most common, and one of the most biased, ways of hiring people. However, because they are used so often, their validity is often not questioned. In this exercise, students debate whether candidates should lie in job interviews. The purpose of the exercise is to have students discover the inherent flaws in job interviews and give them the tools to critically evaluate any job assessment. Finally, they are tasked with designing more fair and effective hiring practices. The exercise uses the Reinventing Job Interview podcast by Adam Grant, along with the students’ own experiences, as the source material for the debate. Although students do not get to choose which side of the issue they must defend, their own experiences with job interviews and their moral attitudes towards lying make for a lively and engaging debate.