C’mon, let the first person who hasn’t lied on their résumé throw the first stone. And if my boss is reading this, no, they aren’t, because I actually did not lie on mine (seriously, I didn’t). But everyone has told a little white lie at some point.
For instance, saying you’re proficient in Excel when, in reality, you’ve only used it twice during that tech class in high school. And sometimes, these little white lies will actually land you the job, but the real problem comes later: when they ask you to put that “knowledge” into practice. In today’s story, this kind of lie actually ended up involving HR, so here’s what happened.
Read more: Reddit
Everyone might lie on their résumé, but it's not every day that our job depends on a skill that we claim to have
Image credits: katemangostar / Magnific (not the actual photo)
A man told his future manager, during an interview, that he was fluent in Spanish, when all he actually knew were basic sentences that he'd learned in high school
Image credits: DC Studio / Magnific (not the actual photo)
The job ended up actually needing fluent Spanish due to the sheer amount of Spanish-speaking guests at the hotel, and the man became the resident translator
Image credits: dragonimages / Magnific (not the actual photo)
Despite only knowing a few sentences, he was still the best they had, and the man managed to fool them just enough to stay there for 8 months
Image credits: Ambreen / Magnific (not the actual photo)
But one day, during a busy and chaotic workday, his language skills were put to the test by a family, and he wasn't able to help them at all, exposing his lack of Spanish skills
Imge credits: Marcus_Guy
After another customer jumped in and saved the situation, the man was actually called for an HR meeting, which would tell him if he still had the job
The hilarious story today is told by a hotel staff worker, our Original Poster, who admitted he’s in a bit of a work pickle. As it turns out, during the interview process for his job, the manager asked him if he spoke Spanish, since most of the guests were Spanish-speaking. The OP apparently said yes, because he'd taken two years of Spanish in high school, and then indirectly became the hotel’s translator.
However, he explains that whenever a guest came in speaking Spanish, he would pull out his best Dora the Explorer impersonation, using basic sentences he’d learned over time and through the show. Still, he was the staff member who knew Spanish best, which ultimately led everyone to believe he was absolutely fluent in the language. Apparently, he knew just enough to be understood by Spanish-speaking guests.
One day, though, chaos ensued in the hotel lobby. A Spanish-speaking family had their flight canceled and a clogged toilet, so amid all the confusion, they sought help. Obviously, the staff pointed them to the OP, the resident translator, but they weren’t the usual happy-go-lucky guests he normally dealt with. They were nervous, talking fast, and expecting answers he simply didn’t have.
So when he resorted to his typical one-liners, the family became increasingly upset, thinking they were being made fun of. Eventually, a bilingual guest was forced to intervene, and everyone realized the OP wasn’t as fluent as they had thought. After the incident, he was called in to speak with HR, expecting to be promptly fired, but no further updates were given.
Image credits: katemangostar / Magnific (not the actual photo)
If you actually think the OP is in the wrong for lying on his résumé, you might be surprised to learn that studies show 64.2% of Americans have admitted to lying on their résumé at least once in their lives. Apparently, these lies often take the form of exaggeration, such as claiming fluency in a language when they aren’t, or embellishing other skills, much like our narrator today.
His two years of Spanish may have also led him to develop what psychologists call the “Dunning-Kruger effect.” This phenomenon happens when people overestimate their skills or knowledge in a specific area. In this case, he believed his language skills would never actually be put to use and that he could get away with knowing just the basics, which he did for eight months. But ultimately, everyone got a reality check.
So what exactly could he have done in this situation? Well, he could have tried to actually learn Spanish once he realized he needed it, especially since basic Spanglish phrases wouldn’t cut it during a crisis. Linguists point out that while it may take a few years for an English speaker to become fully fluent in Spanish, most people can reach a conversational level within six to seven months of consistent daily practice.
Ultimately, the OP had enough time to improve and polish his Spanish skills, and netizens definitely took note of that. Many questioned whether it had ever crossed his mind to properly learn the language, and in some comments, he admitted he didn’t want to because he had been getting by with what he already knew. So, what would you have done in this situation? Come clean immediately, or learn as you go?
Netizens found the situation hilarious, but ultimately defended that the man could have simply polished his language skills during those months
