What is the Lie Detector Test and How to Pass it
When people hear the words ‘lie detector test’ or ‘polygraph test’, the first thing that comes to mind is that it is an assessment used to determine whether or not a criminal or someone suspicious is telling the truth, especially in legal proceedings or with the police.
Although those are the main areas on where a polygraph test is used, did you know that it is also utilized in the hiring process?
Surprising as it may sound, the polygraph test is actually included in the selection of would-be employees if the applicant is aiming for a civil service-type position or wants to get a career in law enforcement.
This is because such positions are involved in the area of public interest and public service, and giving the job to the wrong person will not only cause irreparable damage to the reputation of the agency but can also put the lives of people at risk.
The polygraph, sometimes also called the Truth Verification Test (TVT) or the Computer Voice Stress Analysis (CVSA), works by mapping out your physiological responses to see if you are lying while answering a question.
Unfortunately, there are also instances where hiring managers are forced to turn away promising candidates because their polygraph results weren’t satisfactory enough according to what is dictated in the rules of the agency.
The good news is that there are a number of tricks to pass the Lie Detector test that you can do to prevent this from happening to you and even improve your chances of being hired if done right.
Let’s take a look at the most effective ones to date.
Get plenty of rest as you can the day or night before
Since the results of the lie detector test will depend largely on your stress response and other bodily functions such as your blood pressure, heart rate, perspiration, and even breathing during your questioning, making sure that you are physically and mentally fit before the day of your polygraph exam should be your priority.
It’s already stressful knowing that you might not get a job if you make a mistake at some point in the hiring process, but you aren’t doing yourself any favors by going to the lie detector test exhausted.
Even if you are telling the truth, if the graph shows that you had a sudden stress spike while answering a particular question, the polygraph reader will most likely interpret this as evidence of you lying when in reality you were just suppressing a yawn or pinching your thigh to keep yourself awake.
By going to the exam fully rested and relaxed, your physiological responses are more likely to remain stable, thus allowing you to answer any questions with ease and confidence.
Read up on the questions and prepare your responses
Apart from taking the polygraph test tired, one of the biggest blunders that a candidate can do is to take the exam blind.
Sure, it’s not an exam in the usual sense since all the answers will depend on your work history and personal background, but many applicants fail the polygraph because they got thrown off by a strange question such as ‘‘Have you ever applied in an agency that is not listed in your work history?’ or ‘Have you ever stolen anything that is considered private property?”.
Just from the wording of the questions, you can see why the polygraph test is seen as a roadblock by job hunters.
For the first question, it is very likely that the applicant will panic and wonder if he forgot to mention that he tried to apply for a job at a different agency many years ago.
The same can be said for the second question because the applicant might get worried that them deciding to take home a receptionist’s pen of a hotel they stayed in a few months ago counts as them ‘stealing private property’.
As a result, it would be a good idea to do a bit of research on what questions the examiner might ask you so that you can prepare your answers well.
Memorize your personal and work history as much as you can
From here, you must understand that the lie detector test is not a standalone assessment because it will depend on the background investigation file that the agency will perform on you as well as what you have provided in your work and personal history during the application phase of the hiring process.
Whatever information you provided will be used as reference material and will be used against you.
Remember, once you enter the polygraph assessment phase, this means that the background investigator found no discrepancies and that you are a strong candidate for the job, you just need to pass the lie detector test and it will be smooth sailing from there.
If, however, your answers do not align with the information that you have provided, even if it’s just on a single question, then a number of red flags will be raised in the mind of the polygraph examiner.
After all, if it’s only now that they managed to find a discrepancy, then what else about you that you could have lied about or collaborated with other people to improve your chances of being hired?
Although missing one or two questions won’t be a problem, it will be detrimental if the answers that you provided in the polygraph are not in line with what you listed in your background information packet, life experience survey, or what the background investigator managed to put on your file.
So even if the detail is minor at best, try to remember everything that you provided so that the agency won’t have any reasons to deny you a job.
Enjoyed the article? You may also like this recent HRchat podcast episode