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All IT staffing firms would certainly agree that honesty is important in interviews for IT jobs.  If you’re not honest as a candidate or the company is dishonest, you’ll wind up in a job you’re not able to do well or are unhappy in.  Nobody wins in this case– not the hiring managers, candidate, or IT staffing agencies and IT recruiters. There are some times when it’s best to walk the line between honesty and editing yourself, though.  Here are two instances in interviews when technical recruiters would advise you to be honest, but edit yourself.

First is when your priority is your family, not work.  Most IT staffing companies and hiring managers know that it’s likely your family time is more precious to you than time spent at work.  However, you don’t have to say this out loud.  It underscores the point too much and might scare off the interviewer.  Most interviewers won’t ask about this topic anyways.  In this case it’s all the better to avoid making strong statements about how you prioritize family over work.

Second is when you’re leaving a job because your boss or coworkers were difficult to deal with.  Again, this is the kind of thing that IT recruiting companies know happens.  However, when you speak ill of a boss or colleagues, you make a poor impression on interviewers.   There are a few reasons for this, but the most important is that it’s hard for them to know if your complaints are valid. Keep the conversation positive and focus on what you’re looking for in your next job.