The Confessions

"I wrote a negative anonymous review of my former employer that was not entirely fair. I was angry when I wrote it. That review is still up there and still affecting their recruitment. I have considered removing it and have not."

"I claimed expenses that were not entirely legitimate for about eighteen months. Small amounts, nothing dramatic. I stopped when a colleague was investigated for something similar. The fear of being caught was greater than my conscience, which tells me something about who I was then."

"I interviewed someone for a position I knew had already been filled internally. HR required us to go through a process. I sat across from someone who had clearly prepared extensively and answered every question brilliantly. I shook their hand at the end and said we would be in touch."

"I took credit for a piece of work my junior colleague produced almost entirely on her own. My manager praised me in front of the whole team. She was in the room. I said nothing to correct it. She left the company three months later and I have always wondered if that moment contributed."

"I lied on my CV about a qualification I do not have. That was twelve years ago. I have since become genuinely excellent at the job. But the lie is still there at the foundation of my entire career and sometimes it feels like the whole thing could collapse."