246. Career catfishing, outrageous interview hacks and recognition at work. PLUS! The truth behind the 10,000 hours rule.

It’s time for another This Week in Work — your Tuesday round-up of workplace news, research and real-world dilemmas. Hosted by Leanne Elliott, Chartered Occupational Psychologist, and Al Elliott, business owner.

This week: fake job ads, clever interview hacks, the power of recognition, and whether it really takes 10 000 hours to master anything.

🔥 Stories Covered

Career Catfishing Nearly 80 percent of workers say they’ve been misled during hiring. The job they took wasn’t the job they got. Broken promises break trust fast.
Source: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/nearly-80-us-workers-victims-183000581.html

Why People Keep Giving MSc researcher Mary Luu found volunteers who give the most often feel happiest — because meaning and recognition matter more than reward.
Source: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trambaoluu/

Interview Hack or Workplace Deception?
A Reddit user says calling employers and claiming “I was told to schedule my interview” landed five callbacks. Smart or dishonest? It’s forcing everyone to rethink how hiring really works.
Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/InterviewCoderPro/comments/1ohsuq9/i_started_calling_companies_and_saying_i_was_told

🧠 Truth or Lie — The 10 000-Hour Rule

Does it truly take 10 000 hours to master something?
Psychologist K. Anders Ericsson’s research showed practice matters — but not that hours alone guarantee mastery. Quality, feedback and context count more than time.
Verdict: mastery takes effort and structure, not a stopwatch.

💬 Workplace Surgery

• Should you give a Christmas bonus or gift?
• How do you present a strategy you don’t believe in?
• What do you do when a new hire is 40 minutes late on day one?

🎧 Coming Up Thursday

Dr Ryan Martin — better known as The Anger Professor — joins Leanne and Al to explore how we can hack our emotions to perform better in life and work.

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being

– Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/
– Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork
– Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
– Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
– Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
– Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat