Through our experience in hiring key talent over the past 20 years, we’ve learned that integrity is one of the most important attributes to hire for.
If someone looks perfect on paper but is unethical, then they’re not going to be someone you’ll be able to fully trust and will likely lead to problems later on down the line.
So, here are 4 questions you can ask to find a candidate with integrity.
1. What values do you appreciate the most in a team environment?
When you find a candidate with integrity, they’ll often talk about values of trust, honesty, fairness and transparency.
2. What would your current/past manager say makes you most valuable to them?
Someone with a high standard of integrity will not only talk about their skills on the job but will also emphasise the strong relationships they build, their openness and trustworthiness on a team.
3. When was the last time you “broke the rules”? What was the situation and what did you do?
Someone with integrity will talk about righting their wrongs and being open with others about their misbehavior. If they tried to hide it or show no remorse for their behavior, then that would be an immediate red flag.
4. Describe a situation where you saw an employee or co‐worker do something you thought was inappropriate. What did you do?
This is a question where you’re really going to have to look out for a lie. Of course, everyone’s going to try to paint a picture that they spotted something inappropriate and did the right thing, but are they really telling the truth?
You’ll know by watching their body and verbal communication:
- Are they constantly stumbling and searching for the next thing to say, or are they calmly and confidently speaking?
- Are they looking you in the eye and behaving calmly, or are they fidgeting and looking away?