How to interview for integrity and other interviewing tips

This article is in response to a question from Brandon Hall, CEO from the The Real Estate CPA asking, “How do you identify whether a candidate shares your company’s values in the hiring process?” I started typing my response in the "reply" box and quickly reached the maximum response length so decided instead to turn this into a post.

This is a topic near and dear to my heart since I have hired >100 folks in my career as a hiring manager in various roles and companies. I believe in using behavioral interviewing questions (“tell me about a time when” questions) combined with a gut check to make the right choice. The principle of behavioral interviewing is that a candidate’s past decisions and actions are a good indicator of future decisions and actions. I also listen to my body and if an answer doesn't feel right, I continue asking follow-up questions to understand more.  

The process starts with you, the interviewer, and the questions you ask. You must determine what your company’s core values are and then structure the interview questions to evaluate those core values. Here are a few questions geared towards understanding a candidate’s experience with integrity:

• Tell me about a time when your integrity was challenged
• Tell me about a time when you experienced a loss for doing what you felt was right

I like to use the START method for capturing responses to questions (use active listening to restate the answer to ensure you fully capture the candidate’s responses):

• S = Situation – Which company and role does the example pertain to and what was the scene and pertinent details in the example
• T = Tension – what was the obstacle or issue the candidate overcame in the situation
• A = Action – what did the candidate do specifically (be mindful of their use of the word “we” and drill into what specific actions the candidate did in the situation, not their team members that the candidate might be claiming credit for) and what goal were they working towards in the example
• R = Result – what was the outcome of the candidate’s actions to the situation. Did they learn anything along the way, how did the situation end
• T = Takeaway – what would the candidate do differently in the same situation, were there any follow-up activities identified or completed as a result

My final piece of advice is to ask about the candidate’s hobbies and what they do for fun during the beginning part of the interview. This accomplishes two things:

• Allows me understand what the candidate’s passion is outside of work
• Allows me to understand their affect (the candidate is talking about what they like to due for fun, the tone they use will usually be the most excited they are going to be during the interview and is helpful for understanding if someone has a relatively flat affect)

Please let me know if you or your company would like to discuss further how I can assist in your interviewing and hiring process during this time of pivoting opportunities.