Let’s face the truth. We are all looking for shortcuts. Hardworking isn’t the name of the game anymore. Work smart, not hard, the gurus say. It is a sad culture we live in, and very fake too, because law of action and reaction cannot be broken. Unless you work hard, and follow the basic rules of ethics and morality, the results simply won’t come. Anyway, I do not want to be overly philosophical here. Hiring managers try to understand how you deal with ethical challenges.
Will you do the right thing, or will you simply do anything that benefits you, and makes your job easier, regardless of the consequences it has on others? The questions they use to understand your attitude better are questions such as “Share an ethical dilemma you faced”, or “Tell me about a time you had to comply with a policy you didn’t agree with”. Let’s dive into this!
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The Basics
- Most common interview questions belonging to this area: Describe a time when you faced an ethical dilemma. Tell us about a time when you were asked to do something that was in conflict with your values.
- Less common questions belonging to the area: Tell us about a time when you had to comply with a policy or procedure you did not agree with. Can you recall any situation when your integrity and honesty were tested? Have you ever experienced a situation in which you felt it was better not to tell the truth?
- Out of 10 random jobs, in how many cases will this area be tested during the hiring process: 3/10. Not that common, but definitely one you do not want to skip in your preparation. Senior managers and people with power face temptation more often than employees with lower ranks, but each of us deals with ethical challenges at least from time to time, regardless of their job. That’s why you may face this questions interviewing for any job, ranging from very basic roles to executive positions.
- Difficulty: 4/5. A fairly difficult question. Many people struggle to come up with any example situation. What’s more, in big corporations the limits between what’s ethical and not often blur, because profit is the only God the shareholders believe into. But I will try to explain all these nuances and demonstrate them on sample answers with my comments to each one.
- Main goals of the hiring managers with questions belonging to this area: Learning whether you work with your eyes open, or are ignorant to things happening around you. Understanding your attitude to ethical challenges and how you deal with them. Testing the levels of your honesty and integrity.
- Your main goals with answers to questions belonging to this area: Demonstrating that you aren’t ignorant to ethical challenges. Convincing them that you will do the right thing when your integrity is tested. In some cases showing that you can actually turn a blind eye to minor breach of rules, be it for a ‘greater good’ (understand more profit for your employer).
6 sample answers
Sample answer no. 1: An intern talking about their integrity being challenged in a big corporation:
The one I remember is from my internship in a big corporation. For one reason or another, the manager liked me more than they did like other team members. Maybe it was something personal, I cannot say. They praised me a lot in front on others, but they actually gave me credit even for things I have not done–other team members deserved the credit for them. You know, everyone likes words of praise–me included. It was super tempting to let it be, which would lead to an interesting promotion sooner or later. But I also knew it wasn’t the right thing to do, since there were more skilled marketers and analysts in the team, and they did not get the praise they deserved. Hence I talked to the manager, and also stood up in the meetings and gave credit where it was due. Eventually my internship ended, and I wasn’t one of the interns who got the offer for a full time job. But it is how it is, and I am glad to have my conscious clear, and to have done the right thing.
- Quick thing to notice here: A nice and simple example of doing the right, ethical thing. What’s more, we have no way of telling whether the situation is real or fictive. The only thing that’s certain is that the applicant wasn’t offered a full time job after their internship–otherwise they would not be interviewing for a job with us. Other than that the situation can be completely fictive. Nevertheless, they showed the right attitude, and that they are ready to stand for their colleagues and for the causes they support.
Sample answer no.2: Talking about ethical challenges at school related to artificial intelligence:
This is my first job application, but I remember quite a few ethical challenges I faced at school. You know how it goes nowadays–one has artificial intelligence at their disposal, and it can help you a lot with your homework, or even with your thesis. Sure it is super tempting to abuse it, perhaps let it write the entire paper, or at least a part of it. And then we have cheating in exams and similar things that have been around for a long time. However, for me going to school was never only about earning a degree. I really wanted to learn something, improve on my writing and research skills, and so on. Hence I faced these ethical challenges and never really cheated. And I am proud of that, and you can be sure I want to stick to the same practice in my job.
- Quick thing to notice here: Another quick and easy example that everyone can use in the interviews. You simply didn’t cheat at exams, didn’t use AI to write your papers. True or false? We cannot tell, only you know… But in an interview your goal is to show the right attitude and score points for your interview answer, and this one will definitely do… What I like is the way the applicant explains why they opted for a hard way (“…going to school was never only about earning a degree … wanted to learn something, improve on my writing…”). Such an explanation makes their answer at least a bit more believable :).
Sample answer no. 3: A good looking girl talking about ethical challenges:
Being a good looking girl, I always faced many ethical challenges in life. You know, you can play a bit of a game with people around you. Give the teacher a smile that tells just enough, a little touch of the hand of your boss, you just give them a little hope and many men are stupid enough to start dreaming about things… Because at the end of the day, we are not always masters of our feelings and instincts. I knew I could do that, and I experimented with it in the past, when I was still a teenager. But first of all I understood it could backfire, and more importantly, it just wasn’t ethically correct to all those men. Hence I quit those practices altogether, and now simply focus on trying my best in each endeavor. I want to gain promotion and other perks based on my results, and not on my looks.
- Quick thing to notice here: I like how she admits that she actually used her looks to manipulate men in the past. That shows that she is just a human being and as a teenager she simply wasn’t strong enough to face the temptation to benefit from her ‘strengths’. But she matured and became more aware of both the unethical aspect of her behavior, and the potential consequences for people around her. You should realize that it is OK to admit that you failed to stick to ethical principles (or even failed to have any in the past), as long as you learned your lesson and stick to them now.
Sample answer no. 4: A Christian relying on their values and upbringing to help them face ethical dilemmas:
Well, I am still young. Brought up in a loving Christian family and going to great schools, I have never really faced any serious ethical challenge in my life. Always played by the rules, because that’s what all people around me have done too. How lucky I am! Having said that, I realize that life out there, in the corporate world, isn’t a walk in the park. I may face all sorts of different challenges, including ethical ones. And I sincerely hope that the right values and principles my parents instilled in me over the years will help me face these challenges, and do the right thing. Right thing for the company, for the country, for human society.
- Quick thing to notice here: The answer isn’t bad, but it sounds almost idealistic (“…right thing for the company, for the country, for human society”). Sure, values we learn from our parents and religion can help us make right decisions when our integrity is tested, but I would perhaps skip the last part of the answer, or even just say to do ‘right things for the company’–because that’s the hiring managers care about. They may or not care about country, let alone human society… In any case, they know that sometimes doing the right thing for the company isn’t actually the right thing for human society… That’s why I would skip the last part, unless you apply for a job in some non-profit with idealistic goals and vision.
Sample answer no. 5: A rather philosophical one about ethical challenges we face when it comes to global warming and other world issues:
I believe we face such challenges every day. Because the way we live in the Western world, we are basically contributing daily to the slow yet progressive destruction of our environment. Sure, we cannot turn back the clock, walk everywhere instead of driving cars, and live in wooden huts with no AC. One has to accept that they were born in a certain era, with everything good and bad that belongs to it. At the same time I believe we can change something, every day, with our decisions. For example, I became vegan 7 years ago. For me eating meat was an ethical challenge, considering the animal husbandry as we know it today, and the impact it has on climate change. I also ride a bike to work, regardless of weather. Because I don’t feel right polluting the environment just to feel a bit more comfortable, or save ten minutes on the way to work. You see, some people would say I am rather extreme, but to me these things are normal, and I hope to go by an example, and perhaps motivate my new colleagues to also make little changes to their daily routine.
- Quick thing to notice about this answer: Why it may seem extreme at first glance, the candidate actually demonstrates that they see broader perspective, and understand that the world isn’t black or white only (”…we cannot turn back the clock…accept that we were born in a certain era, with everything good and bad that belongs to it”). Then they show little things they do, from their limited scope of possibilities, to actually try to contribute to a positive change (“…ride a bike to work…eat vegan…”). It is also nice that instead of comparing themselves to others, they think about motivating their colleagues to make changes (“I hope to go by an example, and perhaps motivate my new colleagues”). Overall an excellent answer.
Sample answer no. 6: Not thinking about ethical consequences of your actions:
In my opinion, the world is a big mess nowadays. If you play by the rules, you won’t achieve anything. Just look at the politics and how the politicians act to one another. Or the celebrities, the athletes. It feels almost like a bad joke… Personally I do not think too much whether my conduct is ethical or not. Neither energy nor money is created. It is only transferred from one entity to another. When I gain, or someone from my family gains, someone else always has to “lose”. Be it a person from the same block, or some kid living in Africa working in some mine 16 hours a day in terrible conditions for terrible pay, so we can have new mobile phone every year… That’s just how it is–and I am aware of these things. That’s why I try not overthink too much whether my conduct is ethical or not. If I thought about it too much, I’d easily end in a psychiatrist ward.
- Quick thing to notice here: While there may be a lot of truth on the answer of the applicant, there’s just too much negativity present in it. You should avoid similar answers, taking things to extreme and talking about “kids working in some mine 16 hours a day for terrible pay”. Sure, there is lack of justice in the world, but it isn’t something to talk about in an interview… When you feel that it is better showing in your interview that you do not care about ethics (and care for profit instead, which can be the case in some corporate roles), you can simply say so, but you should still have some boundaries, and it is better saying it in a simple way, without unnecessary negative philosophical talk.
Advanced information
Mistakes people make while answering questions about ethical challenges in an interview
- Playing saints. Saying that you never broke any rule, and even wasn’t tempted to do so, is a big mistake. Hiring managers just won’t believe you, and you may lose your trustworthiness in their eyes, which will impact the way they see also your other interview answers. The goal here isn’t to show that you are perfect. It is to show that you are human, but try your best to fight the good fight and make the right decisions for your employer and the ‘greater good’.
- Getting overly negative about the situation in the world. The world is far from perfect and talking about ethics may seem like a big joke in many corporations… However, it is a mistake pointing this out, while trying to look smarter than most. So is pointing out all ethical issues we face as corporations, or as human society in general, and our failure to address them. Focus rather on your role in the process, and on your honest effort to improve things from your limited position. Showing negativity and saying that it makes no sense sticking to ethical principles, when nobody else does so, isn’t a way to succeed in your interview.
Few points from the perspective of the hiring managers/interviewers
- Just remember that we aren’t looking for idealists in the interviews. We are people like you, we also have our temptations, and we sometimes may not do the right thing for the world, because doing such a thing would cost us our job… We are looking for people who try their best to act ethically, but at the same time they know that the world isn’t perfect, and experiencing this lack of perfection in the workplace won’t demotivate them, or even make them leave the job. Keep it on your mind while talking about ethical challenges you faced, or may face in your new job.
7 keywords to remember when answering questions belonging to this area
- Be realistic not idealistic, admit breaking the rules some time in your life or at least facing strong temptation to do so, avoid being judgemental or overly negative when it comes to ethical challenges, playing a saint won’t take you anywhere, show strong moral values but at the same time willingness to turn a blind eye to a minor thing when it is good for the company where you work, show that you aren’t ignorant to things happening around you in the workplace, show regrets when necessary.
So that’s it! You’ve just covered area no. 24 out of 25 areas that cover 99% of questions you may ever get in the interviews. Just 1 area left! Check the last one: Failures, or go back to homepage for the full list of 25 areas and pick one you want to learn about and practice right now.
