If you’re involved with hiring at your organization, you know firsthand that trust is a critical quality in any potential employee. However, identifying trustworthiness in candidates during the interview process can often be difficult. During interviews, it’s essential to ask questions that allow you to gain insight into a candidate’s reliability, honesty and integrity. Here are three key questions that can help you determine a potential hire’s trustworthiness:
How do you handle conflict?
In many ways, honesty and trustworthiness is directly connected to a candidate’s moral compass. Asking about a candidate’s approach to conflict resolution can be instrumental in helping you get a sense of their ethical standards and ability to navigate challenging situations. You can do this by inquiring about a situation in which the candidate had to resolve a conflict, asking them to specifically describe how they handled the circumstance. Often a candidate’s answer to this question will shed light on their values and principles both personally and professionally, serving as a useful benchmark for evaluating honesty and transparency.
What is your experience working with a team?
The way in which a candidate works with others in a team setting can speak volumes about their ability to work successfully with others to accomplish shared goals. By asking a candidate to share their experiences working in team environments, you’ll be able to evaluate their willingness to collaborate and take responsibility for their role on a group project or assignment. Furthermore, encouraging candidates to be open about their past employment experiences working with others is essential for assessing their emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills. Candidates with these traits will naturally demonstrate accountability and reliability, both which are integral to an employee’s trustworthiness as it pertains to their performance and productivity.
Why do you want this job?
While it may seem simple, asking candidates why they truly want a job may be one of the most powerful ways to assess their character and intentions. If a candidate expresses genuine excitement and interest in the role, this is often a sign that they’ll be a reliable and trustworthy employee who values the opportunity to be part of your culture. Typically, candidates who share their goals and discuss how they view themselves at your company in the future are most likely to be honest and committed employees.
With these core interview questions, you can proactively uncover whether a candidate has the character and morals to excel at your company and thrive within your culture.
For help finding employees you can trust, consider working with the recruiting experts at HH Staffing and start expanding your talent pipeline today!
Until Next Time,
Your Staffing Partner, Darrin Rohr- President, CEO, and Chief Servant
Current owner of HH Staffing and Former Chief HR Officer for several successful Multinational Fortune 500 Companies. Brings a fresh perspective from decades of experience creating Great Workplace Cultures by building high-performance teams while leading and managing people from all different backgrounds. HH Staffing is headquartered in Sarasota, Florida, and is uniquely positioned to serve both local and national clients.
