2022 will see the continued trend of HR technology refocusing candidate searches, to helping ensure the right people are matched with the right positions. Using a reliable piece of HR tech (like Reveal's competency-based assessments) can be a very useful tool for screening candidates for newly-opened positions. Another way this tool can be useful is when dealing with competencies, you get a better overall picture of the candidate, such as their strengths, their internal makeup, etc. Understanding WHO your candidate is as a person gives you greater insight into how they will be as an employee and how they will treat your customers. At the end of the day, you want your employees in positions best suited to their abilities and your needs. It makes for a much more cohesive and healthy culture.
The best way to assess someone’s beliefs and knowledge is to ask them to share what they know freely. When candidates share this knowledge, an HR manager can clearly outline the boundaries the candidates draw and see just how much importance they accord to this particular aspect of work. This discussion can lead to further probing, giving the manager even more specific ethical details about the candidate’s mindset.
A tactical approach to gain firsthand knowledge of a candidate’s commitment to ethics is to provide an example or scenario to seek the candidate’s response. Every tiny detail, from the way the candidates react to the narration of the scenario to the response or resolution they share, will tell the HR manager a little more about the good sense of the candidate.
Asking behavioral-based questions is one way to gauge candidate ethics. These interview questions are harder to prepare in advance because the responses are so situational specific. Asking applicants to talk-through their reactions to delicate circumstances is a way to gauge their integrity and conflict resolution skills. These unexpected questions can prompt honesty, or, at least, may prompt body language cues that signal insincerity. Here is a list of books on business ethics: https://teambuilding.com/blog/business-ethics-books
Speaking about tricky situations at their former or current place of employment is a test of diplomacy for candidates. Finding balance in praising the prospective employer while respecting the previous can be difficult. Despite the circumstances, how interviewed people approach this task can indicate their ethical standing when facing a conflict of interest and ambiguity.
Ask your candidates to complete an ethics test, which consists of a series of questions about their ethical beliefs and decision-making processes. Doing this in parallel with reference checks can provide a more holistic view of a candidate’s ethical tendencies.
A job candidates work ethic can be determined during the interview process by asking open-ended behavioral interview questions that focus on the person’s past experiences. For instance, if you ask, “When was a time when you went above and beyond your job description?” An ethically-sound response could be that they stayed an additional hour after company hours to assist a dissatisfied customer. The hiring and interview process is a key opportunity for determining the ethics and hands-on experience of a job candidate, but should be based on the company’s own mission and values.
HR managers can ask job candidates hypothetical questions about what they would do in certain situations at work. For instance, by asking a job candidate what they would do if they saw a fellow employee doing something inappropriate at work, an HR manager can understand more about how this job candidate operates ethically. This is a good way to see who a job candidate really is as a person before a hiring decision is made.