How to Answer Ethical Interview Questions

How to Answer Ethical Interview QuestionsEthical interview questions make for a very interesting interview. How would you react if you could only save your grandmother, a bus full of orphans, or a trunk full of a million dollars in untraceable cash? Which would you rather have, billions of dollars or immortality? Theyre also risky in an interviewyou dont want to trip some secret sociopath wire, but you also want to seem confident. What do you do if youre posed with ethical interview questions like would you lie for the company? or what would you do if your babo asked you to help cover something up? googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) DONT go full outlaw.If you answer, without thinking, that of course youd lie for the company, youd do anything for the company, thats a red flag. It either shows that youll say anything to get hired (bad) or youre seriously ethically challenged (worse). The interviewer isnt really asking you to do this thing, so slow down a bit before you start helping him with an alibi.If you get the sense that the interviewer isnt kidding, then its time to shut it down. Do you really want to be rehashing this conversation later with an attorney?DONT get all judgmental about the question itself.How dare you? is elend the right answer here either. No ones impugning your reputation by assuming you would lie or commit other ethical crimes on behalf of the company. You likely wont score bonus points for righteous indignationthe interviewer is asking because he or she wants to know how you would approach this, not inviting you to tag along on some unethical spree.DO treat this as another problem-solving exercise.Like oh, 75% of interview questions, this may be a test of your thinking and problem-solving skills. Talk through your processespecially if its the kind of ethical question that requires you to make some kind of judgment call between two attractive elements.DO see it as a choice of values as well.Do yo u have integrity, or do you have loyalty? These arent usually mutually exclusive, but if youre asked point-blank to pit one against the other, always go with integrity. Assuming your interviewer isnt Alec Baldwins character from Glengarry Glen Ross, its not likely your potential future employer values ruthlessness over personal integrity.DONT give a binary answer if you can help it.Its okay to frame it as, I would never do anything to hurt the company, but I do value honesty very highly. For good measure, you can emphasize that you were drawn to the company because you value its culture of professionalism.DO err on the side of caution.This could also be a test of how impulsive you are. Make sure that the response you give (even if its a vague I can see both sides here answer) shows the level of care and attention you would bring to the role.DO take it seriously.No matter how outlandish the hypothetical situation is, treat it with full consideration. It may be funny, but its a very r eal test of your temperament and values. You want to make sure that youre positioning yourself as a grounded professional, with strong values and a sense of personal ethics and boundaries.