What is important to companies who are recruiting today? Up until recently, it was all about drive to achieve, tenacity, and sheer determination to make a profit, hit targets and generate growth. Whilst it would be naive to suggest that this has changed entirely, there has been a shift in some organisations’ thinking about how this can be achieved. We are observing more and more companies choosing to focus on integrity as a key driver in their mission and values and, consequently, as a quality they look for in the individuals that they want to recruit.

Our business is the design of selection materials for assessment centres, such as competency based interviews, role plays and groups exercises; all based on the skills and attitudes required for the role. We have found that many companies are now asking us to assess a candidate’s integrity in order to see whether their values and principles match those of the recruiting company.

How can this information be evidenced?

More and more companies are including questions around integrity on the application form or during the interview. A likely question might be, “Can you give me an example of when your integrity has been challenged?” During a recent campaign for our own company, this question clearly illustrated what a candidate saw as ethical and unethical and gave insight to their integrity and how they sought to protect it or, in some cases, not. For candidates, this question was challenging and one that was answered with strong feeling.

An example of how integrity might be assessed at interview?

One of our clients included a question on integrity as part of their interview process for salespeople. For them, integrity went to the very heart of their sales message and belief in their company and products, and their understanding of integrity formed the basis of their relationships with customers.

The question looked at what a candidate would do if reaching a target was felt to be unethical or against the principles of the company. The answers the candidates gave showed whether they felt it was important to achieve their targets at any cost or whether they believed it was more important to stand by what was felt to be important to the customer and the business without compromise.

Successful candidates were those that could demonstrate how they managed situations and customers. Their answers demonstrated their fundamental beliefs in what they saw as good practice and an ethical way to do business. When this belief was challenged, by a customer with an opposing point of view, the way they stood up to that challenge and the ways in which they were prepared to compromise gave the indicators we needed to show whether they would be a good fit for our client.

Why is Integrity Important?

Companies can demonstrate what they believe is important through their mission statement and values. The choice of Corporate Social Responsibility projects also show what initiatives a company sees as important. However, if organisations are serious about integrity – they need to look at all their people practices and policies to ensure that it is reflected consistently throughout the organisation - starting with recruitment practices and policies.

From a candidate’s perspective, the fact that a company wants to see examples that demonstrate their integrity is a clear indication that this is valued by that employer and will be rewarded.