What Does Integrity Mean to You? [With 10 Sample Interview Answers]

The word integrity means the quality of being honest and have strong moral values and principles. To have integrity means to become self-aware, responsible, and accountable for your actions. ‘What does integrity mean to you?’ is a common question that is asked by the hiring manager in an interview.

It can be hard to define your integrity in an interview, you must be thinking, “How can an employer assess the level of someone’s integrity by asking this question?” Well, the hiring managers have their own reasons to ask this question in an interview.

What Does Integrity Mean to You

Why Do the Employers Ask this Question?

  1. Because they want to hire honest people with strong moral values.
  2. To seek if the candidate they are considering to hire is trustworthy and ethical.
  3. To check if they can rely on you.
  4. To interpret a candidate’s personality through the answer that he gives.
  5. To try to gauge your ability, to be honest, and responsible.
  6. To see if whether or not your values and beliefs match those of the company where you are applying for a job.
  7. To see how a candidate defines themselves in terms of integrity.
  8. To check whether or not you are a perfect fit for that job by uncovering specific details of your work behavior.

How to Answer Integrity Interview Question?

Demonstrate your integrity

To answer such questions in an interview, you need to demonstrate to the employer that how you incorporate honesty and integrity into your work. You can demonstrate it by talking about how you

  • Keep your word
  • Display work ethics in your workplace
  • Keep your commitments
  • Pay attention to your environment
  • Take accountability and responsibilities
  • Respect your colleagues

Use STAR METHOD of interview

To answer questions like this, preparing for a STAR method interview can be extremely beneficial as you will get an idea of how you can craft your answer and make an impact in front of the employer. So, you can use STAR behavioral response technique to outline the situation, your response to that situation, and the results and outcomes of that situation.

So, by using this you can give an example about a time when a situation tested your integrity so that the employer gets a clearer picture of your values and ethics.  

Sample Interview Answers

Sample Interview Answer 1

“My integrity means more than anything to me. I take all my business decisions keeping integrity in my mind. I never let anyone’s negativity impact my decision or work ethics as in this business world, we come across several kinds of people who have a different ways of thinking and acting. So, I make sure I do not let anyone bring down my integrity. When it comes to my work, I am completely responsible for whatever actions I take, and if I commit to something I always keep my word and do that thing.”

Sample Interview Answer 2

“I cannot really define what integrity means to me, but I can share an example with you that would help me demonstrate my integrity. I was a business analyst in my last job, and I ordered certain products from a supplier as there went a shortage of those products, I was unaware that the production had stopped and that is why the supplier sent us the expired products and tried convincing me into selling those to the customers. I demonstrated my integrity by refusing to do so and I immediately returned the stock and complained about the supplier and I also changed the supplier immediately.”

Sample Interview Answer 3

“To me, It means being myself and I am very particular about my ethics and principles as honesty is something that should be possessed by every individual no matter what job they are doing and what position they are on. I stick with my values.”

Sample Interview Answer 4

“I think integrity comes from teamwork. Yes, it is important for an individual to be honest, but his honesty takes him nowhere if his team values and ethics do not match with those of his. Everyone in a team should have the same values when it comes to working together. The team should cooperate with each other instead of thinking that each one of us is a competitor of the other.”

Sample Interview Answer 5

“Integrity means a lot to me. I also take accountability for my actions and do not blame my wrong on others. And I think it is really important to admit your mistakes than hiding them. I respect my colleagues and I am responsible for whatever actions and decisions that are taken by me, and that is what best demonstrates my integrity.”

Sample Interview Answer 6

“To me, integrity means having a consistent character and having consistency in your work. I believe in having the same morals and principles for every area in my life, irrespective of my business world. I believe your personal life values have a huge impact on your work-life values and that is what you display in order to portray your integrity. That is why I stay true to my values at all times.”

Sample Interview Answer 7

“I have a perfect example in my mind that will show what my integrity means to me. In my previous job, my friend was my co-worker. I had to report his dishonesty in his work to my manager and I knew that would cost me my friendship with that person. But the workplace is like worship to me and I could take anyone mess with my job in front of me. He messed with the numbers in a work-related document and generated a false report which was extremely against my principles. So, I did what I thought was the right thing to do and brought this matter in front of our manager who was supervising us on that project.”

Sample Interview Answer 8

“Integrity means always doing the right thing. Yes, we are humans and humans can make mistakes, but it is important to be accountable for that mistake and rectify it then and there. I always try to become a better version of myself by choosing the right thing instead of the selfish thing. I continue to put my negative thoughts away and try to encourage everyone in my staff to maintain integrity in the workplace.”

Sample Interview Answer 9

“Being an HR manager, several employees come to me for talking about their daily conflicts and problems they have related to the workplace. It is hard to see the integrity of your employees fall in front of you when you have been nothing but a supportive mentor to your team. Integrity is really very important to me and I want to work at a place where the work environment and ethics has a perfect match to my values. And that is why I have applied for this job to be a better place and be surrounded by a better work environment. I always have some programs in my mind that will help the employees here boost their integrity, so that we make sure our employees and our thinking are on the same page.”

Sample Interview Answer 10

“Integrity is something that is missing in most employees and companies and teams. For me, it is everything that means to me. Most people are dishonest when it comes to working for their own profit, but that is not what I signed up for. I stick to my values and morals. I have a code of conduct that I follow in my work life as well as my personal life. That is what we are taught from the beginning, to have integrity and be a better person, even if it comes with a cost. I stand by what I say and do what I commit to doing.”

So, these were the top 10 sample interview answers that would help you craft your answer.

Don’ts of Answering this Question

  1. Do not be afraid of being philosophical while answering such questions as that’s what defines it the best.
  2. Do not lie to the employer because being extremely honest is what the whole question is about.
  3. Do not be an orthodox in your answer. An unorthodox answer can be your way of standing out in front of the employer.

Conclusion

We have come a long way into this article and I hope that this article turns out to be helpful to you and you enjoyed reading this article. Go through each section of this article carefully to craft a perfect answer for your interview. Comment below what you liked about this article and share it. We wish you all the best in your interview.

Thank you for reading!

References

https://www.igi-global.com/chapter/content/61813

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