Struggling to Assess Candidate Ethics in IT: How Do You Evaluate This Crucial Trait?

Hi,

I am working as an HR Manager in IT Software and Consulting. Nowadays, we are facing a problem in our company. Although we take utmost care in recruiting candidates, we are not that satisfied when it comes to their ethical values. Can anyone help me with how to rate a candidate in this aspect?

Regards,
Satya

Hello Satya:

Though we take utmost care in recruiting candidates, we are not that satisfied when it comes to their ethical values. Can anyone help me with how to rate a candidate in this aspect?

Would you please provide an example or two of what you mean by "not that much satisfied when it comes to their ethical values"? What employee behavior have you observed that leads you to conclude that there is a problem with employee ethical values?

Thank you,
Bob Gately, PE, MBA
gately@csi.com

Hi Bob & Sujatha,

Thank you for your response.

Let me give a few examples for my statement. Although the management values the employees' thoughts and concerns, their behavior can be very different. Our management is very supportive when employees are upfront and genuine. However, sometimes we feel like we are running a school. Even though everyone is well-educated and experienced, they don't bother to inform management of any issues, with the main concern being absenteeism from duties. I understand that these things are common in any organization.

I believe that trust is crucial for both employees and employers. My main focus is on creating that trust.

I hope you understand my point. If it is unclear, please let me know so I can clarify further.

Regards,
Satya

Hi Satya,

I am Shankar. It's been a long time since I accessed the group. I have seen the document, and it seems to be a good link. Could you share more about the effective recruitment process?

Regards,
D. Shankar

Hi Satya,

You need to relook into your interview/recruitment procedure and consider conducting behavioral interviews. It is advisable to conduct multiple interviews before finalizing a candidate. Your interviews should delve deep to check the thought process of the candidates.

Regards,
Vinay

Hello Satya:

Let me give a few examples for my statement. Though the management gives value to the employees' thoughts and concerns, the way they behave is very different.

Do you mean management behaves differently or employees?

Our management is very supportive when the employees are upfront and genuine.

Makes sense to me, but do employees see that as well?

What do you mean by genuine?

Yet, at times we think that as we are running a school.

Please explain.

Though everyone is graduated and well-experienced, they don't even bother to inform management of any issues. The main issue is absconding from duties. I agree that these things are common in any organization.

What are the supervisors doing about the problem?

I feel that trust is very important for employees as well as employers. My main concern is to create that.

Trust is earned over time. Can management trust the supervisors to manage their direct reports? If yes, why are there problems with the direct reports?

Hope you got the point of what I am trying to say. If it is not clear, please let me know so that I can be clearer.

You are doing a good job of helping me understand the issues.

Bob Gately, PE, MBA
gately@csi.com

Hi Satya,

From all the posts and what Mr. Bob has mentioned, I see the following prima facie possible problems. Very frankly speaking, it's not the problem of values or ethics:

1. Management is not able to communicate control properly. However open the management is, it has to show control over employees and everything that goes on around the company. You will then not feel like a school.

2. It's human tendency to take as much as possible when it's available. The same is applicable to freedom or independence. What I mean to say is that as an HR professional, you have to make some rules very obvious. In my company, we started the flexi working hours policy. As usual, people started taking advantage of that apart from repeated instructions. Then we stopped giving them any instructions, and when they saw their leave card at the end of the month, they were all shocked because we had deducted their short hours from leaves or pay. Sometimes, actions speak more than words.

3. You should set up PR people within the Technical groups or within the technical team. These individuals are mainly responsible for handling group-related issues and play a two-way role. Employees who are on the technical side and interested in the managerial aspect (TL, PL PM, etc.) of running the company should be involved. They prove very effective in controlling and bridging the team members.

Hope this helps you.

Regards,
Rakhi

Satya,

I can understand that you are very deeply hurt. Also, it could be that you are simmering with anger and the others involved are not understanding. See, that is the reason we have citeHR! We Trainers train people to express feelings and thoughts in a way that others can understand what we are saying. They may or may not accept it, and that is their side of the story.

Eventually, each one matures. Satya, just like everyone, is not hungry at the same time. Neither is everyone's understanding or maturity level the same. For you, trust is very important, and for that person, their particular issue is something they are unable to share with everyone.

Now, give us a big smile and say (Tell the truth!) U are better....

P.S: Career-wise, I suggest you address this with your higher-up and/or the HR involved. Do not despair. Try, and you will find the solution!

Sujatha

Hi Satya,

Please find some examples of Behavioral Questions:

- How have you demonstrated initiative?
- How have you motivated yourself to complete an assignment or task that you did not want to do?
- Think about a difficult boss, professor, or other person. What made him or her difficult? How did you successfully interact with this person?
- Think about a complex project or assignment that you have been assigned. What approach did you take to complete it?
- Tell me about the riskiest decision that you have made.
- Can you tell me about an occasion where you needed to work with a group to get a job done?
- Describe when you or a group that you were a part of were in danger of missing a deadline. What did you do?
- Tell me about a time when you worked with a person who did things very differently from you. How did you get the job done?
- Describe your three greatest accomplishments to date.
- Tell me about a situation when you had to learn something new in a short time. How did you proceed?
- Can you tell me about a complex problem that you solved? Describe the process you utilized.
- Tell me about a challenge that you successfully met.
- Walk me through a situation where you had to do research and analyze the results for one of your classes.
- What leadership positions have you held? Describe your leadership style.
- Have you generated any new ideas or suggestions while at school or at work?
- Summarize a situation where you successfully persuaded others to do something or to see your point of view.
- Give an example of when your persistence had the biggest payoff.
- Describe a situation where class assignments and work or personal activities conflicted. How did you prioritize? How did you manage your time? What was the outcome?
- How have you most constructively dealt with disappointment and turned it into a learning experience?
- Describe a situation in which you effectively developed a solution to a problem by combining different perspectives or approaches.

Regards,

Vinay
9866254387

Hi Satya,

Please find some behavioral questions to assess the integrity of the candidate:

- Describe a time when you were asked to keep information confidential.
- Give examples of how you have acted with integrity in your job/work relationship.
- If you can, tell about a time when your trustworthiness was challenged. How did you react/respond?
- On occasion, we are confronted by dishonesty in the workplace. Tell about such an occurrence and how you handled it.
- Tell us about a specific time when you had to handle a tough problem that challenged fairness or ethical issues.
- Trust requires personal accountability. Can you tell about a time when you chose to trust someone? What was the outcome?

Regards,
Vinay
9866254387