Professional ethics refers to feelings, beliefs, how the person faces work and how they see occupational responsibilities, including: pursuit of goals, hard work, responsibility, achievement of goals, autonomy, reliability, cooperation, communication, honesty, effort, punctuality, determination, leadership, proactivity and dedication. Employers favor candidates who have and convey a positive and productive aura about work. Therefore, interviewees are often asked a few questions about their professional ethics. As the field is complex and very relative, reflect a lot and define what your philosophy is in relation to the world of work. That way, you won't be caught off guard when faced with this question.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Assessing Your Professional Ethics
Step 1. Reflect on what your priorities are
Is your priority work or other aspects of life?
- You may find that you prioritize work or not, and if you can put other responsibilities in life in the background.
- Candidates who balance work and personal life in a healthy way are more attractive to most companies. Many companies may even ask what your particular interests are, those in non-work-related areas.
Step 2. Assess how your relationship is with your current job
In order to properly answer the questions asked about your work ethic, you need to deeply understand how it relates to your work. Please consider the following:
- How do you face professional responsibilities? Those who have a strong professional ethic are present and hard at work.
- The way you see the work environment affects your performance and strongly contributes to your overall ethics. Do you feel energetic, proud and very positive with each goal achieved? On the other hand, together with all this stress can come.
- The role you give to work in your life rests directly on your beliefs about this aspect of life. For example, you may have to work with yourself that molds character and is therefore essential to a balanced life.
Step 3. Outline how you feel about different aspects of your job
Write everything down so you can capture details about your ethics and professional skills. That way, you'll be prepared when the subject comes up in the interview.
- Do you like to work in a team? Describe the advantages and disadvantages of working directly with others and with customers.
- How do you see the need to educate and improve professional skills? Describe how you see extra effort devoted to professional development, such as training sessions.
- Do you have a problem working overtime? Easily affected by bad weather? When your boss asks you to work overtime or the very nature of your duty calls you to do so, what is your reaction? Write.
Step 4. Think about specific career situations
Reflect to describe how she was influenced by her work ethic. Here's a few things to write about:
- Teamwork: Have you ever had difficulty working in a team? When have teamwork been beneficial? Does working with others affect your income?
- Dealing with a complicated customer: Have you ever been through a difficult situation with a customer? How did you solve the problem of that problematic customer? Have you been able to identify the customer's needs and meet them without hurting the company's values?
Part 2 of 3: Answering Your Professional Ethics Questions
Step 1. Be prepared to hear questions about professional ethics
Many questions will revolve around your current job, your performance, your ability to work in a team, your skills, and so on.
- The interviewer may not directly ask "Could you describe your professional ethics?" or "What are your professional ethics?"
- Here are some common questions: "Could you describe yourself?" "Do you like to work in a team?" "How does it feel to have to be constantly updated, with biannual training?"
Step 2. Respond honestly, always appearing to have professional ethics
Focusing on your personal characteristics, feelings and beliefs, respond honestly, using positive words.
- Say, for example, that you are dedicated to work because you can only feel fulfilled and satisfied by serving and giving your best.
- Another example is saying that you like to give your best because that's how you learn to enjoy work.
- Emphasize that you see the professional world as a continuous learning experience. You are always looking to learn more and develop your skills in order to contribute and innovate in the company. Employers want people who want to evolve and contribute new ideas to the team.
Step 3. Use real-life examples to support the answer
Remember some situations that you can use as an example to prove your ethical values.
- Suppose you said you prioritize strength of character. Give an example where you were honest even under the most complicated circumstances.
- If you say you're good at working in a team, you need to prove that skill. Tell us about your involvement in a successful group project.
Step 4. Describe a difficult situation you experienced at your last job and how you resolved it
Tell how you searched and found a solution with your colleagues.
Bring concrete examples. Say, for example, "A customer had a problem with his record and he called very angry, yelling into the phone. I managed to remain calm and understood his side in order to solve the problem. I needed to contact my manager and get it right. to satisfy the customer without hurting the company's values. In the end, the customer was happy and I ended the day with that victory for the team."
Part 3 of 3: Asking Questions During the Interview
Step 1. Ask a few questions about the position you are applying for
When the candidate asks questions at the interview, the employer sees that he is really interested. After answering questions about your personality, work ethic, and skills, for example, ask something as well. Here are some examples:
- "What skills and experience would the ideal candidate for this company have?" This is where the employer will have the chance to put all the cards on the table and describe exactly what they are looking for. Take the opportunity to talk about more things you haven't said about yourself and your professional ethics.
- "Does the company offer training or educational aids?" This question serves to demonstrate that you are interested in constantly developing and growing with the company.
Step 2. Ask questions about the team you will be working with
The employer will see that you want to be part of a successful team, so they are already seeing how your skills will contribute to the company.
- "Could you tell me a little about the team I'll be working with?" This question will show that you already know that you will be part of a team and will fish for the opportunity to, in the rejoinder, describe how well you got along with other teams in the past.
- "Tell the employer how the way you look at the professional world fits into the philosophy of the team and the company. Say, for example, "I love working in a team. The first step I take is to assess where my skills fit. Then I offer my expertise in the area. Also, every now and then I go to colleagues' desks to give feedback and offer help.
Step 3. Avoid asking questions about benefits and salary
It's not good to keep asking questions about benefits, days off, changes in the work schedule, gossip a bird told and personal things.
- Stick to questions related to the position, the company and the team you will work with.
- Leave to ask about salary and benefits in the next step of the selection process, not in the first interview.
expert advice
- Respect the people you work with. Everyone, including colleagues, customers and managers deserve respect.
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Communicate and interact healthily with colleagues.
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Be disciplined, dedicated and determined.
- Know how to work in a team. Seek common goals with co-workers.
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Be a person of integrity in everything you do.
Do what you say and say what you do. The same goes for when the boss is not around.
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Work and produce results.
Don't mind giving something else.
Tips
- When questions about professional ethics arise, be positive, demonstrate knowledge and enjoyment of teamwork, demonstrate ambition and appear versatile. Employers also like candidates who know how to manage their time and constantly evolve.
- Dress accordingly. Invest in clothes that are beautiful, clean, tailored and suitable for the environment in which you will be working. No wrinkled or dirty clothes, strong perfumes and colors.