How to Answer Interview Questions - Q53

What are your workplace values? Asking about your workplace values is similar to asking “What is your work ethic?” Or, “What are your workplace ethics?” They want to know what kind of person you are. What matters to you? It’s really an easy question to answer because your answer should be what your values are. They should speak to your integrity, your character, and your work ethic. As long as you’re saying something positive, that’s a good thing. But always, keep it tied to your work…they don’t care that you love baby seals and spotted owls as a part of your commitment to the environment, unless you’re applying for a job with an environmental group. You can say, “My work place values are the same as my home and personal values” because that shows integrity. For me, my answer would be “I do what I say I’m going to do, I follow up on my commitments, and I think of others before I think of myself.” Other great answers might sound more like, “I always try to do the very best that I can, because my employer is paying for a service, and I supply that just like I would if I owned a business and that person was my customer. My customer deserves the best I can deliver.” Or, “I believe that everyone who works for a company is part of a team, and it’s important for us all to support each other and step up to do what needs doing to get the job done. I try to lead by example in that way.” If you’ve done your research into the company to see what their corporate values are, you can talk about which of your own values that align with theirs. Now, please note that I am NOT saying to lie and just tell them what they want to hear. I think that a lie is always eventually found out, and won’t serve you in the end, anyway. You need to know what that company’s corporate values are, so you know if you’ll be happy working for them or not. Their core values are going to have a major effect on your career. You don’t want a toxic corporate environment to hijack your own values and make you miserable. Environment matters. What you say about your values should give that hiring manager an indication of what kind of a person you are to work with, why he should trust you, why you’re going to be a great hire, and anything else that’s going to sell him on the idea he should offer you the job.