Ditchmen • NUCA of Florida Ditchmen • March 2018 | Page 13

1 Interview Question That
Reveals the Right Job Candidate
via Marcel Schwantes,
Inc.com
Billionaire Warren Buffett,
chairman and CEO of
Berkshire Hathaway, once
gave sound hiring advice:
You’re looking for three
things, generally, in a person:
intelligence, energy, and
integrity. And if they don’t
have the last one, don’t even
bother with the first two.
Like Buffett asserts, integrity
is a non-negotiable when it
comes to hiring responsible
workers with a clear
conscience. It’s what makes
it hard to question a future
employee’s decisions and
motives.
Hiring people with integrity
also addresses the leadership
void. A person who walks-
the-walk of integrity
eventually becomes a role
model for others to follow.
These are the type of leaders
you want to promote to
management roles. So how
can you properly assess
someone with integrity?
you need to ask the right
questions that will get to the
core of a person’s character
to properly assess their level
of honesty and integrity.
This is crucial when looking
for people that can fit with a
company’s culture, assuming
that culture is one of honesty
and integrity itself. If integrity
is a shared value that defines
the way you operate and
behave, you must look for the
highest level of integrity in
those whom you hire as well,
even before you assess hard
skills or technical expertise.
Here is that one crucial
question that will be “make or
break” for your job candidate:
1 question you need to ask. If we ever got into a bind with
a client, would you be willing
to tell a little white lie to help
us out?
That’s what one high-level
CEO routinely asks to test
out his own job candidate’s
integrity. If a candidate
answers with a ‘yes,’ or
waffles through his answer
undetermined, cut the
interview short and wish that
person a nice day.
In an interview process, The only right answer is a
firm and resounding ‘no’ (and
you’ll want to follow up with
“Tell me why?” to further
validate his or her integrity)
because anything else
indicates a lesser degree of
integrity from the high bar
you should be setting for
selecting future leaders. By
passing on an “on the fence”
job candidate today, you’ll
arrive at the one that truly
aligns with your company’s
values tomorrow.
Conclusion: Hall of Fame
football coach Tony Dungy,
in his book Uncommon,
said: “Integrity is the choice
between what’s convenient
and what’s right.” People
operating within parameters
of truth, honesty, and moral
authority will listen to their
heart and do the right
thing, even when nobody is
watching. Their actions are
open for everyone to see;
they don’t have to worry
about hiding anything from
anyone, nor do you have to
worry about them hiding
anything from you.
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MARCH 2018 • DITCHMEN
13