Career Advice Career Guidance and Counselling

Delve deep for ethical staff

In the final part of this series, we look at more strategies companies can use to make sure they hire ethical staff.

When interviewing for a position, remember to run a background check on the candidate's CV, experience and qualifications. Today, some employers will also use social media sites such as Facebook or LinkedIn to find out more about a candidate.

With references, do not rely on written ones - I have never seen a bad one. Instead, always call previous employers, as they are useful in helping you determine a candidate's overall credibility, integrity and performance in the workplace.

Many employers are also turning to psychometric assessments to explore a candidate's ethical behaviours, preferences and motivations. But it's important to remember that they are not a cure-all solution and a person's track record remains one of the best predictors of their future performance. This is why face-to-face, behavioural-based interviewing is still advised.

If you are still not sure about a candidate's ethical standards, ask them to write a one-page submission on their opinion of ethics in the role they have interviewed for. This never fails to determine just how much they really value ethics and how much they want the job.