Integrity Test Sample Questions for Employment | Aptitude (2024)

As we’ve covered in our last article on the uses of integrity tests for pre-employment screening, integrity tests are not limited to background checks for criminal activity. They’re also a good way of determining undesirable traits in employees like absenteeism, low productivity, and poor customer service. Because regardless of how skilled or experienced a person is, the wrong attitude, personality, or traits can affect the rest of your organization.

This is why integrity tests have become more popular outside of the traditional industries that use integrity tests. But for recruitment teams that have yet to integrate these tests to your hiring process, here are some sample questions you can expect to have in your own integrity test.

Interviews are meant to see if an applicant can think on their feet and understand the meaning behind the questions given. Instead of point-blank asking questions about something an applicant would have already practiced, many interview questions today are meant to have a deeper meaning that reveal personality and integrity.

A few integrity test sample questions during interviews include:

• Have you ever suffered consequences for doing the right thing? How did you handle it?
• What do you do when you make a mistake? Do you own up to your mistakes?
• Tell me about a time when your integrity was tested.
• What is your biggest failure in life and how have you dealt with it?
• Are you a trustworthy person? Do others consider you to be trustworthy?

These are the more subtle questions that are meant for recruiters and employers to infer an applicant’s behavior based on their answers. For example, if you ask an applicant if they consider taking pens from the office as stealing, them saying no may be a red flag that suggests the applicant isn’t above stealing small office supplies that can drive up your company’s expenses for office supplies.

Open integrity (or overt integrity) questions ask applicants about their attitudes towards illegal or undesirable behavioral traits. These include:

• Do you consider taking small items/supplies from work home as stealing? (E.g. taking unused printer papers, pens, staple wires, clipboards, etc.) (This shows if an applicant would be tempted to take home office supplies, costing your business more)
• Do you think most employers take advantage of their employees? (Shows their take on authority and whether or not they can work well with supervisors)
• How much do you dislike being told what to do? (Suggests that applicant may not be a good team player or prefer to work alone)
• Have you ever argued with your manager over a task? (Shows disrespect towards upper management, inability to work supervised, and ability to calmly defend themselves without escalating the situation)
• Would you return a small inexpensive item that isn’t yours? (Highlights honesty and integrity in the workplace)

Another form of integrity questions, veiled-purpose questions may not seem like they have anything to do with the job interview or the position the applicant is trying to earn. But to recruiters, these questions allow them to read in between the lines and make smart inferences about the applicant’s behavior. For example:

• How often do you go out to parties? (Applicants who answer very frequently may be prone to absenteeism and alcohol abuse)
• How often do you make your bed? (Highlights a person’s organization skills)
• Do you like to take chances? (Determine’s an applicant’s risk)
• Do you feel confident about yourself? (Suggests an applicant’s independence, self-confidence, and ability to perform well on their own)
• When do you feel most lonely? (Suggests whether an applicant is a lone wolf or a team player)

Finally, situational questions allow a recruiter to see an applicant’s integrity applied in real-life situations. These situations can be related to the job they’re applying for, for the company, and for other situations outside of their experiences to see how they would handle proving their integrity.

Entrepreneur Naomi Simpson listed 11 questions that were good indicators of an applicant’s integrity. A few of these you might want to modify and add include:

• You are a local celebrity. A cosmetics company offers you half a million pesos to promote one of their products on social media. You do not like this product nor would you use it. Would you still endorse it?
• While driving around a parking lot, you accidentally hit one of the parked cars. No one saw you and there are no cameras. Would you still take responsibility? And if so, how?
• Your company has partnered with two other companies for a major project. You find out that one of the companies is performing illegal practices. If you keep quiet, the project will continue as planned, and your company profits. If you report the other company, the project will fail and your business will lose a fifth of its expected annual revenue. What do you do?
• The company you work for has an opening, and your unemployed friend asks you for a good reference in order to get the position even if they’re not qualified for it. Would you still write them a glowing reference?
• You notice that a prospective client is attracted to you. Do you subtly flirt with them in an attempt to upsell or to earn their business?

Through integrity testing, you can avoid the costs of a bad hire and pick an applicant that has the skills, personality, and traits that make them a good fit for your company. These are just some of the sample questions asked to test a person’s integrity, providing you and your recruitment team a glimpse of an applicant’s attitude towards tough decisions.

Aptitude can provide companies with comprehensive, efficient, and easy employment screening services. Our integrity tests were developed by a team of psychologists, national defense experts, and other professionals that can effectively determine an applicant’s ability to perform well and blend in with the company’s culture.

If these questions interest you or you want to find out more about integrity tests, contact us today to learn more.