Notes on: Warren Buffett Says Integrity Is the Top Trait to Look for in a Job Candidate.

'Warren Buffett Says Integrity Is the Top Trait to Look for in a Job Candidate. Ask These 5 Interview Questions to Find It' is an article by Marcel Schwantes and was originally published on inc.com.

Assessing for integrity starts with asking the right questions during an interview.

Warren Buffet says that his success a lot of hiring the right talent. For him the most important trait to look for, even above skills and qualifications, is integrity. It could be detrimental to your business to have someone with a toxic personality, even if they are otherwise a high-performer.

Using behaviourally based questions in the interview can prevent candidates from delivery prepared answers to questions. When testing for integrity, it is important to focus on questions that get to the persons core character.

Ask These 5 Interview Questions to Find It

1. If we ever get into a bind with a client, would you be willing to tell a little white lie to help us out? A person who even considers saying yes to this question has questionable integrity. You can follow up with "tell me why" to probe further if they answer 'no.'

2. Describe how being an employee of integrity differs from being a company of integrity? Their answer should suggest that there is no difference since the employees values should always align with the company's values.

3. If the situation called for it, will you ever lie on my behalf? A person who is willing to lie for you will be willing to lie to you as well.

4. Tell me the story of you, but the thing is you can't day anything that's on your resume. As the candidate responds, look out for signs of self-promotion and people who use 'I' to describe accomplishments instead of 'we'.

5. What are the characteristics exhibited by the best boss you have ever had? You want to listen for examples of integrity as they respond, as a person will often adopt their bosses values if they respect them.

If some lacks integrity then they cannot be trusted by both coworkers and customers.