Argus Technical Services
Honesty A Critical Quality in Job Interview Skills
Menlo Park, Calif. (April 25, 1997) -- So you think if you don't have the job skills, you can dazzle 'em with your verbal skills? Well, your interviewer may take a dim view of your puffery.
A new survey suggest veracity supercedes verbal vitality in the interview process. Close to a third (32 percent) of executives rated honesty and integrity as the most critical qualities in a job candidate.
But there's been a shift in the integrity meter. A similar poll in 1990 reported honesty receiving only 7 percent of the vote, according to Robert Half, the company who sponsored both polls.
Executives were asked, "Other than the ability and willingness to do the job, what is the one quality that impresses you the most about a candidate during a job interview?" The responses:
"Today's more demanding and competitive business environment places greater importance on honesty and integrity," said Max Messmer, chairman and CEO of Robert Half. "Managers need people they can count on -- it's the very core of a productive relationship and the cornerstone of the team-building process."
"Because references have become more difficult for companies to obtain, hiring managers are taking more time to determine a job candidate's character and candor during the evaluation process. Without such attributes as trustworthiness and integrity, even the most highly skilled and articulate job seeker or employee will have limited success," said Messmer.
In the 1990 survey, 38 percent of executives ranked verbal skills as the most critical
factor during a job interview.