When have you shown great integrity at work?

Question

Karrie Day · Accepted Answer

"I worked in a warehouse in college and one of my main responsibilities was to take inventory each month. One of my coworkers was assigned to my area to double-check my counts. There were two of us assigned to ensure we landed on the same number each time. We were supposed to check independently and then discuss discrepancies.

He showed up to our meeting to review our numbers with large portions of the inventory unaccounted for. He looked at my count and added it to his report. I let him know I was uncomfortable with that approach as it violated the integrity of the accounting process. He let me know he was struggling to keep up and was afraid he might get fired if he asked for more time for his inventory work. I had been doing it for a while and had a good workflow, so I offered to walk him through my process. I also met with our manager to let her know what was going on and inform her of our plan to improve and ensure the numbers were correct.

My coworker's speed improved greatly with a few minor adjustments to his process and we were able to ensure a proper count each month going forward. My manager thanked me for being direct with her about the problem and taking a proactive approach to help a teammate."

Karrie Day · Answer

As an organization, Boeing strives to hold itself to the highest ethical standards in the way they handle their business and the way they treat others. They state that they "are united by a shared commitment to our values--safety, quality, integrity, and transparency--above all else." For example, they require all of their employees to review and sign their code of conduct annually.

Your interviewer is looking to hire an individual that shows this same integrity in their work. If asked this question during your interview, your interviewer ideally wants to hear you talk about a time when you feel you have shown your highest levels of integrity on the job.

Karrie Day · Answer

Prior to your interview, take the time to walk through the aspects of Boeing's approach to ethics. This will help you have a better idea of the bar you're aiming for in a way that applies to your specific role.

Next, think of a time when you displayed integrity through honesty and high moral standards. As you answer, paint a picture for your interviewer that shows why this approach was important. Specifically, walk them through what resulted from your commitment to integrity. For example, stronger client relationships, healthier team environments, avoidance of the termination of a coworker, or mitigated legal issue are all great results you could discuss with your interviewer.

Ryan Brunner · Answer

"Last year, I was working with two other colleagues on an important project for a client. As the deadline drew near and being in crunch time, our manager had to be out of the office for a short medical leave. Right away upon her departure, my two colleagues turned a blind shoulder to the project and pretty much left me alone to finish it. While taking that same approach would have been an easy decision for a lot of people, I decided to buckle down and handle the rest of the project and deliver the results to our client. In the end, the client was very satisfied. Upon our manager's return to the office, she was impressed as well. At that time, I felt it was my duty to inform her of the situation of me handling the entire completion of the project."

Karrie Day · Answer

"I currently hold TS/SCI security clearance and a fellow engineering manager has TS. Our manager mentioned some information he wanted me to review during a meeting and my coworker asked me about it afterward. The information was designated TS/SCI and I knew that he did not have the proper clearance to read the information. He argued that TS and TS/SCI are technically the same level. However, I know that the TS/SCI level indicates I have access to compartmentalized information specific to my role, and sharing it would violate the terms of my clearance.

I told him I was uncomfortable sharing what I had read, but he continued to ask me questions. I let him know it was important to me to always honor the integrity of my clearance level and to stop asking me for details he was not currently cleared to have. I let him know I would need to report his behavior to our facility security officer per the rules of the DCSA if he asked me again, or if I became aware of him asking other coworkers for information he did not have clearance for."

Karrie Day · Answer

"In my current role I support a system that has a direct install on client machines that requires a database connection to be configured on each machine it is installed on. We host the software through a virtual network to avoid security concerns with database access. However, as one of the main points of contact for disaster recovery, I know the password for the database connection and two of the developers on my team have this information as well.

We were in the middle of a system update and one of our scripts went sideways. I figured out what caused the error in the database and one of the developers wrote an update script to fix it. The system is business critical, so our process requires us to have all scripts tested, approved, and implemented by a delivery manager. The developer knew we were working under a tight deadline, so he suggested using the password to access the database and make the update himself to speed along the process. He felt like he had properly tested the script and that the risk was minimal.

I was uncomfortable with that course of action because it violated the process. I let my teammate know I would be happy to speak with our customers and explain the delay. We followed the proper channels and our QA tester found an issue with the script when she was testing it. I am very thankful I pushed for following the rules because it saved us from creating more issues and a potential reprimand if we had made the direct update ourselves."

Karrie Day · Answer

"One of my teams currently works on two products our group develops and supports. We were working on a project that had the potential of going over budget and another that was ahead of schedule. I review our budgets and projections with my teams regularly to ensure that we are all doing our best to be financially responsible.

One of the analysts on our team suggested logging work for the project that was at risk financially to the project that was ahead of schedule so that both projects would appear that they were delivered on budget. I let the team know I understood why that might be an appealing option, but there were several reasons why taking that approach was a poor idea. I communicated that I was prepared to be accountable if we ended up over budget on the at risk project, and we spent the rest of the meeting reviewing the bigger picture benefits of integrity when logging time to projects."

Karrie Day · Answer

"I was working with a fellow engineer and he asked for my login information to a console we use to deploy updates to one of our systems. He wanted to make an update overnight and did not want me to have to wake up and log in to make the change. I realize he felt he was doing me a favor, but access to that console is tightly controlled and monitored for a reason.

I let him know I appreciated his consideration of my schedule, but that handling these types of updates was a part of my job duties and that I was happy to log in and help overnight. Additionally, I let him know that I would be willing to speak to our architect and technical manager if there was a business case to grant him access in the future. I take system security very seriously, and I would show the same level of integrity here at Boeing."

Anonymous User · Answer

"When I was working as a substitute teacher, there was a time when I arrived, and no plans were left. I had experience assisting with a kindergarten class before and could have made up educational activities to keep them busy for the day; no one would have faulted me. However, I knew this school's teachers of the same grade would have weekly meetings to coordinate, so instead, I sought out the other kindergarten teachers to see what their lessons were. I looked at what they were working on and gathered the supplies I would need for the day. When there was something I couldn't find, I checked with one of the other teachers if I could borrow the materials when they were not using them for their class and shifted the schedule around. As a result, the students continued learning topics they were meant to even if the lesson may have been a day off since the coworkers may pace their classes somewhat differently."

Anonymous User · Answer

"As a manufacturing engineering intern, I led the intern team in researching IIOT technologies for one of the company's production lines. Following the presentation of our findings, I was asked directly which technology I would recommend as most beneficial. Rather than selecting the PLC and sensor technology that I had personally been investigating, I choose an HMI platform. The HMI platform would be the simplest way for the company to improve cycle time and process tracking. I believe that it is critical to support the right answer even if it is not your own and would plan to bring the same integrity to my work at Boeing."

Anonymous User · Answer

"In a previous role, I was given a project with another colleague to update our department's FAQs and present it at the end of the week to management. My colleague was ill that week and was not able to complete their portion of the FAQs. This project could have been rescheduled but I took it upon myself to complete my colleague's portion of the FAQs and present it by myself to management.
I was praised for my willingness to step in and take on more responsibility than I was originally assigned."

When have you shown great integrity at work?

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