Canada Border Services Agency includes 'integrity' in its core values. Talk about a time that you acted with integrity.
Canada Border Services Agency's core values are Respect, Integrity and professionalism. The agency looks for candidates who embody these values in principle and conduct at all times. For the CBSA, integrity means, 'we exercise our authority in an honest, open, and fair manner. We accept responsibility for our actions in order to build and maintain a reputation of trustworthiness and accountability.' Talk about what integrity means to you and how you have exercised integrity in your work and personal life. Offer an example of when you put this to the test. What made you choose to do the right thing in the end, and how did it make you feel?
"My definition of integrity is to choose to do the right thing, even when nobody is looking. I know that I possess your core value of integrity because I do what is right, no matter the alternatives. When I was earning my diploma in Criminology, I received a higher grade on my transcript than I earned. I brought the error to the attention of my administrator, who then had the grade reversed. I could have taken credit, but in the end, I didn't earn that grade. I was determined to start my career off on the right foot, which is through complete honesty. Today, I can attend this interview with CBSA knowing full well that I earned this interview through hard work and acts of total integrity."
As with any behavioral question, it is framed in a way that asks you 'about a time' when you faced a situation in the past. Your interviewer will listen to your example and study how you responded to and handled the situation, and what you learned from it. They will take the information you share and view it as a predictor of what to expect from your performance in the future. When answering a behavioral question, the STAR method is the recommended approach to organizing your answer. STAR is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, Result, and is intended to help you frame and organize your response in a way that will resonate with your interviewer. So you would start by introducing the situation you faced and the task at hand. You would then present the action you took, why it was significant and how you came to deciding on this approach, and ultimately the result of your actions.
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
think everyone should act with integrity even when no one is looking. As a screening officer, it is easy to steal items left by passengers, and if you're smart you can get away with it. Regardless, I will never commit such actions, and I believe in being positive no matter what may come across my path. That also means that I will report a fellow officer who acts without integrity.
Rachelle's Feedback
These are good examples of integrity, and it's wonderful that you can observe this behavior and have the mindset to report it, so the dishonesty does not spread. Since this behavioral-based question asks, 'Talk about a time when...' I recommend that you frame your answer using a story-based example. This is where the STAR framework will come in very handy. I've provided a starter for you below.
(QUALIFYING INTRODUCTION) I believe that integrity means making moral decisions even when no one is looking.
(SITUATION) As a screening officer, I often see that it is easy to steal items left by passengers. Recently, I...(set the stage for a story of a time when you witnessed a screening officer steal from a passenger).
(TASK) As a person with integrity, I believe it is my duty to report instances that I witness.
(ACTION) When I witnessed this particular situation, I...(discuss the actions you took in this situation).
(RESULT) As a result of my observation and honesty...(tell the interviewer the positive result of your actions).
(FINAL QUALIFYING STATEMENT) I will never allow myself to commit such actions, and I believe in taking positive action at all times, no matter what temptations may cross my path.
