How to Answer: Describe a time you had a difficult ethical decision to make. How did you handle this?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Chemical Technician job interview.
2. Describe a time you had a difficult ethical decision to make. How did you handle this?
How to Answer
The interviewer wants to know that, if faced with a difficult ethical situation, you will make the right decision. Ethical decisions speak to an employee's honesty and integrity, which is important to any company. In the scientific field, it is especially important to report any ethical concerns, as some poor ethical decisions can result in the invalidation of data and testing. Talk about a time you were faced with an ethical decision or a time that you witnessed someone else making a poor ethical decision and how you handled it. Ethical decisions can involve reporting false data, false time reporting, and violating confidentiality, to name a few.
Written by Lindsay Williams Ortega on December 3rd, 2021
Answer Example
"I was faced with a difficult ethical decision at my previous workplace when I noticed that my paycheck had a larger than the normal amount. When I went back and looked at my timecard, I realized that I had mistakingly entered an additional time for that pay period. Once I became aware of my mistake, I alerted my supervisor and the payroll team to arrange for the additional sum of money to be paid back to the company. While it would have been nice to keep the extra money, and it was hard to admit that I had made a big mistake, it was important to be honest because I had not earned that money."
Written by Lindsay Williams Ortega on December 3rd, 2021