Tell me about a time your ethics were tested.

Focus on situations related to your profession. The interviewer wants to hear how your ethics were tested in the workplace and how you handled and resolved the situation. Use the STAR approach to highlight how you take action against unethical behaviors or wrong-doing while acting with integrity and honesty.

Avoid saying you have never faced a situation where your ethics were tested. In any profession, you will experience ethical dilemmas, such as witnessing someone cheating, lying, or stealing. The interviewer wants to see how you would handle the situation if hired to ensure your values align with their organization.

"I was recently in a situation where my ethics were tested. I was in a patient's room talking with the patient's daughter. Her mother was unconscious and had a morphine drip for pain management but was still moaning as if she were in pain. The patient's daughter was distraught seeing her mother in this condition, and she asked if I could adjust the patient's morphine drip so her mother would pass quicker. I explained that I was not at liberty to do that, and it was unethical. I escorted the daughter out of the room and had her wait in the waiting room. I advised the charge nurse of what the daughter had asked me to do, and she said she would keep a close eye on the daughter. I understood the daughter did not want to see her mother in pain, but ethically, I could not help facilitate her mother's passing."