Interview Questions – ‘What are your values?’

For Service-leavers who haven’t got recent interview experience, the prospect can seem daunting. Here, we dissect another of the more common but no less difficult interview questions so that you can show your best side to interviewers and land your next post-Services role.

‘What are your values?’

Not on your CV
While your CV is full of your competencies and achievements, it is far more difficult for an employer to gauge your values and character except through interview questions.  This is an example of a character question and is important, since everything else flows from that.

Specifically, your values include your moral position and professional standards and how you implement these in the workplace.

Your Military experience
Naturally, one of the outstanding features of your CV is likely to be your Military service. To some extent, this gives an indication of character since it is well known that the Military aims to mould your character in certain ways. Furthermore, your experiences, when you discuss them may well be peppered with examples of resolution, determination and courage.

Decisions
Your values are what inform your decisions. You need to be sure about what these are in order to make clear decisions that you can stand by. 

Company values
This is about aligning your values with the company’s. Naturally, in order to do this you’ll need a good idea of what the company’s values are, such as innovation, or sustainability and so on. These are often found by looking over the company’s website.

Why did you apply?
Ideally, the company’s values should have at least partly informed your decision to apply to the company. Again, you need to consider how your values overlap or relate to those of your prospective employer. 

Make your statements real
Anybody can list values that sound about right. The difference between them and the candidates that will impress is in providing evidence of when you applied those values.

Providing anecdotal evidence that the interviewer will remember can be a great way to get ahead of the pack.

Take character questions seriously
While your focus might be on competency questions, it’s important to take character questions seriously. They may seem slightly abstract and of little consequence in terms of the day-to-day role you’re going for but if the interviewer values them, you should too.

Character questions
Character questions are built into every interview. All things we succeed or fail at are somehow linked to character. Irrespective of the cards life has dealt you, such as money, education, or other opportunities, it’s character that will decide what you do with your life – and how.