How to Answer Ethical Interview Questions

Co-authored by Lily Zheng, MA

Last Updated: September 16, 2021

Many employers include ethical questions as part of their interview process and it can be tricky to determine how to best answer these types of questions. Medical school interviews are also known for their ethical questions to determine the interviewee’s ethical decision making. It can be helpful to first review different ethical interview questions so you have a good sense of what these questions are like, and then practice responding to them so you are better prepared in your interview.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Reviewing Example Ethical Interview Questions

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Be aware of the purpose of ethical questions in an interview. In a job interview, ethical questions are used to determine if you can be a responsible and sustainable employees. As an employee, you also want to feel like you are working for an ethical employer. So when you are asked ethical questions during your interview, this is a good sign that your employer cares about your morals and values as an employee.^{[1]
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- In an interview for medical school, you will likely be asked ethical questions as a way to determine if you have sound ethical decision making. This is an essential element of being a good and responsible physician, especially in situations of life and death.^{[2]
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Read sample ethical questions for a job interview. Before you head to your job interview, you should prepare for ethical interview questions by reviewing several common questions used by potential employers, including:
- What would you do if someone in management asked you to do something unethical?
- Tell me about a time you faced an ethical dilemma.
- If you saw a coworker doing something dishonest, what would you do?
- If you knew that your supervisor was doing something unethical, what would you do?
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Review sample ethical questions for an interview for medical school. The process for getting into medical school usually involves an in person interview, where you will be asked several ethically based questions, including:^{[3]
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- You observe a fellow medical student cheating on an examination. What would you do?
- How would you tell a patient just diagnosed with cancer that he has only a few weeks to live?
- Would you get out of your car to help a victim after observing an accident?
- What are your thoughts on euthanasia?
- A pregnant 15-year-old unmarried teenager comes into your office asking for an abortion. What would you do? Would you inform her parents?

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Responding to the Ethical Interview Questions

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Focus on putting the best interests of the patient first in a medical interview. One of the golden rules of answering ethical questions in a medical school interview is to always focus on how you can put your patient’s needs first. You should place the patient’s welfare above all else, as your role as a physician is to serve your patients, first and foremost. ^{[4]
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- For example, to answer the ethical question in a medical school interview: What are your thoughts on euthanasia?, you may consider how you can put the needs of a patient on life support first. If the patient is suffering unduly and there is no medical way to save her life, you may advocate for the use of euthanasia, as this will be in the best interests of the patient. As well, if the patient specified that she wanted to be euthanized once her health deteriorated to a certain point, you have an ethical obligation to fulfill her wishes, especially when there is nothing more you can do to save her life as her physician.
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Try to put the employer's best interests first in a job interview. When answering ethical questions in a job interview, you should try to put the needs of your employer first, where you are not putting your employer at risk in any way.
- To answer the ethical question in a job interview: If you saw a coworker doing something dishonest, what would you do?, you may consider how the coworker’s actions puts your employer at risk. You may then respond by noting that the coworker is putting himself, the company, and other employees at risk, as his actions affect the ethics of everyone around him. As a result, you would confront him about his dishonesty and report him to your supervisor so he is held accountable for his actions.
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Emphasize the importance of acting with integrity and honesty. The interviewers are asking you ethical questions to test your ability to act with integrity and honesty. Your responses should reflect the importance of these attributes in your decision making and how much you value them.
- For example, if you are answering the question: If you knew that your supervisor was doing something unethical, what would you do?, you may think about how the supervisor’s actions conflict with your ability to act with integrity and honesty. You may respond by noting that the supervisor was not acting with integrity or honesty, which is very important to you. To resolve the situation, you would confront your supervisor and report her to her supervisor or to the Human Resources department. This will ensure that your workplace remains honest and ethical.
- If you are answering the question:You observe a fellow medical student cheating on an examination. What would you do?, you may note that your peer’s actions do not reflect your values of integrity and honesty. To resolve the situation, you would confront your peer and report her to the medical school. This will ensure the examination remains honest and ethical, and that you can act as an honest person moving forward in the examination process.
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Lean on examples in your own experiences to support your response. Often, using examples to support your response to an ethical question can show the interviewer how you can put your ethics into action in a specific situation. You should prepare one to two strong examples that explore an ethical dilemma and your response to it.^{[5]
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- For example, you may receive a more open ended question such as: Tell me about a time you faced an ethical dilemma. You can respond by using a situation where you discovered a colleague was cutting corners on a group project, leading to nearly missing the client deadline. You may note that you waited for the project to be handed in and then confronted your colleague by expressing your disappointment and frustration with their unethical handling of the project. You may then suggest that your colleague speak to your supervisor to discuss how and why he cut corners, as this could put you, the team, and the company in jeopardy. If your colleague refuses to do this, you may decide to talk to your supervisor yourself.
- This response shows that you are trying to stay true to your ethics and show your colleague the courtesy of speaking to her one on one. By giving her the option to speak to your supervisor herself, you are extending trust to your colleague. It also shows you are willing to try to work out the issue among you and your colleague first, before going to your supervisor.
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Write down your response and then recite it out loud. It can be helpful to write down your response on a piece of paper or on your computer and then read it out loud to yourself to ensure it flows and makes sense. This will allow you to better prepare for the actual interview, as you will have a lower risk of babbling and long winded responses if you write down your thoughts first.
- You can recite your response to yourself in front of a mirror so you can gauge your body language and your eye contact. You should have relaxed body language with your arms at your sides and your body facing forward. You should also maintain eye contact, and display happy facial expressions, like smiling or laughing.
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Practice responding to the questions with a friend or peer. You can practice your responses to ethical questions by having a friend pretend to be your interviewer. Have a friend or peer ask you a series of ethical questions to determine how well you can respond to each question naturally, but concisely.
- You should try to respond to the questions from memory, so you may need to memorize some of your written answers. You should also be willing to get feedback on your responses from your friend or peer and adjust your responses based on their feedback.

Expert Q&A
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Question

How do you answer an ethical question for medical school interview?

Lily Zheng, MA
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Consultant
Lily Zheng is a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Consultant and Executive Coach who works with organizations around the world to build more inclusive and innovative workplaces for all. Lily is the author of Gender Ambiguity in the Workplace: Transgender and Gender-Diverse Discrimination (2018) and The Ethical Sellout: Maintaining Your Integrity in the Age of Compromise (2019). Lily earned her MA in Sociology from Stanford University.

Lily Zheng, MA

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Consultant

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

There is no right answer to ethical dilemma questions. Interviewers are asking these questions to gain more insight into how you work under stress, your thought processes when making tough decisions, and your core beliefs and values. Practice giving nuanced answers with confidence and consideration. Ideally, interviewers should be able to disagree with your answer and still be impressed by your process.
Question

Took a personality test. Question: T or F The ethical thing is not always the right thing to do. What is the answer to this?

Community Answer

False. Ethics appeals to moral principles, not pragmatism. The word "right" requires some further elucidation, but in most cases it would be referring to the honorable thing to do, not the most expedient thing to do. This question is a bit too technical to be answered with "true" or "false," and while "false" may seem a bit too obvious, it also seems to be the only answer.
Question

How do I show integrity in the workplace?

Community Answer

By consistently performing your job according to policies and procedures. Even quiz your supervisor or trainer as to the correct way to do a task.