Ask the Ethics Expert: Al Gini • Professor of Business Ethics
Q
My corporation is looking for a director of internal audit. A few of us interviewed a strong candidate. During the interview process, we asked him why he was looking to leave his current company. He said that the recruiter had called him, he had listened to our opportunity, and decided that it was of interest to him. Prior to making him the offer, one of our managers learned from a mutual acquaintance that this same candidate had interviewed a few weeks earlier at another company, but was not selected for that job. Should the candidate be eliminated from consideration, given the sensitivity of the position, for lying about his job search? Or is his response an acceptable negotiating tactic to prevent him from losing leverage during the interview process?
A
Let’s begin with the facts: you’re hiring a director of internal audit. You need to be able to trust this person. You need to know that he is not a liar. Are you sure this candidate is lying to you? If you’re not sure, how do you find out? It is possible that your candidate was not actively searching for a job and, coincidentally, another firm also approached him with a job offer. Assuming that the candidate is not lying, he is under no obligation to tell you about other interviews he might be having. In revealing that he was not offered the other position, he would clearly be losing leverage when negotiating for the job. If this is the case, he is acting in good faith and has done nothing wrong. Here is what I’d do. I’d directly confront him and explain my concerns. I’d tell him that, based on his credentials and experience, I want to hire him, but that I have some character questions that I need to resolve before I can go forward.
My experience has been that, if he is an honest person, he will give you a reasonable explanation. On the other hand, if this person is an experienced liar, he might be able to look you straight in the eye and be totally convincing. Here’s the hard part. If you are not comfortable with the answers he provides, given the sensitivity and importance of the job, I would not hire the candidate. Unfortunately, ethics is not an exact science. There are no fool-proof litmus tests for character and integrity. In the end, trusting anyone—a co-worker, family member, or friend—is a judgment call.
Do you have a conundrum at work? Wondering how to maneuver a sticky business situation? Submit your questions to EthicsExpert@luc.edu.