This question can quickly throw you off guard in a job interview because it often leaves you with more questions.
Why am I being given confidential information? What sort of information are we talking about?Why would I need to share it with anyone?
These are all very natural responses, but asking questions in response to a question doesn’t usually land well in an interview.
Instead, you need to understand what’s really being asked of you, and what you need to touch on in order to satisfy the interviewer.
Before we get into the why and how of this interview question, know that the question itself can be worded slightly differently from time to time, but your answer will follow the same format.
Interview Tips: Confidentiality
Example 4: Finance
“Protecting the financial information of my customers is one of my top priorities. Customers trust me to keep their banking information and financial details confidential and secure, supporting their privacy and preventing misuse of financial information. I only access customer financial details using a secure, encrypted platform and always destroy copies of financial records when theyre no longer useful to the project.”
Example 5: Security
“As a security installation professional, I understand that clients trust me to manage private details about their home and alarm systems. I follow identity confirmation protocols thoroughly when a client calls about their security system, making sure that I have the clearance to share private details. This reassures clients and shows them that I take their personal protection seriously. When working with security details on the back end, I always confirm that I logged out of the system and follow strict cybersecurity measures to help protect consumer information.”
Why do employers ask about confidentiality?
Organizations that work with confidential information require a high level of trust and integrity among their staff members. If you want to work in a field that interacts with private data like banking details, personal contact information or health history, its important to highlight your commitment to privacy and discretion during your interviews.
Employers ask questions about how you handle confidential information for several key reasons, including:
How would you react if you would find out that a coworker is sharing confidential internal information regarding the company?
This question aims to assess your view of coworkers sharing confidential information, as well as your interpersonal skills. The best way to answer is typically by saying that you would initially try to convince the coworker that their actions may impact them both personally and professionally and if you wouldnt see a clear sign of them recognizing their mistake, you would immediately report the situation to a supervisor.
Example answer: “I would first try to have a private conversation with them and make sure they realize the mistake they made and how it could potentially impact their career and personal life. If they recognize their mistake, I would consider the matter closed, but if they would try to defend or deny their actions I would immediately report the entire situation to my manager.”
How would you act if you accidentally received an email or phone message with sensitive information regarding one of your colleagues?
The hiring manager may ask this question to assess your attitude regarding this situation and other similar ones. You should be firm in stating that you would not disclose that information to anyone. You can either say that you would delete the email or text and avoid thinking about the matter, or that you would contact the sender and make sure they wont repeat their mistake.
Example answer: “I would contact the original sender and tell them that they accidentally messaged me instead of the intended recipient. I would also assure them that I wont disclose this information with anyone, ever.”
How would you react if a close friend would ask you about a new program that your company is involved in and with details that are still unreleased to the public? They promise not to mention anything to anyone about this.
Interviewers ask this question to see how the candidate is able to differentiate personal loyalty from professional loyalty. The most appropriate way to answer this question is by clearly stating that you would not ever disclose details about your work that are not public, not even with close friends or members of your family.
Example answer: “I would try to find a delicate way of telling my friend that I cannot discuss private company matters with them, or anybody else for that matter.”
Talk About Your Ability to Maintain Confidentiality
Disclose an actual scenario from a recent work experience where you were inappropriately asked by a supervisor to divulge personal or confidential information. The point is to show that you can exercise independent judgement and respect the companys leadership without compromising your values concerning confidentiality.
Example:
In a previous role, I had a close friendship with a co-worker who told me in confidence that she was pregnant but afraid to tell our supervisor for fear she might lose her job. My supervisor asked me if I knew anything about my co-workers health condition and if there was anything he should know about the co-workers recent absences. It would have been irresponsible for me to disclose information about another employees circumstances, particularly when I was asked to maintain the confidence. I explained to my supervisor that I didnt feel comfortable discussing another employees personal or work-related circumstances without her permission.
What The Interviewer Really Wants To Know
The interviewer wants to know if you can maintain discretion at work.
Most people are very social at work, so the flow of information between employees is unavoidable.
While this can be beneficial in many cases, especially in a team-based work environment, you may sometimes have to be more selective about who share your information with — if at all.
Whether it’s sensitive information about the company you work for or the people you work with, having a good moral judgment on the flow of information shows that you’re responsible, reliable, respectful, and trustworthy.
How does this question determine that?
While the question doesn’t directly ask you if you have these traits, it does force you to create a scenario that reflects on your judgment, and any good interviewer will be able to derive some character traits from that.
Examples of confidentiality skills interview questions
FAQ
What should I say about confidentiality in an interview?
What does confidentiality mean to you interview question?
How do you handle confidentiality in your work answer?
- Explain the role of confidentiality in your work. Begin your answer by explaining how you expect to interact with confidential information in your role. …
- Describe actionable steps. …
- Review the outcome of your behavior. …
- Use general examples.
How you can demonstrate your confidentiality skills?
