“What Are Your Core Values?” Interview Question: How to Answer (+ Examples)

The short answer: name two or three values that genuinely guide how you work, prove each one with a short, real example, and connect them to the company’s values or the job. Keep it under two minutes. Avoid a list of adjectives with no evidence: any candidate can say “integrity,” but only you can describe the time you flagged your own mistake before a client noticed. Below is how to find your real values, the answer structure, 30 values to choose from, six example answers and the related questions you’re likely to get.

What the interviewer is really asking

“What are your core values?” is about fit. The interviewer wants to know:

• What drives your decisions when nobody is checking.
• Whether your values match the company’s, which affects how well you’ll work with the team and how long you’ll stay.
• Whether you know yourself well enough to answer without clichés.

Some employers build their whole process around this. NHS Employers describes values-based recruitment as “an approach to recruitment which will help you find people whose personal values match with your organisation.” In a values-based interview, most questions ask for real examples of how you acted, not just which values you hold.

How to find your real values

If you’re not sure what your core values are, look at your behavior, not a list:

1. Think of a time you were proud of how you handled something at work or school. What were you protecting or choosing? That’s a value.
2. Think of a time something at work frustrated you. The frustration usually points to a value being ignored, such as fairness, quality or honesty.
3. Look at the choices you’ve made: jobs you took or left, projects you volunteered for.
4. Pick the two or three that show up most often, and that you can back with a story.

30 workplace values to choose from

Pick values that matter for the job. “Safety” is a powerful answer for a nurse or an engineer; “curiosity” suits a researcher or analyst.

How to structure your answer

1. Name two or three values. “The values that guide me most are honesty and ownership.”
2. Prove each one with a short example: what happened, what you did and what it led to.
3. Connect them to the company or role. “I noticed that one of your values is ‘we own our mistakes.’ That’s exactly how I like to work.”

For each value, a two- or three-sentence example is enough. If the interviewer wants more, they’ll ask. For longer stories, use the STAR method.

Example answers

Examples are illustrations, not quotes from real candidates. Use your own values and experiences.

Customer service representative

“My core values are respect and follow-through. Respect means every customer gets my full attention, even when they’re angry. Last month, a customer called for the third time about the same billing error, and before fixing anything I apologized that they’d had to call again. Follow-through means I don’t close a ticket until the problem is actually solved: I called that customer back two days later to confirm the refund had arrived. I saw that your company talks about treating customers like neighbors, and that’s how I try to work.”

Software engineer

“Two values guide how I work: ownership and craftsmanship. Ownership means that if something I shipped breaks, I’m the first one on it, even at 11 p.m. Craftsmanship means I’d rather ship a smaller feature that’s well tested than a big one that isn’t. On my last team I pushed to add tests to a payment module everyone was afraid to touch, and we went from a failed release every few weeks to none in six months. Your engineering blog’s post on code review told me you care about the same things.”

Nurse

“Patient safety and compassion. Safety means I double-check medications even when we’re busy and speak up if something doesn’t look right. Once I questioned an unusually high dose on a chart; it turned out to be a transcription error. Compassion means I take a minute to explain what’s happening to anxious patients and their families, even on a full shift. Your hospital’s commitment to patient-centered care is a big reason I applied.”

Teacher

“Fairness and growth. Fairness means every student gets clear expectations and the same chance to succeed, so I use rubrics and give feedback students can act on. Growth means I believe every student can improve: last year I set up weekly check-ins with five students who were failing, and four of them passed the course. I noticed your school’s focus on growth for every learner, and I’d love to be part of that.”

Recent graduate

“Curiosity and reliability. Curiosity is why I took an extra statistics course that wasn’t required and ended up using it for my capstone project. Reliability is something my teammates could count on: in four group projects I never missed a deadline, and I usually set up the shared schedule. For an entry-level analyst role, I think those two matter a lot: asking good questions and delivering on time.”

Manager

“Honesty and developing people. Honesty means my team hears bad news from me early, with a plan. When our budget was cut, I told the team the same week and we decided together what to drop. Developing people means I measure myself by how my team grows: two of my direct reports were promoted last year. Your leadership principles mention growing talent, which is what I enjoy most about management.”

Related values questions

Values-based interviews often ask the same thing in different ways:

• “Which of our values do you relate to most, and why?” Read the company’s values before the interview. Pick one that genuinely matches you and give an example.
• “What’s most important to you in a job?” See our guide to what motivates you.
• “Tell me about a time your values were tested.” Pick a real dilemma, such as pressure to cut a corner, and show what you did.
• “Tell me about a time you had to make an ethical decision.” Explain the choice, who you involved and the outcome.
• “What kind of work environment do you thrive in?” Describe it honestly, and connect it to what you know about the company.
• “How would your colleagues describe you?” See words to describe yourself.

Some companies publish their values and interview against them. Amazon, for example, organizes its interviews around its Leadership Principles.

Mistakes to avoid

• A list with no proof. “Integrity, teamwork, passion, excellence” tells the interviewer nothing.
• Values you can’t back up. If you say “innovation,” expect “Tell me about something new you introduced.”
• Copying the company’s values word for word without examples. It sounds rehearsed.
• Values that clash with the job. “Independence above all” is an odd answer for a highly collaborative role.
• Too many values. Two or three, well supported, is enough.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• NHS Employers, Values-based recruitment, 23 May 2024. Read on 30 September 2026.