A strong work ethic includes working hard and giving extra effort to help the team. A candidate who can easily come up with examples of going beyond the bare minimum is someone who understands this. They're likely to work hard for you. What to look for in an answer:

• Clear example of doing more than what's expected

• Willingness to give their best work instead of just the minimum

• Understanding the benefits of everyone giving their best

This question gives you a glimpse of how the candidate perceives their work ethic and how they think their colleagues see them. Most candidates will say their colleagues think they have a strong work ethic, but you can usually tell how much they believe that from their answer. What to look for in an answer:

• Confidence in their work ethic

• Ability to put themselves into their colleagues' shoes

• Specific examples that support their claims of a strong work ethic

During busy periods, employees have no choice but to get things done. However, you want to know what they do when they aren't forced to work hard just to keep up. Including this in your work ethic interview questions helps you see how dedicated they are to using work time for good. What to look for in an answer:

• Commitment to using downtime wisely

• Understanding that downtime is a chance to learn or get organized

• Willingness to help out in other areas

This question lets you assess work ethic without asking about it directly. Someone who mentions different aspects of work ethic, such as teamwork, respect, attitude, character and hard work, shows they value those skills and likely have a strong work ethic. What to look for in an answer:

• Mention of key work ethic factors

• Reflection of your company's values

• Understanding that more than just skill and knowledge affect success

Workplace conflict is inevitable and can lead to better ideas and a stronger team when handled well. Asking this question gauges if the candidate will own up to having conflicts with others. It also gives you a sense of their conflict resolution style. What to look for in an answer:

• Deals with conflict instead of avoiding it

• Specific strategies to resolve conflict

• Ability to communicate and compromise

Being productive and working hard are part of having a strong work ethic. It can be difficult to stay focused and productive without motivation. Someone who knows how to stay motivated and deal with low-motivation times will likely be more efficient. What to look for in an answer:

• Understanding of personal motivators

• Initiative to find motivation themselves rather than waiting for their boss to motivate them

• Realization that motivation affects productivity

The workload often varies, so you need someone who can handle the busy times without getting frustrated. This question looks for coping strategies and solutions when things are busier than normal. What to look for in an answer:

• Understanding of their limits

• Ability to ask for help

• Coping strategies to stay calm

An employee who understands how they work best is likely to be more productive. You can also determine if your work environment is compatible with what the candidate needs. What to look for in an answer:

• Awareness of ideal work environments

• Understanding of the relationship between the environment and productivity

• Flexibility in environment needs

Working well as a team requires collaboration, understanding of others, compromise and the willingness to share the work. It sometimes means helping other team members when they fall behind. Asking about teamwork in your work ethic interview questions helps you gauge how well the candidate does these things. What to look for in an answer:

• Willingness to help the team succeed

• Desire to use work ethic for the good of the team

• Understanding of how to interact with others

Completing tasks with constant direction from a supervisor gets the job done, but it's not efficient. Someone who works well unsupervised has the focus that comes with a strong work ethic. They do what's right and what needs to get done, even when no one is around. What to look for in an answer:

• Confidence in their ability to work independently

• Examples of working independently

• Value in being a self-starter