Oct 08, 2026 by Offer

NatWest Interview 2027: 'Doing the Right Thing' Example Answer

The strongest NatWest doing the right thing example is a STAR story where the right choice cost you something — time, convenience, or a short-term result. State the dilemma, name the principle, describe the action plainly. Commonly reported by candidates.

What This Question Assesses

This is a values and integrity question — central to a bank's hiring. The interviewer is testing whether your ethics are situational or habitual: do you do the right thing when nobody is watching, when it costs you, when the wrong thing would have been easier and undetectable? A story where the right choice was also the easy choice proves nothing. The cost is the evidence.

Natwest Doing The Right Thing Example: How to Answer

Situation: Set up the dilemma in two sentences. What was the easy-but-wrong option, and what made it tempting? A shortcut that nobody would notice, pressure to hit a number, a mistake you could have hidden.
Task: Clarify what was at stake and why the decision fell to you. Show you recognised the ethical dimension — many candidates' best stories start with "I realised that..."
Action: Describe what you did, plainly. Reported the error, refused the shortcut, spoke up when silence was easier. Do not overdramatise; quiet integrity is more credible than heroics.
Result: End with the outcome — for others, for the team, for you. If the outcome was uncomfortable (a delayed result, an awkward conversation), say so honestly; it strengthens the story.

An example line: "I found an error in a report that made our team's figures look better than they were — correcting it meant missing our weekly target, but I flagged it to my manager before it went further, and she later told me that honesty was why she trusted me with client-facing work."

Natwest Doing The Right Thing Example: Common Mistakes

Choosing a story with no real cost. If doing the right thing was easy, the question is unanswered. The interviewer is measuring what you sacrifice for your principles.
Moral grandstanding. Lecturing the interviewer on ethics, or presenting yourself as flawless, creates distance. Be matter-of-fact: this is just how you operate.
Implicating others negatively. If your story requires painting colleagues as unethical to make yourself look good, choose a different story. Integrity includes discretion.

In banking, trust is the product — this question is the interviewer's direct test of whether you can be trusted with it.

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FAQ

Does the example need to be work-related? No. Academic integrity, sports, volunteering, or everyday situations all work — anywhere you chose the harder right option over an easier wrong one.

What if my example is small? Small, real beats large, vague. Returning something you could have kept, or correcting a mistake nobody would have found, is exactly the scale this question wants.

Should I mention the consequences for me? Yes, briefly and honestly. If doing the right thing cost you time or a result, saying so proves the choice was genuine rather than convenient.

Preparing for NatWest's interview? Our 2027 NatWest Group Online Assessment and Video Interview Tutorials has practice questions and answers — $79 one-time, instant download.