Character most valued trait in the job market   MENLO PARK, CA (PRNewswire) - In today's business world, hiring managers seem to value veracity over verbal skills, according to a recent survey. Close to a third (32 percent) of executives rated honesty and integrity as the most critical qualities in a job candidate. This represents a major shift from the results of a similar survey conducted in 1990, in which verbal skills were ranked number one. At that time, honesty received only 7 percent of the vote. The survey was developed by Robert Half International Inc., (NYSE: RHI) the world's first and largest staffing services firm specializing in the accounting, finance and information technology fields. It was conducted by an independent research firm, which polled 150 executives from the nation's 1,000 largest companies. Executives were asked, `Other than the ability and willingness to do the job, what is the one quality that impresses you the most about a candidate during a job interview?` Their responses:  Honesty/integrity  32%  Enthusiasm  29%  Verbal skills  28%  Appearance  3%  Sense of humor  3%  Other/don't know  5%    100% In the 1990 survey, 38 percent of executives ranked verbal skills as the most critical factor during a job interview. Enthusiasm received the second highest score in both surveys, and it was favored by 24 percent of those polled in 1990. `Today's more demanding and competitive business environment places greater importance on honesty and integrity,` said Max Messmer, chairman and CEO of Robert Half International. `Managers need people they can count on -- it's the very core of a productive relationship and the cornerstone of the team-building process. `Because references have become more difficult for companies to obtain, hiring managers are taking more time to determine a job candidate's character and candor during the evaluation process. Without such attributes as trustworthiness and integrity, even the most highly skilled and articulate job seeker or employee will have limited success,` he said.