Employing managers and recruiters can evaluate candidates’ EQ through the use of emotional intelligence interview questions. Finding the best EQ interview questions can become a crucial element in identifying the top workers who would fit the company culture.
Why assess the emotional intelligence of candidates;
Employee Performance can be influenced by emotional intelligence or Emotional Quotient (EQ). Therefore, interview questions give hiring managers and recruiters a deeper understanding of future employee performance to;
- Be sensitive to their own and others’ feelings.
- Recognize their feelings and control their actions.
- Manage their emotions in order to adjust to various settings.
These characteristics are crucial considerations for a successful hire since workers with high emotional and social intelligence tend to;
- Work well with their coworkers.
- Welcome open communication with their team.
- Adjust to change.
By posing particular questions, recruiters and hiring managers should gauge candidates’ emotional intelligence that is pertinent to the position for which they are hiring. A salesperson with emotional intelligence, for instance, is able to control their frustration when hearing customers’ complaints. Similar to that, a developer can control their feelings when their peers detect errors in their code during code reviews, someone with a high EQ doesn’t become easily offended. Instead, they take the feedback from their coworkers and get back to work.
Some emotional skills are necessary for every team member, regardless of their function. Emotionally Intelligent workers flourish because they naturally understand the emotions of others. In a group setting. They establish dependable connections and communicate clearly with clients and coworkers. Additionally, they are conscious of their own strengths and weaknesses, which makes them more receptive to criticism than workers with lesser degrees of social intelligence or emotional awareness.
During your first or second round of interviews, you could add an emotional intelligence test to your hiring process by posing some of the following questions:
Questions for emotional intelligence interviews:
- Tell me about a time when you had to make an ethical decision at work. What was the outcome and how did you handle it?
- When has someone criticized your work? Please share. How did you respond and what did you learn from this experience?
- What approach would you take if two coworkers were to disagree?
- How would you respond if a consumer called to complain that the cost of our product or service is too high? What would you say?
- Tell me about a moment when you had a clash with your boss. How did you solve the issue?
How to evaluate the emotional intelligence of applicants:
- Allow your applicants some time to reflect on an experience from their own lives. You could also give them a hypothetical situation to see how they would respond. Select an item that they are more likely to deal with if they were to be an employee at your company. If one of your applicants talks about a prior experience, they ought to be able to go into more detail and give you the full picture. If more information is required, ask for elaboration and clearer answers.
- What did your colleague say next, exactly?
- was your working relationship with your supervisor?
- Or “did you encounter a similar incident with a different client?”
- As your applicants respond to your questions, pay close attention to their reactions and body language. Do they still appear sad when discussing the unfavourable criticism they received? Can they discuss how they improved as a result of the feedback they received from their manager?
- Ask questions based on scenarios that correspond to the way your business operates. For various jobs, certain emotional intelligence traits are more significant than others. For instance, when a salesman asserts they don’t respond to customer complaints, it may indicate that they are uninterested or uninspired, and they give up easily. However, as a coordinator of social media, taking time to consider their comment before reacting to someone’s negative statement could be a good indication of their emotional intelligence. Instead of responding right away to a negative comment, they can decide to get in touch and handle the situation in a more subdued, acceptable manner.
- Convert the responses you receive into actual job experiences. Conflict avoidance can be considered favourable in some circumstances. However, in a professional team, it’s a sign of an employee’s emotional restraint and it may hinder teamwork and performance and create problems in the long run.
Red flags:
Candidates may not have the Emotional Intelligence required for the job position you are hiring for if they respond with answers that sound like the ones below:
- Standard responses look like coming off from templates, such as “I had a disagreement with a coworker on a project, but we sat down, discussed, and resolved the issue.” These responses are “manufactured” and lack concrete examples drawn from actual work settings.
- Answers that are brief and generic, such as “I remain composed under pressure” or “I work well in teams.” Look for specific responses that are based on experience instead of these answers, which are too general to be of any value.
- blaming or criticizing superiors or coworkers. Candidates who criticize others may be lacking in self-evaluation abilities and unable to accept responsibility for their conduct. If a candidate mentions a bad experience, it may not be unfavourable if they have learned from their errors and altered their conduct.
- Conflicting signs in one’s body language. Typically, candidates who exhibit poor impulse control or who appear uncomfortable answering questions about emotional intelligence usually do not function well under tense circumstances and may not perform well under stressful work conditions.
