When hiring people how important is Emotional intelligence (EI/EQ) versus IQ and technical skills?
We are humans and we live in a connected world! Cliché!! True, but consider this having to work with people is easy for some and never easy for others.
What is it that makes people connect, tick, get along, or simply get angry, frustrated or disappointed with each other? Wouldn’t it be better to hire people who’d be good team players, be empathetic but intelligent and independent? Good at their jobs but not smarty pants?
Sometimes it matters to go with flow because the business needs it or the project needs or the Customer needs it! However, the culture of an organization can get decultured soon if the hiring team makes a wrong choice in picking candidates merely on the basis of IQ or technical skills.
Goleman’s model includes several components of EI, suggest how to apply them in recruiting. Finding a job and succeeding in a new job requires more than just qualifications and experience. Empathy and emotional intelligence (EI) are important factors that talent professionals and hiring managers must consider when determining cultural fit and future job success.
Research shows that emotional intelligence (EQ) affects everything from health and personal satisfaction to leadership and long-term career success, starting with your ability to find a job. If you’ve read about promotions at work recently, you may have read that people with high emotional intelligence (EI) are more likely to be hired, promoted, and paid higher wages.
Emotional intelligence studies the emotions and the ability of people to control them, use them effectively in communication and interaction with other people, show empathy and recognize the intentions of others.
Emotional intelligence is twice as important as IQ and technical skills in deciding who will be the best actor. Employees with high emotional intelligence can manage their impulses, communicate effectively with others, manage change well, solve problems, and use humor to build relationships in stressful situations.
Basically, it is beneficial for employers to actively seek and hire candidates who demonstrate high emotional intelligence. Research has shown that people with strong leadership potential also tend to be more emotional, suggesting that high EQ is an important quality for business leaders and managers.
According to the World Economic Forum, EQ is ranked among the top 10 skills that employees need to be successful in the workplace. It affects our self-image, how we interact with colleagues, superiors and clients, and how we make personal decisions. This is why, when it comes to leadership positions, employers tend to hire and promote candidates with high IQ (emotional quotient) rather than IQ (intelligence quotient).
Companies must select candidates with a high EI, and this is one of the main features to look out for when selecting candidates. People with high emotional intelligence are capable of self-motivation and strive to lead themselves to success in their business. When people have a high level of emotional intelligence, they are not bothered by customer criticism; they are still focused on results, not offended. If two candidates have the same IQ, then the candidate with the highest EI is most likely the best fit for the company.
As Goleman said, no amount of intelligence compensates for the lack of critical emotional and social skills, especially in the modern workplace. With this statement, Goleman argues that “emotional and social skills give people an edge in areas where those skills matter, such as love and leadership.
It is now important that people learn about equalization and start practicing it. Just as people have dedicated their practice and efforts to their education and careers, they can do the same with EQ.
Emotionally intelligent people strive to keep learning in all areas, including their soft skills in communication, leadership, problem solving, and time management. Harnessing the strengths of both skill sets is what will bring projects and initiatives to the finish line. In today’s workforce, emotionally savvy and smart managers assemble diverse teams whose unique perspectives and strengths they can leverage.
Annie McKee, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education and Director of the PennCLO Doctoral Program for Executives, defines emotional intelligence in the workplace as the ability to understand and manage one’s emotions, as well as to understand the emotions and motives of others so that they can guide people to work together. work and collaborate on common goals.
Researchers such as John Mayer and Peter Salovey, as well as writers such as Daniel Goleman, have helped shed light on emotional intelligence, making it a hot topic in fields ranging from business management to education. Various exercises for developing emotional intelligence (EI) skills have emerged and employers are talking about the importance.
A 2019 survey found that 71% of employers preferred EQ over IQ in employees. According to a new CareerBuilder poll, 34% of hiring managers said they place more emphasis on emotional intelligence (EI) when hiring and promoting employees after the recession.
Additionally, CareerBuilder found that 61% of employers surveyed said they were more likely to promote emotionally intelligent employees than highly intelligent candidates. 59% of employers would not hire someone with a high IQ but a low EI. For employees considered for promotion, candidates with high EI outperformed candidates with high EI in most cases—75% said they were more likely to be promoted.
Emotionally intelligent employees have a sense of self that helps them understand colleagues and meet deadlines. People with higher levels of emotional intelligence interact better with others and manage their careers more successfully. In addition to being more productive at work and better understanding of their peers, people with a higher EI can better balance their love lives by taking care of their emotions and health.
In general, a high level of EI allows you to effectively work with other people’s reactions and emotions, as well as with your own, correctly plan your internal resources and get to know yourself better – remember, these are useful skills not only in work, but also in your daily life. The more you experiment and the broader your experience base, the easier it will be for you to cultivate EI. It is an awareness of the emotions and experiences of others that are rooted in and linked to their own personal experiences,” says Foley.
McKee said that when you get a response that tells you what people have done, thought, and felt about the situation and their actions, you can get a much better understanding of the emotional intelligence of candidates.
Today hiring managers are using interview techniques and responses to determine the behavior of a candidate for emotional intelligence and gauge the candidate’s awareness of their thoughts and emotions.
It’s not just about me and my IQ or Technical Intelligence for hiring anymore, it’s about us, the team and success in wining together. Hence, Emotional Intelligence is what matter more during hiring!
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