In this blog, we are going deep to understand how emotional intelligence interview questions can be effectively used to identify emotionally intelligent candidates. Before we do this however, we need to understand what emotional intelligence is and why it is so important in the work environment.
Put simply, emotional intelligence is about being in tune with your emotions and those of others, and knowing how to manage them in a positive constructive way.
According to Glassdoor, the average cost to hire someone new in the UK is estimated to be around £3000. For small to medium sized businesses, charitable, public, or voluntary sector organisations, that represents a significant investment.
Making the right hiring decision is not just important for financial reasons but getting the right person is likely to increase sales, drive productivity and boost a productive workplace culture. When interviewing for the role, it is important to look beyond technical expertise. The impact of getting all that wrong is costly and unfortunately, only around 20% of companies measure emotional intelligence when choosing candidates..
Understanding Emotional Intelligence in the Interview Process
Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to the ability to recognise, understand, and effectively manage both your own emotions and those of other people. It encompasses various skills such as self-perception (how you see yourself), self-expression (how you express yourself), interpersonal (your ability to create and sustain relationships), decision making (solving problems when emotions are involved) and stress management (how you cope in emotionally stressful situations).
In the recruitment process, emotional intelligence is crucial for successful hires for several reasons:
Better Team Dynamics
Employees with high emotional intelligence are more likely to work well with others, communicate effectively, and resolve conflicts constructively. Better team dynamics will ultimately lead to stronger and more cohesive collaborations and successful delivery of objectives.
Leadership Potential
Even at the hiring stage, you should be on the lookout for potential leaders. Individuals strong in emotional intelligence will demonstrate leadership behaviours such as empathy, resilience, and the ability to inspire and motivate. They will be excellent communicators.
Adaptability and Resilience:
We’ve all worked in organisations where there has been a hesitance towards change. This creates a negative atmosphere. Emotionally intelligent employees will use their optimism and resilience to embrace uncertainty and change.
Conflict Resolution
It is inevitable that employees will have differences of opinion. Those strong in emotional intelligence will have a respect for other people’s perspectives but be assertive enough to put forward their opinions in a constructive way that benefits everyone.
Reduction in Turnover
Hiring candidates with high emotional intelligence can contribute to lower turnover rates. In fact, various studies on EI in the workplace suggest that 400% of people are less likely to leave their job if they have a high EQ manager. These individuals are often more self-aware, which means they are better able to recognise and address their own needs and motivations, leading to higher job satisfaction and retention.
Crafting Emotional Intelligence Interview Questions
With 23% of hiring mismatches being put down to low emotional intelligence, it has never been more important to craft competency based, emotional intelligence interview questions that will elicit the best answers and give you the insights you need to hire successfully.
Emotional intelligence interview questions should be open-ended, encouraging of more detail and focused on the candidate’s response to situations where they have had to demonstrate empathy, conflict resolution, decision-making, problem-solving, personal motivation and their ability to create and sustain effective working relationships.
When hiring for leaders, consider how they demonstrate these qualities in themselves and how they bring out these skills in those they lead.
So, how can you use questions to gauge a candidate’s emotional intelligence?
By using the EQ-i 2.0 model of emotional intelligence, and the subscales within, we can start to craft questions that assess a candidate on their self-perception, self-expression, interpersonal, decision-making and stress management capabilities.
Here are some examples of emotional intelligence interview questions:
Self Awareness
- Can you tell me about a time when you received feedback that was difficult to hear? How did you react and what did you learn?
- How do you use your strengths in the workplace and how do you work on improving yourself?
Self Actualisation
- What drives you to succeed in your work? Can you share an example of a time when you were particularly motivated to achieve a goal?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses and how to you leverage the strengths and dial down on the weaknesses?
- How do you stay engaged and enthusiastic about your work, especially during challenging or monotonous tasks?
Interpersonal Skills
- Describe a successful collaboration or teamwork experience you’ve had. What role did you play, and how did you contribute to the team’s success?
- How do you approach building relationships with teammates, clients, or customers?
Decision Making
- Describe a time when you had to make a decision as part of a team. How did you ensure that everyone’s perspectives were considered, and how did you reach a consensus?
- Describe a complex problem you encountered at work. How did you analyse the situation, and what steps did you take to find a solution?
Stress Management
- Describe a situation in which you had to remain calm under pressure. How did you handle it? (read the blog to learn more about stress reduction strategies)
- How do you manage your time and priorities when faced with competing deadlines?
Tips for Hiring Managers: Evaluating Responses Effectively
The questions above are designed to focus on the action taken rather than the situation. When asking these questions, you need to be able to measure the response by analysing the behaviours and how likely the person is to succeed in your workplace.
Taking the ‘decision-making’ questions above, these are intended to focus more on the behaviours than on the actual decision itself. Did the candidate make the decision quickly? Does this mean that they are impulsive? Did they decide in more time? Does this equate to hesitance? How will the answers translate into what you are looking for when it comes to hiring the best candidate?
Start with the end in mind. Consider what are you actually looking for from a candidate in terms of their behaviours and ensure that they align to your values as an organisation.
Great answers will demonstrate considered and collaborative approaches, independence, when necessary, objective, and reasoned decision making, ability to remain calm under pressure, excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and general role modelling of productive behaviours.
In the interview itself, listen out for the tone of their response as well as their body language. Some red flags might include a negative tone that seeks to blame, those who prefer completely autonomous working (unless the job calls for this), indecision, a lack of resilience, empathy and/or self-awareness.
Enhancing your Interview Technique with Emotional Intelligence
Weaving emotional intelligence into the interview process can lead to a more positive and productive experience for both interviewers and candidates. By building rapport, demonstrating empathy, managing emotions, adapting the interview approach, reading non-verbal cues, and providing constructive feedback, interviewers can create an environment conducive to meaningful interaction and successful outcomes.
This can be done in several ways:
Building Rapport
Interviewers with high emotional intelligence can establish a positive rapport with candidates from the outset. They can greet candidates warmly, make eye contact, and engage in active listening to create a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere. Building rapport helps candidates feel more at ease, which can lead to more open and authentic responses during the interview.
Empathetic Communication
Interviewers with strong emotional intelligence can empathise with candidates’ experiences and perspectives. They listen attentively, ask open-ended questions, and validate candidates’ feelings and concerns. By demonstrating empathy, interviewers can gain trust and build rapport with candidates, encouraging them to share more meaningful insights about their qualifications and experiences.
Managing Emotions
Interviewers may encounter candidates who are nervous, anxious, or stressed during the interview process. Emotional intelligence enables interviewers to recognise and manage their own emotions effectively, remaining calm, composed, and empathetic in response to candidates’ emotional cues. By modelling emotional self-awareness, interviewers can help candidates feel more comfortable and confident during the interview.
Adapting Interview Approach
Interviewers with emotional intelligence can adapt their interview approach based on candidates’ individual personalities, communication styles, and emotional cues. They may adjust the pace of the interview, tailor questions to suit candidates’ preferences, and provide additional support or clarification as needed. Adapting the interview approach ensures that candidates feel understood and valued, maximising the quality of the interaction.
Reading Non-Verbal Cues
Emotional intelligence enables interviewers to interpret candidates’ non-verbal cues, such as facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice. By paying attention to these cues, interviewers can gain insights into candidates’ emotions, attitudes, and level of engagement. This understanding allows interviewers to adjust their communication style and approach to better connect with candidates and elicit more authentic responses.
Providing Constructive Feedback
Interviewers with emotional intelligence can deliver feedback in a constructive and supportive manner, focusing on candidates’ strengths, areas for improvement, and potential growth opportunities. They offer specific examples, actionable suggestions, and encouragement to help candidates reflect on their performance and learn from the interview experience. Providing constructive feedback demonstrates empathy and investment in candidates’ professional development.
In Summary
Using emotional intelligence interview questions in the recruitment process is crucial as they provide insights into candidates’ self-awareness, social skills, empathy, resilience, and decision-making abilities, all of which are essential for success in the workplace.
By evaluating emotional intelligence during interviews, employers can make more informed hiring decisions, create, and maintain positive workplace cultures, improve team dynamics, and ultimately enhance organisational performance and success.
As the evidence suggests, adopting an EQ approach to the hiring process will differentiate the good from the potentially great.
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