EQ More Important Than IQ In Selecting Superstars

What is EQ? EQ stands for Emotional Quotient and it reflects an individual’s ability to be aware of and manage their own emotions and those of others and to be able to: influence, persuade, handle conflict and nurture relationships. What’s interesting here is that generally EQ is overlooked in selection processes, despite the fact that studies show that a candidate’s EQ is a much better indicator of their future performance level than IQ or technical ability.

In fact, one study from Goleman of over 200 companies world-wide found that EQ was twice as important as IQ and technical skills in determining an individual’s performance.

Another study of L’oreal sales agents found that high EQ sales people outsold lower IQ by an average of $91,370 a year.

Also, a study of partners in a multinational consulting firm showed that partners who scored above average on EQ scores delivered $1.2 million more profit than other partners.

And finally a study reported in a Hay Group white paper showed that programmers with high EQ develop software three times faster than those with lower EQ.

OK, so lets say you are convinced and you want to start hiring for EQ, how can you do it?

Well, a study from Spencer  in 1997 showed that the following 6 Emotional skills differentiate stars from average performers and these were: Influence, Team Leadership, Organizational Awareness, self-confidence, Achievement Drive, and Leadership. So, make sure you include questions relating to all these areas in your interviews so you are assessing your candidates on these skills.

Another way to assess candidate EQ is to use an EQ Based Psychometric tests of which there are 4 main types that you can use. These are

1. Reuven Bar-On’s EQ-i. This measures factors such as awareness, stress tolerance, problem solving, and happiness.
2. Multifactor Emotional Intelligence Scale (MEIS). This assesses an individual’s ability to perceive, identify, understand, and utilize emotions.
3. Seligman Attributional Style Questionnaire (SASQ) This measures optimism and pessimism.
4. Emotional Competence Inventory (ECI) This assesses EQ on a number of different emotional competencies.

If you put in a search for any of these terms on google you will provide plenty of providers who offer these tests.

If you would like to download my One Page Appraisal Form for small business, please click here.

Related Articles:

• Top 4 Reasons Good Employees Resign (Study)
• 5 Reasons Your Job Adverts May Be Turning Off Applicants
• Do You Know The Best Day of The Week To Post Your Job Advert?
• How To Make Your Job Advert Stand Out From The Crowd
• Does Your Recruiting Strategy Appeal to the Class of 2012?