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301 Manpower A:tJitiW-llhcBulletJnIjl)j)j~J MAY 2010

What sh ou ld emp lo yers look for inpotential candidates w hen theywant to recru it staff w ith moretha n good cr ed entia ls?~7~~~I~~~~~~'~~1m~

A;:f~.H!\f!i~~!Hj~~B y Dr Robert Edmonson

A lthough your skills, knowledgeand technical abilities (IQ) getyou the interview and manytimes the job - it's your emotional intel-ligence (EQ) that truly defmes success.Most companies don't screen for emo-tional intelligence competencies duringthe interviewing process. Global stud-ies show that an individual's EQ levelaccounts for 67% of their professional

and personal success.For example, a 2005 study

conducted by Leadership IQ

monitored the career progress of 20,000participants. The results indicated that11% failed due to their IQ, while theremaining 89% failed due to an inabilityto manage emotions, adapt, change andhad generally below average interper-sonal competencies.

While not all positions require anexceptional EQ level - every job doeshave a certain degree of human interac-tion, cooperation and communicationthat requires reasonable interpersonalskills. So, recruiting the right person is

fundamental to organizational successas the possibility of making incorrectdecisions is high.Past performance predictsfuture performance

Professionals believe that behavioraltype interviews are 55% predictive offuture behavior and performance whiletraditional interviews are only 10% pre-dictive. Recognizing what you are look-ing for is crucial to recruiting the rightperson for the role.

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The Bulletin III'fiJlm MAY 2010 I Manpower A1 JiJiiW . I 31

Recru i t i n g fo r 113 r ._V iI i J'Emotional Intelligence'Although companies follow a struc-tured decision-making method of back-ground checks, personal assessments,verification of past employment - the1:1 personal interview phase is whereintuition, impressions and conclusionsare reached based on body language,words, tone, genuineness, credibilityand other personal factors that com-plete the picture.

Therefore, asking questions to eval-uate not only their cognitive, rational,logical and technical skills (IQ), butalso their personal and social compe-tence to recognize, comprehend andeffectively manage themselves andothers (EQ) is fundamental to organi-zational success.

For example, interviewers generallyseek to uncover former successes and 'tellme about yourself' questions, but manytimes fail to examine what led to thosesuccesses. Past successful outcomes canresult from both positive and negativesactions like threatening, criticizing, ver-bally attacking and creating fear withothers. So, it's important to understandwhat approach and patterns of behav-ior were used to get successful results asthey predict future performance. Thebehavioral approach probes deeper andresponses are more accurately portraythe candidate's character.Paint a complete picture

The objective of the EQ interviewis to use a series of questions to gainan overview picture of the candidate'sability to manage themselves as well asrelationships with others. During theinterview process, it is important thatinterviewers pay special attention tothe candidate's responses and behaviorpatterns such as; blaming, know-it-all,arrogant, egotistical, lacks confidence,non-team player, indecisive, confused,poor me, poor adaptability, pessimistic,negative attitude and others.

What the interviewer is searching forare patterns of behavior that indicatethe candidate recognizes their ability toidentify and think about behaviors andhow it impacts others. The most effec-tive interviewers ask questions in sucha way that the candidate is unaware ofthe behaviors the interviewer is pin-pointing.

Interviewers measure the candidate'sEQ abilities by asking specific, not hypo-thetical, situational and behavioral type

sonal about social awareness with theability to influence personal relationships,with powerful communication skills.

Assuming you have asked IQ ques-tions to explore their backgroundand experience to match the positionrequirements and qualifications - youcan now focus on behavioral questionsto get a better idea of their EQ compe-tencies and potential for future success.Each EQ aspect can be subdivided intokey elements and questions created to

. .

questions for increased transparencyand to uncover patterns. Using specificbehavior-based situational questions of'what did you do' or if they haven't expe-rienced that situation, ask 'what wouldyou do' to determine individual think-ing, patterns and actions help to betterunderstand past performance and futureperformance.EQdivided

EQ can be divided into two aspects:intrapersonal about self-awareness andmanaging your emotions, and interper-

gain a clear picture of the individual.The above tables are brief examples oftypical questions.New paradigm: The EQ difference

Individuals with strong EQ compe-. tencies have the unique ability to com-prehend environments then quicklyadapt to produce better than expectedoutcomes. Their behavior slowly tricklesthroughout the organization to embeda collaborative, supportive and healthyenvironment retaining existing andattracting highly qualified new staff. t',

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32 1 Ma n power A :h i i' i ; w . 1 rhe Bulletin Lr ll iJlfiJ MAY 2010

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