Companies are increasing their use of the emotional intelligence test early in the hiring process to measure job candidates' soft skills in communication, managing emotions, resolving conflict, and taking responsibility.
An EQ test measures a job candidate's ability to understand, manage, and express their own emotions and to deal with the emotions of others. These skills are invaluable for employees who want to work well in teams, handle leadership roles, and thrive in customer-facing jobs.
More than an integrity test for hiring, testing for EQ uncovers important information about job candidates, such as their:
Self-awareness and ability to regulate their emotions and handle work stresses
Empathy towards others and interpersonal skills
Communication skills and ability to manage relationships appropriately
Ability to positively express feelings and opinions
Adaptability and approach to change and uncertainty
Strategies for managing stress and job pressure
Decision-making and problem-solving under stress
Approach to conflict resolution
Level of maturity and responsibility
Work ethic and job dedication
Testing for emotional intelligence is important as it helps assess candidates' ability to control their emotions and empathetically interact with other workers.
It's not enough to be smart or skilled. You must get along well with others, whether contributing to or leading a team. Testing for emotional intelligence characteristics can help companies and hiring managers identify skills in areas of leadership, teamwork, calmness under pressure, conflict resolution and empathy towards others. You can also create your own test to fit your company and culture.
Without figuring out how to measure emotional intelligence, you might risk hiring someone who seems competent but is not a fit or even a disruptive force in your company.
You need to ask effective job interview questions to uncover emotional intelligence characteristics. You may face problems with your job interview process if you don’t know how to measure emotional intelligence in a consistent and statistically valid way. A well-designed and properly administered pre-employment emotional intelligence testing program makes it possible to share reports that are comparable, even if different people conduct the interviews.
By testing for emotional intelligence, you can measure some of the traits most likely to create a great team member or leader:
Good communicator
Empathetic
Self-aware
Values progress over perfection
Apply other skills into their role
More receptive to feedback
You might be wondering which test measures the emotional ability of a candidate. Try our workplace personality test to help you truly understand your applicants.
Get a free trialA high-performance team will have a mix of personalities and will often be composed of people with high EQs. Comparing high vs. low EQs can reveal which traits are more valuable, positive, and productive.
Did you know? Assessing emotional intelligence begins with identifying and quantifying personality traits for particular roles. These hiring profiles are the first critical step in measuring emotional intelligence.
While employees with a high EQ are an asset in any role, they're particularly suited to certain jobs and positions. Members of your staff who are dealing with people and getting people to work well together towards achieving a goal will be more effective with a high EQ. Some examples of job roles that benefit from higher levels of emotional intelligence include:
Team leader
Trainer or coach
Marketing analyst
Negotiator
Awareness and understanding of emotional intelligence took off in the early 1990s. Companies have become more complex, and effective teamwork is now a bigger success factor than charismatic leadership. High-performance companies need a healthy culture infused throughout the organization. EQ plays a major role in creating and nurturing that kind of culture.
Intelligence is more than cognitive abilities and skills. People-savvy interpersonal skills and self-control are major components that go beyond traditional ideas of intelligence.
Emotional intelligence in the workplace is key to a high-performing organization. Finding employees with a high EQ benefits company culture in multiple ways. That is why adding an emotional intelligence assessment to your hiring process supports better hiring decisions.
Testing emotional quotient gives insight into the kind of person you're hiring and how they will mesh with teams and contribute to your corporate culture. Signs of high emotional intelligence include the ability to give and take constructive criticism. They work together to make improvements without friction. They're motivated, resilient and empathetic.
Using pre-employment personality tests in your interview process helps you identify candidates with the characteristics of emotional intelligence that make them great hires.
Testing candidates for emotional intelligence improves your hiring campaigns and preserves your company's culture. The Hire Success® Personality Test will help you assess the EQ of your candidates. You can spot potential red flags and find the superstars in a way that's compliant with regulations and reduces risk.