Emotional intelligence involves self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. In other words, it’s a complicated amalgam that hiring managers have a hard time testing for. As a result, many fall back on gut instincts and subjective impressions.
It isn’t always a smart move to leave something so important to such faulty measures. When a candidate has these qualities, they can work well with others and lead change effectively, so it’s no wonder why organizations are placing a higher priority on emotional intelligence. And fortunately, even the traditional interview format can be retooled to test for it.
Just about every smart interview candidate has figured out how to appear highly emotionally intelligent, whether or not they actually are. For hiring managers looking to tell a great performance from genuine attributes, a helpful first step is to get out of the office. Go to a quiet coffee shop, park, or some other place where you won’t be interrupted. That can help get your candidate off guard a bit without making them overly uncomfortable. Then ask these seven questions.
Read more: 7 Interview Questions For Measuring Emotional Intelligence | Fast Company | Business + Innovation