Successful hiring far exceeds assessing candidate skills and qualifications. A crucial factor often overlooked in the recruitment process is emotional intelligence. Going beyond technical skills and recognizing emotional intelligence is essential for finding candidates who fit your company culture, contribute to overall success, and promote a healthy work environment.

Company Culture

Emotional intelligence allows us to recognize, understand and manage our emotions. Emotional intelligence will enable us to better comprehend our company’s culture and values. This understanding makes it possible to identify candidates who share these values and will thrive in your work culture by being emotionally intelligent. Alignment is essential for cohesiveness.

Evaluating Soft Skills

Technical skills are essential, but so are soft skills. Soft skills such as communication, flexibility, and teamwork are necessary for success in most roles. An emotionally intelligent hiring manager can accurately assess these skills during recruitment. Please pay attention to a candidate’s emotional cues and communication style, and you can better evaluate their ability to collaborate, adapt, and excel in a given role.

Reduce Turnover and Boost Retention

Emotionally intelligent candidates who fit your company culture are much likelier to stay with your organization for the long-term. Considering turnover is costly and disruptive, investing in emotional intelligence during recruitment can lead to savings and increased stability. Employees who feel connected to their employer will likely remain loyal and committed.

Emotional Intelligence Fosters a Healthy Work Environment

Emotionally intelligent employees contribute to a positive work environment because they can navigate and manage relationships with their colleagues. Many are skilled in conflict resolution and can empathize with others—a more harmonious workplace results in increased productivity, higher job satisfaction and improved workplace morale.

How to Use Emotional Intelligence When Hiring

Be sure you include an emotional intelligence assessment in the interview process. It can help gauge a candidate’s ability to understand, manage and respond to emotions. You might wish to include interview questions that prompt candidates to share their experiences that demonstrate emotional intelligence. Reviewing a candidate’s work history, look for past examples of emotional intelligence. Look for

conflict resolution, teamwork or adaptability. Look for an ability to forge strong relationships and navigate emotional dynamics.

Train hiring managers. Encourage ongoing emotional intelligence development through workshops, seminars or coaching. Promote a culture of emotional intelligence and make it a core value in your organization. Encourage open communication, empathy and self-awareness to cultivate a company culture.

Emotional intelligence is crucial for successful hiring. It enables you to identify candidates with the skills, qualifications, and emotional aptitude to thrive in their roles. If you are partnering with a recruitment agency, be sure the agency emphasizes the importance of emotional intelligence in their candidate selection process. An agency that understands this importance is Exact Staff. The team at Exact Staff uses skills assessments, screening, and testing procedures unparalleled in the staffing industry to ensure you get emotionally intelligent candidates.