Hire Candidates That Will Contribute to a Productive Environment: Hire for Emotional Intelligence

Hiring is a tricky process– a candidate that appears perfect for the job may be the most qualified candidate, but if they cannot control their emotions, their emotional inadequacies can lead to discord in the office.  As Christina Bielaszka-DuVernay, of HBR.org, points out, Adele B. Lynn has found that EQ (emotional intelligence) can “account for anywhere from 24% to 69% of performance success.”  Considering this range, it would be prudent to screen for EQ in the job interview process before it hinders the productiveness of your team. 
Bielaszka-Dernay suggests screening for the three most relevant components of EQ in the interview process: the ability to recognize and control one’s own emotions, awareness of the emotional states of others and understanding how one’s own actions can impact them, and how to grow from making mistakes. 
The article, “Hiring for Emotional Intelligence,” goes into further detail in how to screen for these components of EQ and how to prevent hiring candidates that will ultimately cause more problems than solutions.