Emotional intelligence is a general assessment of a person's abilities to control emotions; to sense, understand and react to otherss' emotions; and to manage relationships. With the post-recession economy forcing many companies to operate with smaller staffs and higher stress levels, these intangible qualities appear to be gaining favor with employers.
Between May 19 and June 8, Harris Interactive conducted an online survay of CareerBuilder of 2662 nongovernmental hiring managers and human resource professionals in the United States. Among the findings the survey revealed:
- 34% of hiring managers said they are placing greater emphasis on emotional intelligence when hiring and promoting on employees post-recession
- 71% said they value emotional intelligence in an employee more than the employee IQ
- 59% of employers said they would not hire someone who possesses a high IQ but a low emotional intelligence
- 75% of employers are more likely to promote workers with high emotional intelligence over candidates with high IQ's
When asked why emotional intelligence is more important than high IQ, employers said employees with high emotional intelligence:
- Are more likely to stay calm under pressure
- Know how to resolve conflict effectively
- Are empathetic to their team members and react accordingly
- Lead by example
- Tend to make more thoughtful business decisions
