On the surface, this week’s KIQ wants to know if you’re a team player, but what it really wants to do is measure your emotional intelligence.
Soccer team image from Shutterstock
In most workplaces, it’s likely that you won’t be working alone which is why hiring managers usually want to find out if a job candidates play well with others. Applicants know this and they’ve probably rehearse responses for when questions around being a team player do come up during an interview. That’s why companies have devised tricky questions to catch job candidates off-guard to illicit a more genuine response.
Jim Ayres is the managing director of Amway North America, a company that has around 19,000 staff under its wing. He is a firm believer of emotional intelligence and its role in the workplace.
The concept of emotional intelligence relates to self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skill. A number of studies have suggested that individuals who display high emotional intelligence tend to be better leaders.
Rather than straight-out asking if an Amway job applicant works well in groups, Ayres asks “Who’s on your team?” He’ll them prompt the candidate to elaborate more on the people who are in their team.
If the job applicant doesn’t know anything about the work style and personal life of teammates, it’s an instant red flag for Ayres. He want to see leadership candidates who are willing to invest time and energy into developing interpersonal relationships with their staff:
“It may seem odd, but if you’re a leader and you know [the answers], it’s a good indicator that you have emotional intelligence.
“… Our culture is built on relationships… Technical expertise is important, but it’s difficult to be successful with only technical expertise.”
How would you tackle this question? Let us know in the comments.
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