EQ Assessment

Since one's level of EQ does not show up in IQ tests and since the 2006 study indicated that managers were spending 18 percent of their work time on employee conflict (much of which reflected low levels of EQ), some are working on developing an EQ assessment. Dr. Dalip Singh of India and author of Emotional Intelligence at Work: A Professional Guide is one of them. One of his goals is to develop an assessment that Human Resource Departments can use to evaluate employment applicants. Since nearly one fifth of the manager’s time in the studies performed is being spent on employee conflicts—that often reflect low levels of EQ—he would like to create an applicant tool that might be able to screen out individuals with low levels of EQ. And if the applicant “scammed the assessment” the manager would be able to say, “Your assessment showed that you understand the principles of high EQ. Can you explain the reason your behaviors do not align with that understanding?” Seven sample questions follow. They can work just as well for individuals who are raising their level of EQ. Check out each one and evaluate your responses and your EQ knowledge. The “answers” will follow the next day.