While we know that intellect is important in the workplace, it is an entry-level requirement. Emotional Intelligence provides the specific building blocks of success and is the proven difference between mediocre and exceptional performance.  It is critical for interviewers to seek the most important Emotional Intelligence skills required for the position they are applying for.
 
There are several examples of how Emotional Intelligence has helped companies save money and improve hiring effectiveness:

·        The US Air Force used the EQ-I to select recruiters (the Air Force's front-line HR personnel) and found that the most successful recruiters scored significantly higher in the emotional intelligence competencies of Assertiveness, Empathy, Happiness, and Emotional Self Awareness. The Air Force also found that by using emotional intelligence to select recruiters, they increased their ability to predict successful recruiters by nearly three-fold. The immediate gain was a saving of $3 million annually. These gains resulted in the Government Accounting Office submitting a report to Congress, which led to a request that the Secretary of Defense order all branches of the armed forces to adopt this procedure in recruitment and selection.
·        At L'Oreal, sales agents selected on the basis of certain emotional competencies significantly outsold salespeople selected using the company's old selection procedure. On an annual basis, salespeople selected on the basis of emotional competence sold $91,370 more than other salespeople did, for a net revenue increase of $2,558,360. Salespeople selected on the basis of emotional competence also had 63% less turnover during the first year than those selected in the typical way.
·        In a large beverage firm, using standard methods to hire division presidents, 50% left within two years, mostly because of poor performance. When they started selecting based on emotional competencies such as initiative, self-confidence, and leadership, only 6% left in two years. Furthermore, the executives selected based on emotional competence were far more likely to perform in the top third based on salary bonuses for performance of the divisions they led: 87% were in the top third.
·        At a national furniture retailer, sales people hired based on emotional competence had half the dropout rate during their first year.
 
Successful hiring does not need to be equivalent to flipping a coin. By utilizing Smart Hiring practices, you can avoid being part of the 46% statistic.