Emotional intelligence involves the ability to understand the basis of people’s emotions and to use that information to engage colleagues effectively, influence motivation, and manage complex discussions. It’s often a crucial determinant of whether someone is a good colleague and whether they create and maintain trust with the variety of people they work with, both inside and outside the organization.

Unfortunately, you can’t just determine a candidate’s emotional intelligence from their résumé. You’ll get information about jobs they’ve held, degrees they’ve earned, and skills they’ve developed. But you often won’t get a good sense of their interpersonal effectiveness. Here are some things you can look out for in a candidate’s job materials, as well as things you can do at the interview to get a view of their emotional intelligence:

FROM THE APPLICATION MATERIALS

While there isn’t a lot of information on most résumés that speaks to someone’s emotional intelligence, you can often see some hints in a candidate’s letters of recommendation.

You will get general statements like “This person is a people person” that may signal emotional intelligence but could also just indicate that the applicant is an extravert who likes to be around others. Instead, you should be looking for more specific statements. Emotionally intelligent people often build trust with others by listening effectively and recognizing other people’s goals. When letter writers talk about a candidate really understanding the needs of their team members, that is a sign that the candidate is emotionally intelligent.

When candidates supply their own narrative as part of their application, look for discussions about ways that they interact with teammates. Emotionally intelligent people will refer to ways that they collaborate to help others achieve their goals and ways that they resolve conflicts effectively.

INTERVIEW BEHAVIOR

An old adage from screenwriting is that a good screenplay shows rather than tells. One of the best ways to get a sense of a candidate’s emotional intelligence is to focus on their actions during a recruiting visit. How does the candidate greet other people? (This includes how they speak with the office receptionist or other individuals they may encounter before the interview officially starts.) Do they pay attention to what other people are telling them? There are often some opportunities for candidates to make small talk with people they are meeting. When they hear stories about others, do they react reasonably and with empathy?

In addition, you might consider talking about a current issue at work that you’re dealing with. One interesting difference between people with higher and lower levels of emotional intelligence is that the emotionally intelligent individuals are likely to check on how you’re feeling about a situation or at least express some concern for your feelings before talking about the problem or asking questions about how you’re going to solve it. For emotionally intelligent individuals, your reaction to the situation is important information that informs problem-solving, rather than being something separate from the challenges people are facing.

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

It’s also useful to ask interview questions that address issues related to emotional intelligence. One important question involves how people resolve conflicts. A natural tendency for people lacking in emotional intelligence is to suggest that they don’t experience conflicts in the office or that they work to make sure that conflicts never happen.

Certainly nobody should seek out conflict in the office, but differences in goals or priorities are inevitable. Emotionally intelligent individuals turn conflict situations into opportunities for problem-solving by working to understand the motivations and emotions of other parties and using that knowledge to seek conflict resolutions that enable both parties to come as close to achieving their goals as possible.

It’s also useful to ask candidates how they develop trust with their colleagues. Emotionally intelligent candidates will talk about strategies, but they will also emphasize their willingness to listen to others, to understand others’ goals, and to help others reach those goals. Less emotionally intelligent individuals may also have great strategies for building trust, but generally they will focus on actions (like following through on commitments) rather than on a recognition of the feelings and motivations of others.