Posted on 11/03/2019 7:33:11 AM PST by rktman
The concept of emotional intelligence (“EQ” or “EI” for short) has been around for over 20 years, but it’s still enjoying buzzy prominence in HR circles. The more technology reshapes (and in some quarters, automates) the workforce, the more valuable human-only skills seem to become. So I took the EQ-i 2.0 to figure out what it could tell me about my strengths, weaknesses, and what they might mean for my career.
(Excerpt) Read more at getpocket.com ...
Are you a team player? Do you consider yourself a people person? Thank God I was never required to answer those questions during my career, because the answer to both would have been an emphatic NO!
Question. Since men have emotional reactions but respond differently than women (action vs verbal), do you really think this test will be used that way? A very smart HR person will use the results to get results.
I wish I wasn’t so extreme in the empathy/emotion dept.
I spoke with a recruiter last week who shared that their new assessment test is failing more than 70% of applicants. The test is given to all new job applicants and measures cognitive skills. It’s timed, frames questions in text, numeric, and images of shapes. It’s very difficult. You could make the argument that the result is that they are finding the best of the best. The recruiter confided that they have had very strong candidates refused due to this test... in including me.
I was recently laid off and ‘enjoying’ the world of algorithms scanning for the right combination of keywords and assessment tests that care less about your ability to excel within the job description. I’ve hired a lot of people over the years and some of my more successful, most brilliant and hardest working did not fit the perfect candidate model.
“I won’t join any
group that would
Have me as a
Member.”
.
WC Fields,,,,
?
I actually ended up in a few work conflicts over this. I’m a woman in IT, but I’m very much the introverted nerd. I mastered shop floor data management and product data management systems as an engineer and moved into user support because I was already doing that ... better than the people on the help desk. No programming experience, but I don’t need it, either.
I had people mad at me that I didn’t “hang out” and socialize the way they expect. I could talk to people and sometimes did socially. But I didn’t specifically attach to coworkers because I changed jobs every few years, even if it was an internal transfer.
I had people lecture me for not going out for drinks. I don’t drink and have kids at home. I was criticized for not hanging out with the admins, though I knew that being mistake for an admin hurt me professionally. Ended up with professional consequences for refusing to go to lunch/drinks/dinner with a dude in a dress because he wanted to “hang out as girls” and I said it was inappropriate for me as a woman to go to one-on-one event with a man at work. Yeah, people don’t like hearing the truth.
That said, I’m not ANTI social. I’m married with children. I volunteer and deal with my kids’ friends in addition to work and my own family.
I also know that any EQ test is going to flag me as unsuitable though I’ve literally written the manual, helpdesk scripts and user training for several applications and GAVE user training to thousands. All because I don’t have the happy, bubbly love of people that they think is necessary for such a role or “normal”.
It’s more of the scientific management mumbo jumbo on how to manipulate people.
So true— especially the use of this to “segregate” Christians of any denomination that is not the ‘corporatist mind set’ its own religion. The “right” personality being judged by people who already DO NOT have the “right” personality and are instructed and are working for Corporate Finance. Have gone through this many times— it is something that is done TO employees, and the result is, Loyalty is meaningless, good workers creative people, all shot to hell.
All Human Resources sections are direct reports to Finance— they are the means by which (with lawyers in synchrony) the cost of employees is reduced in company’s that need to tweak their “bottom line”. Rarely, because of the employment contracts, does this involve Corporate Leadership being “trimmed”, notably. When Corp. Finance is headed up by some telecom or techno IT nazi— it’s time to shop and leave, or structure one’s leaving for the maximum payout from these jokers (hate to say it, as am olde school, work for your boss, etc.)
What is the “right” personality— is it a democrat liberal politician hand shaker, that has the “touch”? Is it a “swinger” in the amoral circles of upper management or sales? In the days (dinosaur apparently) this was Peter Drucker’s “knowledge worker” and W. Edwards Deming’s “Plan-Do-Study-Act” purview— how to develop and utilize high EQ leadership for incredible productive workforce that wants to be on the team and are well paid. Instead replaced by idiot book writers (”What have you done for ME lately”- and idiots like McKinsey, and Bain Consulting— Mittens Romney’s brag of incompetence robotics).
A brilliant song from a mostly crazy writer/musician- from the movie Phenomenon with the brilliant Robert Duvall (oh, and john revolta);
The Touch: Peter Gabriel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMsgZMSR4pU
“The time I like is the Rush Hour, cause I like the rush.
The pushing of the people, I like it oh so much.
Such a mass emotion I do not where it goes.
I move with the movement and I have The Touch.
I’m awaiting for ignition
I’m looking for a spark.
Any chance collision and I light
Up in the Dark.
There you stand before me— all that fur
And all that hair— oh, do I dare? I
Have the Touch”.
Or, do I dare— I have the Touch.
HR bimbos have no emotional intelligence. They are offended by everything that isn’t gushing praise. That’s the emotional maturity of a 5 year old.
” It seems to me that a lot of what is being assessed as ‘EQ’ is really a question of ‘political IQ’ (i.e. how well can you fit in and say and do the ‘appropriate’ things in a work or social environment).”
Nailed it. I’m old enough not to care what people think.
You are a serious person and they are a silly mess.
Some of these soft skills are Leftist group think. They want to ensure students are educated in "traits," such as
>Tolerance
>Respect for Diversity
>Global Awareness
I think you see the problem. It is going on this year in the school district I work for. There's a lot of push back from citizens (thankfully).
If you’re smart, you do like folks did with those old school personality tests. Find out what the “correct” answers are and answer accordingly. It’s not hard to find this stuff out.
One of the considerations my company wants me to judge when hiring people is if they are a “good cultural fit.” Which I believe is code for “is the potential employee not a white guy, hopefully?”
Because the author thinks his emotions are private and so considers the test to be threatening or creepy?
I work in the high tech world with many brilliant people and I’ve always wondered how it felt at these companies knowing the HR people are the dumbest in the building.
If I ever wanted HR’s read on my emotional suitability for a job, I guess I could have just beat it out of them.
:)
F#CK’EM.
Well, just say I’m leary !
Bump! Agree 100%.
I am like that X1000 due to being schizoid / Aspergers. Even among that group I am extreme. But still managed as top IT technical person at a multinational corp. and am guardian for four kids who live with me (and apparently fairly successfully). But attend social events? Probably 1 or 2 in 30 years and then just walked through and left.
I’m happy to be out of this BS but feel sorry for anyone who still has to put up with it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.