In the first article I connected EI with IT recruiting at a real life first hand experience level. Also, we saw as emotional intelligence has 5 main big factors or pillars on Bar-On perspective (intrapersonal, interpersonal, stress management, adaptability, and general mood).
In this second article on EI and IT recruiting, I would like to present you the first big pillar of EI, Intrapersonal emotional functioning and how it comprises the strategies one has over own emotions. It is the most important part in emotional intelligence and it is measured and split into 5 factors, as following:
Self-Regard – the ability to respect and accept oneself as she/he is, to accept both positive and negative aspects, and both strengths and weaknesses.
A high score self-regard factor IT recruiter will always have the advantage of improving his/her skills while perceiving the need for development points will be harder to achieve for the low score ones. The industry is in a perpetual change and thus having self-regard points in this activity is a must: What do I intend? What did I do? What did I obtain? This fundamental coaching questions are a must in IT recruiting, as what worked for you in the near past, can no longer be valid in present or near future.
Emotional self-awareness – the ability to recognize and be in touch with one’s feelings. Emotional Self Awareness is the basis of numerous emotional skills
Being in the box of your emotions, especially when dealing with negative ones, will create enormous bias in your decision. Recognizing emotions while experiencing them can conduct to better decisions. Thus, your customer decision to change the requirements on even entire jobs in the midst of recruitment will not necessarily generate a later full of regret email or reaction. You will admit that is only natural to be affected, but you will find the resources to move on. Being capable of expressing your feelings can only help you make better rapports with your candidates and hiring managers.
Being capable of expressing your feelings can only help you make better rapports with your candidates and hiring managers.
Assertiveness – the ability to express feelings, beliefs, and thoughts and defend one’s rights in a nondestructive manner
As an IT recruiter, if you lack this one, you are doomed in this profession. Direct approach, cold calling, emailing out of the blue candidates are industry standards. You have to be composed, self-assured and firm in your relations both with candidates and hiring managers. A senior all JD skills candidate, for the salary of a junior is something that is rather unrealistic, and your hiring manager has to know this. Be wise, be diplomatic, and be assertive, else, you will waste the most valuable resource: time!…and hold you ground in front of the rude candidates! Also, you will have to deal with senior candidates that can intimidate you with their experience and on those occasions it is critical to find courage and obtain the relevant information you need from that candidate. Fear and shyness, on the opposite side, will make you less trustworthy and can greatly impact your ability to close jobs with your candidates.
Fear and shyness, on the opposite side, will make you less trustworthy and can greatly impact your ability to close jobs with your candidates.
Independence – the ability to be autonomous, that is self-directed and self-controlled in one’s thinking and actions, and to be free of emotional dependency
Lack of independence means not being able to handle the myriad challenges you face with your IT candidates. A high score on Independence IT recruiter will more likely to handle properly the relation with candidates and hiring managers and thus put them on the same table and close more deals. Of course it is partially a team’s work after all (you have to stay in touch with your account manager or business developer) but in the end, as it is sales, what you have to do is mostly in your powers. The pitching, phone interviews, face to face ones and later on building a relation with your candidates are things you have to do alone.
Low scores on Independence factor can make you depending on other’s activity and in the end impair your results.
Self-Actualization – the ability to realize one’s potential capacities
Self-Actualization will help you as an IT recruiter aim for your better versions, make the necessary steps to achieve for the next quarter more than you have already achieved in this one. Low scores on this factor will keep your silent qualities unused and never put to test and use. A Self-Actualization score IT recruiter will always find ways to improve own activity with a strong belief that present level of expertise in this field is just a stage to the next level. Having a low score means you are not satisfied with your current job and not curious on how you can improve yourself.
Making a summary on these 5 factors of Intrapersonal emotional functioning, I have always believed that, especially for a junior recruiter but not only, managing own emotions is as much as important as natural born skills, such as extraversion, intelligence, attention stability etc. What seems to be much easier at first look, proves later on quite hard and nerves of steel requiring activity. After first failed attempts, frustration occurs and how you manage them can strongly influence your motivation and resilience. Be keen to your inner signals and make them your allies so that you can achieve results sooner and easier.