Emotional Intelligence Questions for Interviews (20 Great Examples)

Emotional Intelligence (Overview)

What is emotional intelligence?

An article published in the National Library of Medicine states that Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to recognize, interpret, and understand emotional information that you get from other people. This type of intelligence also allows you to use emotional data from others to guide your responses, actions, and feelings.

Strong emotional intelligence helps you excel in interpersonal interactions. In the workplace, people with high emotional intelligence are good leaders and navigate team, networking, social, and conflict-resolution situations with ease.

What are emotional intelligence interview questions?

Emotional intelligence interview questions are questions are asked during an interview to assess emotional intelligence. These questions often begin with “How” or “what do you think about when…?”

They are designed to help the interviewer understand how you process situational information emotionally, what your emotional strengths and weaknesses might be, how you respond to others, and how you respond under pressure.

How do you demonstrate emotional intelligence in an interview?

When an interviewer asks you an interview question they will never tell you what the question assesses. They won’t tell you because they don’t want to influence your interview answers and end up hiring someone who can spin the best answers.

To demonstrate emotional intelligence in an interview you have to be aware of when the question may be an emotional intelligence question. Often you can identity a question that seeks to assess your emotional intelligence because it: 

• Includes the words “emotional intelligence”
• Asks about an emotional situation
• Requires you to reflect on experiences that feel uncomfortable 
• Asks about how you engage with others during stressful situations
• Asks you to share challenges and weakness
• Asks how you handle conflict, pressure, stress, setbacks, anger and failure

When you have an inclination that the interview question you are being asked seeks to assess your emotional intelligence then you can format your answer to demonstrate emotional intelligence. 

To demonstrate emotional intelligence in an interview give specific examples from your work history and past experiences that are:

• Clear, 
• Concise, 
• Specific, and 
• Honest.

When asked emotional intelligence interview questions it is very important not to attempt to avoid giving a direct answer. Giving an indirect answer will demonstrate that you have low emotional intelligence.

Three tips to demonstrate emotional intelligence in an interview:

1. If asked an interview question that has the words “emotional intelligence in it” answer the question by describing what emotional intelligence is, why it matters, and then providing other relevant details that answer anything asked
2. If asked about an emotional situation, provide insight as to how you use emotional information to guide decision-making
3. If asked a direct question about how you’ve handled conflict, pressure, stress, setbacks, anger, and/or failure give examples of times when you successfully handled an emotional situation

Now that you know what emotional intelligence is and how to demonstrate emotional intelligence in an interview let’s go through common emotional intelligence interview questions and emotional intelligence interview questions for leaders! 

Emotional Intelligence Questions for Interviews (Top 10)

The 10 most common emotional intelligence questions interviewers ask, and that you should be prepared to answer, include:

1. Tell me about a time you experienced a conflict in the workplace.
2. Tell me about a time you’ve had a setback and how you reacted to it.
3. When a coworker challenges you in a meeting, how do you respond?
4. What’s the hardest part of working with others?
5. How do you reduce stress during your workday?
6. How do you celebrate success?
7. Have you ever had to modify your conduct at work or at home, and if so, why and how did you do it?
8. When have you felt unmotivated and what did you do to overcome this?
9. Tell me about a time you failed and how you recovered from the failure.
10. What are examples of behavior that make you feel angry and/or annoyed?

Emotional Intelligence Interview Questions for Leaders (Top 10)

Middle management, senior-level, and C-suite interviews all include questions on emotional intelligence and leadership. The Top 10 most common emotional intelligence interview questions for leaders are:

1. What does emotional intelligence mean to you and how is it used in leadership?
2. How does emotional intelligence help a leader lead their team, and how does it help them achieve success in the workplace?
3. What is emotional intelligence and why is it important to be able to understand emotions as a leader?
4. How do you think about emotional information when making decisions?
5. What are some examples of times when you successfully navigated an emotional situation as a leader?
6. Tell me about a time when you failed as a leader and what you learned from that experience.
7. What type of emotional intelligence have you found to be the most effective in a leadership role?
8. How do you handle stress and pressure in the workplace?
9. What type of emotional information do you think is the most important for a leader to understand?
10. How would you describe your management style?

Company’s need both leaders and managers. Certain positions need people with leader attributes where others require manager attributes. A true leader takes initiative, inspires, motivates, and helps others grow, whereas a manager persona simply takes direction and delegates tasks.

The attributes displayed and communicated in an interview help interviewers determine if the person they are interviewing is more of a leader or manager persona.

Job seekers that display high emotional intelligence are more likely to be effective in leadership roles. This is why when interviewers need to fill a team lead, senior, and executive positions they will ask questions on emotional intelligence and leadership to help uncover clues about the person’s attributes and traits and who is ultimately the best person for the job. 

Emotional Intelligence Interview Questions for Leaders (Top 10)

Middle management, senior-level, and C-suite interviews all include questions on emotional intelligence and leadership. The Top 10 most common emotional intelligence interview questions for leaders are:

1. What does emotional intelligence mean to you and how is it used in leadership?
2. How does emotional intelligence help a leader lead their team, and how does it help them achieve success in the workplace?
3. What is emotional intelligence and why is it important to be able to understand emotions as a leader?
4. How do you think about emotional information when making decisions?
5. What are some examples of times when you successfully navigated an emotional situation as a leader?
6. Tell me about a time when you failed as a leader and what you learned from that experience.
7. What type of emotional intelligence have you found to be the most effective in a leadership role?
8. How do you handle stress and pressure in the workplace?
9. What type of emotional information do you think is the most important for a leader to understand?
10. How would you describe your management style?

Company’s need both leaders and managers. Certain positions need people with leader attributes where others require manager attributes. A true leader takes initiative, inspires, motivates, and helps others grow, whereas a manager persona simply takes direction and delegates tasks.

The attributes displayed and communicated in an interview help interviewers determine if the person they are interviewing is more of a leader or manager persona.

Job seekers that display high emotional intelligence are more likely to be effective in leadership roles. This is why when interviewers need to fill a team lead, senior, and executive positions they will ask questions on emotional intelligence and leadership to help uncover clues about the person’s attributes and traits and who is ultimately the best person for the job. 

Emotional Intelligence Interview Questions and Answers (Examples)

Let’s walk through five emotional intelligence interview questions and answers examples:

Q: When a coworker challenges you in a meeting, how do you respond?

A: When a coworker challenges me in a meeting, I’ll usually ask them to walk me through their perspective so that I can better understand where they’re coming from. It’s important for me to stay open-minded and hear all sides of the argument before making a decision.

Q: Have you ever had to modify your conduct at work or at home, and if so, why and how did you do it?

A: Yes, I have had to modify my conduct at work and at home on a few occasions. Usually this happens when I’m feeling overwhelmed or stressed out, and I start taking my stress out on the people around me. In order to avoid doing this, I’ve learned to take some time for myself every day so that I can reset and refocus.

Q: What’s the hardest part of working with others?

A: The hardest part of working with others is understanding all the different personalities and where everyone’s coming from. Some people have a tendency to take things personally while others can be more emotional in general, so I find that it helps me build stronger relationships when I get to know someone on an individual basis instead of judging them based solely on their actions.

Q: How do you think about emotional information when making decisions?

A: I always try to think about emotional information first, before I move on to the facts. It’s important for me to consider how other people are feeling and what emotional factors might be influencing their decisions so that we can work together more effectively as a team.

Q: What are some examples of times when you successfully navigated an emotional situation as a leader?

A: I remember one time when a team member was having an emotional reaction to something that happened, and they were visibly upset. Instead of pushing them through the issue, I took some time with them so we could address their concerns together as a team. It’s important for me to always work on building up my team members instead of breaking down their defenses.

As you see from the emotional intelligence interview questions and answers examples a great answer does not have to be verbose. A great answer is simply: straightforward, provides specific examples, and doesn’t leave the interviewer questioning. 

Conclusion

Emotional intelligence is a vital skill that will help grow your career. I hope you’ve found this article helpful, and that it has given you insights to ace your next interview. What did you find most surprising? Leave a comment below and let me know!

Remember to take emotional intelligence and emotional intelligence questions seriously; many people think they can just “wing it” in an interview but what matters is how much the interviewer believes what you are saying and that comes through clear, concise, specific, and honest interview answers.

Want to prepare and practice for your interview? Create your InterviewDestiny account today!