By May or June quite a few of you will have already been engaged in some very lengthy application processes in your search for graduate employment.
If you’ve been applying for graduate or any early advertised vacation programs and have progressed beyond stage one in the recruitment process, you may well have been through a barrage of testing. These invariably include psychometrics tests – which often appear at stage two or three in the average application process.
For the uninitiated, the application process might look something like this:
- Application form, maybe some personal and behavioural written questions
- Aptitude testing/psychometrics
- Video or telephone interview
- Assessment centre
- Interview
Generally, recruiters use aptitude or skills testing to test your reasoning ability – things such as numerical, verbal, comprehension, and abstract or spatial reasoning skills.
Beyond the high IQ
But having a good IQ is not all they are looking for. They’re also interested in Emotional Intelligence – often referred to as ‘EQ’. Some organisations may also test for this and incorporate this into personality and values tests.
You may have heard about EQ but what is it and what does it mean for students looking to get graduate roles?
EQ is about communication and relationships. Being emotionally capable to get on with the job and, if you can demonstrate it, to get you the job.
What exactly are grad recruiters testing for?
The big thing for graduate recruiters, or any employer, is often the right cultural fit. Do they think you will fit in with their existing teams and get along with colleagues and stakeholders? Good emotional intelligence will be the key.
Broadly, it’s all about good communication and relationship building and has its roots in our ability to understand ourselves – being self-aware, and our ability for self-management.
So how do you know if you have good EQ and is it possible to develop this? Maybe do some of your own testing! As a starting point, try our Drive Your Career module online or attend an upcoming workshop.
