Did you know that emotional intelligence (EQ) can be a better predictor of job success than traditional hard skills? In this episode of Recruiting is No Joke, host Joel Lalgee sits down with Napoleon "Napo" Rumteen, founder and CEO of Interactive EQ, to talk about how emotional intelligence and soft skills are reshaping how we assess talent. If you've ever wondered why some candidates ace interviews but flop on the job—or how to make hiring less of a gamble—this episode is a must-listen.

Joel and Napo dive into the flaws of experience-first hiring, discuss the dangers of relying on gut instincts, and introduce new ways to measure the “intangibles” that truly make a candidate succeed. They explore the importance of reading the room, how EQ is linked to leadership, and the need for immersive evaluations that go beyond the resume.

From high-churn costs to the misalignment between talent and company culture, this episode challenges old-school hiring practices and offers fresh, research-backed solutions for the modern workforce.

In this episode:

• (00:00:03) Introduction and episode overview
• (00:01:17) Guest introduction: Napoleon Rumteen
• (00:01:46) Why assess emotional intelligence?
• (00:02:24) Hard skills vs. soft skills
• (00:03:46) Defaulting to experience in hiring
• (00:04:36) Challenges in interviewing for soft skills
• (00:06:09) The marriage analogy and interview limitations
• (00:09:33) Common hiring mistakes
• (00:11:00) Defining emotional intelligence
• (00:12:06) Reading the room and EQ in practice
• (00:13:37) Prevalence and teachability of EQ
• (00:14:03) EQ in management and sports
• (00:16:19) Diagnosing and developing EQ
• (00:17:33) Performance management and PIPs
• (00:19:08) Measuring performance beyond sales
• (00:20:24) How to grow EQ
• (00:21:29) Simulated assessment environments
• (00:23:46) Candidate experience and assessment details
• (00:28:12) Scoring soft skills and key categories
• (00:30:00) Measuring and defining culture fit
• (00:31:16) Customizing assessments for organizations
• (00:33:26) Current trends: Reorgs and tech’s impact
• (00:34:32) Balancing EQ and experience in hiring
• (00:35:42) EQ in the remote and post-pandemic world
• (00:37:35) EQ as the X-factor in recruitment
• (00:39:19) Modern communication challenges and EQ
• (00:40:31) Safeguarding against bias in culture fit
• (00:41:26) The business case for EQ and retention
• (00:43:13) How to connect and learn more
• (00:46:06) Closing remarks and next steps

About Napoleon "Napo" Rumteen

Napoleon "Napo" Rumteem is the founder and CEO of Interactive EQ, a platform using immersive, simulation-based assessments to measure emotional intelligence and soft skills. With years of experience interviewing thousands of candidates, Napo created Interactive EQ to close the gap between instinct-driven hiring and real-world performance.

Napoleon "Napo" Rumteen

• Interactive EQ
• LinkedIn
• Email

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