Beyond paper credentials

THIS WEEK’S TOPIC When hiring executive staff, how open would you be, as an employer, to ditching altogether academic qualifications as an indicator of cognitive ability and potential? How would you assess an aspiring employee?

IN our business, the ability to build relationships with our stakeholders is very important. Thus, apart from intelligence and cognitive ability, we are always looking for how much EQ – Emotional and Empathy Quotient – a person possesses. The person has to be “people intelligent” and not only “book intelligent”.

We are also looking for talent with an internal locus of control. Someone who is not a believer that he/she can “make things happen” will be less of a problem solver and will be relatively less effective at work. We also look for talent who are highly self-initiated and motivated. They are always up to something, curious about something, and working on a self-initiated project. And honestly, these traits are caught, and not taught in school.

Cindy Leong
Founder
Relationship Studio

This article is featured in The Business Times on 27 May 2018.

About the Author: Cindy Leong

Cindy Leong is a sought after bilingual (English and Mandarin) Enneagram Personality Coach and Corporate Trainer in Asia, who can help you make sense of your professional and personal relationships. She is a member of International Coach Federation (ICF) and Singapore Psychological Society (SPS). Besides a Bachelor Degree in Psychology (majoring in Communications), she also has a Diploma in Business and has done in-depth research and studies in the areas of Organisational Behaviour and Gender Communications, both in Singapore and Taiwan. Through her expertise in corporate executive coaching, personal development, and relationship coaching, she has helped many professionals in their walk through challenging times, particularly in the areas of identity searching, relationship building and career breakthrough. Aside from being a published author of 2 books, she has also been invited by several radio stations and magazines as an expert guest speaker to provide insights into Enneagram, workplace conflicts and relationships.