If you’re a recruiter, chances are you’ve got a strong dose of Emotional Intelligence (EQ). You can read the room. You know when a conversation is off. You can anticipate a candidate’s hesitation before they say a word.

And while that’s a genuine superpower in our industry, it can also backfire.

We’ve noticed that some of the highest-performing recruiters are those with exceptionally high EQ. But here’s the catch: the very thing that makes you excellent at navigating people can also make you overcompensate, overthink, and overextend. Especially when the emotional temperature rises.

What High-EQ Recruiters Often Experience:

• Over-analysing tone or silence in emails, messages, or calls.
  
• Jumping in to fix problems that don’t actually need fixing.
  
• Carrying the emotional burden of a client or candidate’s stress or indecision.
  
• Taking things personally, even when it’s a neutral situation.
  
• Avoiding necessary conflict to maintain harmony – to your own detriment.
  

Sound familiar?

Top 3 Tips to Hone (or Build) Your EQ in Recruitment

1. Pause Before You React

If you feel something is “off” in an interaction, ask yourself: Is this my emotion or theirs?
Sometimes silence is just… silence. Not every unread message is a red flag. Slow your instinct to solve or adjust instantly. It gives you more control and professionalism in how you respond.

2. Detach Without Disengaging

Great EQ doesn’t mean absorbing everyone else’s energy. Set emotional boundaries. You can be empathetic without being enmeshed. Try acknowledging a candidate’s frustration — but don’t take it on as your own burden to carry.

3. Build Self-Awareness Through Feedback

EQ isn’t just about reading others. It’s also about knowing how you show up. Ask a peer or manager:

• “Do I tend to take things too personally?”
  
• “Do I jump into solution mode too quickly?”
  Their honest feedback can help you shift from reactive to intentional.

And for the Low-EQ Recruiter? It’s Not Game Over.

We all start somewhere. If you’ve been told your EQ needs some work, try these:

• Practice active listening – Don’t interrupt. Don’t prep your reply mid-sentence. Let them finish. Then respond.
  
• Ask better questions – “How are you feeling about this process so far?” opens more doors than “Are you still interested?”
  
• Notice non-verbal cues – Pay attention to what isn’t said. Hesitation. Tone. Delays. It’s all data.

At Intuitive Rec2Rec, we believe success in recruitment is equal parts skill, drive – and emotional intelligence. If you’re a high-EQ recruiter looking for the right environment to thrive

📩 Reach out to us at justine@intuitiverecruit.com – and let’s find the environment that balances performance with emotional clarity.