When I’m hiring educators I look for emotional intelligence – a balance of self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills. Emotional intelligence is one of the rarest and most desired traits in education and care, but it’s also difficult to identify.

When I interview, I ask questions like:

• Can you talk about your response in a situation where you lost your cool? (What were your mistakes? How did you fail forward?)
• How do you resolve conflict? (Are you able to focus on making amends and problem-solving? Are you self-aware throughout this process?)
• Do you have the ability to think about how a situation can benefit everyone involved? (Do you think win–win? Are you aware of how the situation looks, feels and sounds like to all stakeholders?)

Sometimes, I also ask questions like ‘How would you go about buying a birthday present for a friend?’ Relationships are really important in our work and I want to know how much relationships matter to you.

Daniela Kavoukas
Mentor, Flemington Childcare Co-operative + Services Manager, Community Child Care Association