Potential Employers Think Intelligence Is Most Important [Infographic]

If you had to choose one trait which you think potential employers look for most when interviewing candidates, what would it be? Before I read about this today, I would have said they look for leadership qualities, someone who is dedicated and will work long hours, or maybe someone who can get along with all different personality types. It turns out, all those answers are wrong. The number one trait which potential employers look for during a job interview is intelligence.

In this infographic called Intelligence: The First Quality That Employers Look For (by SuperScholar.org), we learn more about the role intelligence plays in someone’s ability to be productive at work. It turns out, 76% of the productivity and contribution of an employee is determined by his or her level of intelligence. I’ve read this before, so I know many different studies have come to the same conclusion.

That leads me to the next logical thought which is – What is intelligence exactly? According to Wikipedia, intelligence includes (but is not limited to) abstract thought, understanding, self-awareness, communication, reasoning, learning, emotional knowledge, retaining, planning and problem solving. In other words, it’s the ability to learn, understand and adapt to new or trying situations. Overall intelligence goes far beyond just being “smart” or the measurement on an IQ test.

A few weeks ago, we published an article about the 34 Most Asked Job Interview Questions & How To Answer Them. Although those interview questions are popular, and the answers provided could really help someone trying to snag a new job, they didn’t cover some of the oddball questions that potential employers often ask.

In this infographic, you’ll see some job interview questions that famous employers have asked over the years. As you can see, the answers to each one of these questions give clues that hint towards the applicant’s intelligence. If potential employers asked you these questions, you would probably be able to answer them easily if you knew the question ahead of time, but what about if they were asked on the spot? Would you be able to answer them easily with no preparation? If so, I guess that is a sign that you have the intelligence they want.