LQ-quest - Conceito

Presentation of the LQ–quest Project and description of the main distinctive methodological aspects

Índice

2- The reason
3- Consist of
4- How to measure
5- Indicators
6- Evaluation criteria
7- Gaps
8- Score
9- 'Life Indicators' list

The reason for the development of the Project

The experience of life is inherent in every human being, especially as a social being. However, the number and degree of occurrence of life-long episodes are variable. The assimilation of the teaching of these experiences and their subsequent adaptation to new realities, allied to a solid Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and a balanced Emotional Quotient (EQ), provides varied results. When optimal conditions are met, the individual tends to reveal a remarkable overall intelligence, in other words versatile and successful at all levels.

In the areas of business development and, more specifically, the selection of qualified professionals, it is extremely important to find individuals with a high existential quotient, along with that described in the 'CV’. It is expected that a manager with a high life quotient will potentially have a greater capacity to respond, to support his/her decisions and versatility in solving unforeseen situations, which are often part of management's challenges. This preparation resulting from his/her experience of life becomes additional intelligence when the right conditions are in place (the other two developed quotients, that is rationality and the intelligent use of emotions). Together, the three forms of intelligence will translate into the most faithful portrait of the individual's intellectuality and personality. It should be noted that intellectual or rational intelligence is acquired or developed largely through academic education, but it is true that sometimes we encounter excellent managers whose academic preparation was very low or almost non-existent. The answer is consistent in innumerable cases: in addition to a functional and emotionally well-adapted intellect, the individual has significant life experience, which will give him/her a third advanced intelligence.

What does LQ–quest consist of?

The LQ–quest test is an evaluation model, a questionnaire, different from all others that currently exist, being a pioneer in the direct evaluation of the existential quotient of an individual. This quotient translates, in a quantified way, a component of the individual's global intelligence that is not explicit and largely not included in the assessments of IQ and EQ. The test of the existential experience reveals, through a questionnaire, certain particularities in the profile of the individual that otherwise are not revealed. Each person's life experience is not only an indicator of fitness but also a justification for numerous successes and failures.

As a rule, the evaluation of a candidate is made from two factors: their curriculum vitae and an interview. There may also be complementary tests (reasoning, on specific topics, etc.). The innovation that LQ–quest represents is an evaluation of the life experience that is obtained through a questionnaire, from which several indicators result. The evaluation of the life experiences of an individual thus allows a complementary profile to be drawn that goes beyond that revealed in the 'CV’, by the interview and by any rationality tests or other tests. The LQ–quest questionnaire therefore significantly increases the collection of personal data about the candidate, allowing a more exact profile to be drawn.

How can LQ–quest measure the life experience of the candidate?

The life experience of a candidate can never be measured in a mathematically accurate way. In addition to this reality, it is not expected that anyone will achieve a global life experience (LE) in the region of 100% - about 50% will be a value that is already well above average. In reality there is no individual LE of 100% because there is no absolute value that translates everything that it is possible to live.

It should also be borne in mind that, compared to other results obtained in the LQ–quest, the candidate may reach percentages which, although low, may be extremely important, and in other cases, although high, will not be particularly relevant. The balance between the report obtained by the LQ–quest and the 'CV’ presented is what will position or characterise the candidate.

It should be noted that the classification obtained in terms of overall life experience (OLE) will always be lower than that obtained in relative terms, i.e. the life experience proportional to age (APE). Except when the respondent has reached the considered age limit of 68 years (OLE and APE will indicate the same results).

It is, however, and despite some theoretical restrictions, a fact that the indicators provided by the LQ–quest test significantly contribute to a better definition of the profile of the candidate, besides being a useful tool in the evaluation and confirmation of the 'CV’ presented, as well as in the conduction of the interview.

What kind of indicators can be obtained with the LQ–quest?

The respondent is identified only by sex and age. The questionnaire addresses four main themes, namely "family and social integration", "health and education", "non-professional activities" and "professional skills".

LQ–quest captures, from several pre-established criteria, a set of scores and classifications that will generate a final report called Report on Quest.

Depending on the results obtained by the respondent, and based on the scores, the following percentages are attributed relative to their life experience:

- OLE (Overall Life Experience), meaning the overall experience of life and in absolute terms.
- APE (Age Proportional Experience), corresponds to a relative life experience, because it is pegged to the age of the respondent.
- SLE (Sectorial Life Experience), in which a classification of life experience by sector is assigned - four major groups.

Other evaluation and characterisation criteria, also generated in multiple points of the questionnaire, allow the following to be established and included in the report:
- Personality/profile 'indicators' (27 descriptive adjectives associated with fields of experience recorded as significant)
- 'Holes' non-response situations
- ‘Alerts’ (19 registers of responses leading to situations that may be considered particularly unusual)
- ‘Vertexes’ (32 exceptional life experiences that reach the top of the thematic issues)
- 'Topics' (63 thematic lines distributed over the 4 groups of issues)

Evaluation criteria used in the LQ–quest

The applied methodology is based on the principle that the recognition of life experiences leads to the identification of advantages that fortify (or weaken) the intelligence of each one. Greater life experience can mean more perceptive and more responsive intelligence in view of the challenges that may arise. It is evident that each person has his or her own life course and identical situations lived by two individuals correspond to different perceptions with knowledge acquired. However, the identification of indicators throughout the LQ–quest questionnaire allows the uncertainty in the evaluation of the candidate's profile to be reduced and to confirm or question to a large extent the CV presented. The interview can thus be better prepared and conducted with the Report on Quest.

The criterion for evaluating the life experience of a candidate chosen in the LQ–quest questionnaire is based on the principle that a life is active and can assimilate the most significant experiences in the period between 18 and 68 years of age. This question of ages and the mathematical and statistical concept associated with their differentiation are decisive in that a 25-year-old is not expected to have the same life experience as a 55-year-old man. For this reason, an "age-index calculation" table is established from the outset so that life experience values can be calculated proportional to age. The quantification of the answers required to obtain the total questionnaire score is therefore pegged to the candidate's age.

It must always be borne in mind that the "teachings of life" are irreplaceable lessons with effects that are unforeseen and sometimes even antagonistic if, for example, we confront individuals with opposing personalities. A life experience, even if similar, but lived by two individuals, may result in distinct conditioning depending on the character and other factors of each one. Regardless of the outcome, while academic or scholarly learning can easily fade away and disappear, certain life experiences tend to leave a deeper mark and stay in the subconscious. Naturally, as has already been mentioned, the life experience measurement is not an exact figure. It should be noted, for example, that being the local president for half a year of a national or even international institution such as UNICEF will not give the individual the same type or the same amount of experience as being the president of a gastronomic association. There will be a distinction to be proven here, which will probably be highlighted in the evaluation of 'CV’ or in the interview.

Gaps in the thematic scope of the LQ–quest questionnaire

The questions in the LQ–quest questionnaire generally do not comprehensively cover the thematic areas they address in the sector. This is because, in most groups of questions, it would be impossible to cover all possible alternatives, because it would cause the questionnaire to have an exaggerated dimension and because the aim is to obtain a sampling of thematic areas that could be considered analogous to the methodology applied in a stratified sampling, not losing sight of the value factors of quantity and their quality/diversity of the same.

The thematic areas not addressed in the questionnaire include issues related to activities, although undoubtedly also generating life experiences (LE), involving religious beliefs or practice, sexual orientation or habits, political parties or political activities, among others. Certain social beliefs and behaviour may be negatively assessed or perceived as harmful, as a result of eventual prejudices of the selector, employer, or interviewer.

LQ–quest also does not include issues that are extrapolated, i.e. go beyond the limits of common sense (this criterion of reasonableness is subjective and assumed to be the responsibility of the author of the questionnaire): situations likely to lead to biased assessment that may lead to a consequent discriminatory selection were therefore avoided. Examples of this are cases where the candidate reveals a severe physical limitation (although this is also understandably a factor in the development of life experiences due to the constraints involved); is excessively obese; or perpetrated an act which could lead to incriminating judgments if disclosed.

Lastly, the number of questions related to the professional career of the respondent have been significantly reduced, thus preventing them from becoming exhaustive. If the area of "professional skills" were to be extended in its entirety, it would cover a number of issues which, as a rule, are already dealt with essentially (or even in detail) in the 'CV’ of the candidate. It is a reality that the developed versions of a 'CV’ are often excessively detailed and even overvalued. The questions/answers about the professional experience of a candidate are thus steered, in terms of specificity, to the 'CV’.

Consequently, in addition to certain general questions or subjects never covered in the 'CV’ (for example, the case of the candidate who dismissed or brought disciplinary proceedings against a subordinate), the remaining professional content is considered, due to its complexity and scope, to be outside the scope of the LQ–quest.

What does it mean when the candidate obtains a LQ–quest score outside the reference values

Since the life experience of each individual is not, as explained at the beginning of the presentation of LQ–quest, accurately measurable and because each life is original, it is expected that the assessment parameters may present, in particular cases, significant fluctuations relative to the reference values, without this meaning that they are 'better' or 'below average'. It means they are just different! The human resources officer, the employer and the candidate himself must be aware of this fact. An unequivocal example is: a scientist wholly devoted to his research will probably score well above average on the fourth set of questions ("professional skills"), while his life experience in the framework of, for example, group three ("non-professional activities") may be extremely low. Why? The 'enclosure' of years of investigation has perhaps alienated him/her from a more active social life, from travelling, from human relationships ...

It should be noted that for some employers the fact that the candidate has a low score in terms of overall life experience may result in a positive factor in that it will probably be easier to get him/her to undergo specific training that is better suited to the job on offer, since the presence of any previous vicissitudes is reduced. In other words, the candidate will be receptive to learning, to be 'configured' by the employer, due to his/her still low life experience. Many individuals are characterised throughout their adult and professional life by a path that we deem to be circumscribed, that is, suffering from conditioning factors, which can result in added value or be penalising. These will be the social environment from which the candidate originates, family stability, (in)constancy in terms of housing - home(s), city(s), country(s) - and, above all, certain professions that we call 'unidirectional careers', in this context, such as the professional career of a teacher, a doctor, a civil servant, a computer programmer, among many others. This last factor leads mainly to situations in which the candidate has advanced experience in a particular sector to the detriment of a diversified global life experience. Recall the previous example of the scientist.

In conclusion, certain low overall scores are fully justified by the candidate's background and professional background. The reduced versatility or diversity of his/her life experience is compensated by the specific nature of his/her academic or professional qualities. In these cases, it will be necessary to obtain from the ‘CV’ and the interview (and other possible selection tests) a correct assessment of the candidate's true profile and how he or she adapts to the vacant post.

Important note: LQ–quest cannot prevent false answers or abusive use of the questionnaire. All answers are the sole responsibility of the respondent. Results well above the reference values (> 80%) should be questioned. And, above all, if a report presents 100% result(s), it is almost certain that an excessive number of answers have been forged.

List of 'Life Indicators'

RISK * GENEROSITY/VOLUNTEER * ENTREPRENEUR/INVESTOR * VERSATILE/FLEXIBLE * LEADERSHIP/ORGANIZER * TRAVELER * CITIZENSHIP/COOPERANT * HERO * FAMILY * SPORTSMAN * SCHOLAR * CRISES * CREATIVE * SKILLED MACHINERY/REPAIRS * FAME * FACING ENVIRONMENT/ANIMALS * CONSERVATIVE * STABEL * UNSTABLE * PERSONAL RECOVERY/IMPROVEMENT * TRAUMA * RICHNESS * SOCIAL LIFE * DEPRIVATION * INDEPENDENT * HEALTH * LASER/FREE ACTIVITIES