Hiring Managers now seek candidates with a high level of Emotional Intelligence. Here is how to learn what the hell is Emotional Intelligence, and ...

Hiring Managers now seek candidates with a high level of Emotional Intelligence. Here is how to learn what the hell is Emotional Intelligence, and if you have any of it or not

 Jack J. Kelly  February 23, 2018  Career Advice  

By Jack J. Kelly

This piece was a little challenging to write. Growing up in a lower socioeconomic background (that’s a nice, politically correct way of saying not having too much money and sort of lower-class) in working class Brooklyn, New York, and being over 40, showing emotions was not a thing boys and men were supposed to do. If you did dare show the least bit of emotions to your buddies, you were considered soft and weak and teased relentlessly. So, we bottled-up our emotions and played the part of stoic warriors. Fortunately, I’m teaching myself to become an exceptionally mediocre-to-adequate writer and will pretend that I understand all this emotional mumbo-jumbo stuff.

Emotional intelligence (“EI”, and also known as emotional IQ) is defined as the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically. It includes three skills:

1. Emotional awareness, along with being able to identify your personal emotions and the emotions of others;
2. The ability to harness emotions and apply them to activities like thinking and problem solving;
3. The ability to regulate emotions, including the ability to control your own emotions, and the ability to cheer up or calm down another person.

In layman term’s, it means that you act like a decent, respectful person. If you have a high emotional IQ, you are capable of managing your own internal rage, anger, jealousy, and other horrible traits to play well with others. Possessing emotional intelligence also helps you treat others with empathy, respect, and kindness, even when you can’t stand the sight of them.

It was previously believed that having a high IQ was one of the best predictors for a person’s success. Recent studies have shown that having high emotional intelligence is the reason why people with just average IQs can, and do, outperform those with the highest IQs 70% of the time.  Research has also indicated that emotional intelligence is a contributing factor that sets star performers apart from everyone else. Some studies reflect that 90% of top performers have high emotional intelligence.

With this in mind, hiring managers now seek out candidates that exhibit high emotional intelligence, as they may be top performers. Interviewing to determine a candidate’s emotional intelligence level is deemed important, as it will affect how the person will manage his or her behavior, navigate social work related complexities, and make business decisions to achieve positive results. For example, employees with a high level of EI will most likely possess self-awareness that helps them understand co-workers and meet deadlines. People that have high EI may not be perturbed by criticism, as they will be more focused on outcomes rather than feeling offended. Human resources may decide that if two job candidates have similar IQs, the one with the higher EI will likely be a better fit and selected for a job with the company.

Now, I know what you are thinking, “Do I have a high EI?” and “How can I find out how big my EI is?”

Here are some character traits of high EI people.

1.  High EI people embrace change.
2. They are self-aware.
3. They’re empathetic.
4. High EI professionals are not perfectionists.
5. They’re balanced.
6. They’re curious.
7. EI folks are gracious.
8. Possess a robust emotional vocabulary.
9. Recognize their strengths and weaknesses.
10. They are good judges of character.
11. Are difficult to offend.
12. Know how to say no (to yourself and others).
13. Let go of mistakes.
14. They offer and expect nothing in return.
15. They don’t hold grudges.
16. EI people intuitively neutralize toxic people.
17. They don’t seek perfection.
18. They appreciate what they have.
19. Stop negative self-talk in its tracks.
20. Will not let anyone limit their joy.
21. They’re Open Minded.
22. They Embrace Their Strengths and Understand Their Weaknesses.
23. They Are Always Looking Forward.

The list makes sense for interviewers to look for these characteristics in candidates. When you strip away the fancy, new buzzword sobriquet of emotional intelligence, it boils down to: Does this candidate possess the interpersonal, social, and presentation skills to effectively work within our corporate culture?

If you do not have any of the attributes listed above, maybe start to work on it, or at least, pretend that you have feelings and are a nice normal person.

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