How To Harness Career EQ For Unprecedented Career Success - My Blackstone Case Study

Have you ever...

Been in a professional position where all the expectations where set on your skills, Degree, etc,

Just to realize it is your personality and emotional intelligence that got you were you are right now?

This is why I'm writing this article.

Today.

The Power of Emotional intelligence and your EQ is massively underestimated in securing your dream role in today's job market.

I'd like to share with you two thing:

A. The essence of strategic career planning, and

B. The holistic approach required to stand out.

The Unforeseen Path to Blackstone - My Case Study

Imagine failing a critical technical test, yet receiving a job offer in London from one of the most prestigious firms Private Equity Firms globally—Blackstone.

How, in the world you'd ask?

Well I did it.

Didn't have a Harvard MBA.

Dad or uncle didn't work there.

C) None of the above.

And no, I didn't have a network. Or should I say...

I did.

7,248.01 Miles away.

But what got me to join the dots was something different.

The answer lies not within "conventional metrics", but in a nuanced domain often overlooked: Career EQ.

The Origins of a Career Masterstroke

The journey commenced in Chile, circa 2014.

Far from the corporate echelons of London.

Back then, I was part of Behr Paint Company , tasked with a formidable challenge to expand an American enterprise within LATAM.

I loved that job. There I met great professionals such as Pamalar W. , Udo Delaveau Couchot , Tim Chen , and Liza Escobar , SHRM-SCP .

I immersed myself in an endeavor that would inadvertently shape my future.

Collaborating with a recruitment professional to onboard +100 employees in mere months.

Even if I was in finance.

Yes.

I helped hire people in Chile.

I unknowingly sowed the seeds for future opportunities.

Strategic Positioning and Emotional Acumen

Fast forward 2 years, a position at Blackstone emerges.

Linked indirectly to my past alliance.

I found out that a recruiter was being retained to hire this position. I went out of the conventional recruitment route, and leveraged my network.

Found out that my Chilean contact had a great friend inside that office.

So, then,

I positioned myself as an organic, cost-saving option for Blackstone

(a strategic move that underscored foresight and understanding of corporate intricacies).

Here's the thing.

I failed the technical excel test!!

Instead of giving up.

I continued with the process, just fully focused on emotional intelligence at this point.

Understanding who these people where.

What they needed.

Making an even stronger emotional bond.

They could have still gone with someone else. But guess what.

They didn't.

This is something I learned in Chile.

Interacting with associates across the world needed not just professionalism but a genuine, personable approach.

Serendipity or Strategic Genius?

God would have it...

My meticulous attention to interpersonal details paid dividends.

After a 3rd interview with a Jr. Analyst, I sent her a thank you note.

Handwritten.

Like I always do.

A seemingly trivial note found its way onto the CEO,

it was on her cork board. And the CEO would come get acquisition numbers from her every morning.

After that, on the final round with the CEO Mo Barzegar , shared educational served as the final piece of this intricate puzzle.

He made me feel like this company had a soul. And I was sold.

On it's culture.

The Takeaway

I'm trying to help you break conventional job-seeking paradigm, of:

1. Put together a resume
2. Send applications until your fingers bleed.
3. Get demotivated and just take any job that comes your way.

A holistic approach where emotional intelligence, strategic networking, and authenticity play pivotal roles - makes more sense.

It's just "scary" to try it out because we've never been taught "it" in school.

So you have to go out there.

And try it yourself.

Remember, technical skills can get your foot in the door,

But emotional intelligence and strategic foresight will be the ones that get you the career YOU WANT.

One Last Thing: Embrace Your Journey

As you navigate your career

Remember.

Every interaction, every relationship, and every seemingly minor detail can be a stepping stone to your dream job.

Embrace your journey with emotional intelligence and strategic acumen.

Get better at it.

If you don't know where to start - ask us!

Schedule a Strategy Call below and we'll see if we can replicate these results for you.

-Gonzalo

#careerstrategy #jobs #emotionalintelligence #personaldevelopment