Importance of Emotional Intelligence for Job Seekers 

The importance of emotional intelligence in business has been a highly useful skill. Businesses usually develop hiring processes to seek out applicants who possess emotional intelligence. The problem is that most job seekers don’t realize how vital of a role it plays in the final decision.  

Career Builder put out a survey 10 years ago that showed 71% of employers put an emphasis on emotional intelligence. That survey is over a decade old and the emphasis on emotional intelligence has grown even further since its release. It’s safe to assume that percentage is higher now.  

We’re going to dive deep into the importance of emotional intelligence for IT job seekers and learn some valuable lessons that should be taken into the hiring process.  

What Exactly is Emotional Intelligence? 

It’s defined exactly as the name implies – the measure of emotion and intelligence when they merge together. In short, it’s an ability to manage your emotional reactions to certain conditions so they are not controlling your actions. This is most apparent in scenarios where things go wrong. For instance, how an employee reacts to controversy is extremely important. Will they engage the situation in a calm, productive way or will they overreact to it? 

Managers with high emotional intelligence might realize that a schedule is interfering with a mother’s life because she has kids to drop off at school. Rather than putting the mother through unnecessary stress, they might adjust their schedule in a way to accommodate. Assuming it’s possible, the manager would lose nothing by choosing this action.  

On the other hand, a manager with poor emotional intelligence would tell the mother to just “deal with it.” 

Five Core Traits the Define Emotional Intelligence 

Recruiters use specific traits to identify whether or not a job seeker possesses high emotional intelligence. While this definitely isn’t a perfect process, understanding these traits and incorporating them into your resume will make you stand out in a crowd.  

• Awareness: An ability to identify and understand the emotional impact on yourself and those you come into contact with.  
• Regulation: Once emotional impact has been identified, individuals must be able to regulate those emotions and behave accordingly. Regulation is the key to mastering emotional intelligence. 
• Motivation: The ability to focus your attention on specific goals and work toward achieving them.  

• Empathy: Perception, identification, and understanding of other people’s emotions.  
• Social Skills: The ability to form and maintain relationships with individuals around you in a healthy way that benefits all parties.  

Individuals who possess all five of these skills will have high emotional intelligence (EQ). Qualifications and experience are still highly sought traits but employers are going to develop hiring methods that test for EQ as well.  

Psychometric Testing is Finding its Way into the Hiring Process 

Both recruiters and employers are using these types of tests to dig deeper into the EQ of potential employees. This is becoming an essential part of the hiring process. A candidate’s personality is an essential element in them being a good match for a specific job.  

The main reason these types of tests have become so popular is their ability to test EQ in combination with key skills. So be prepared for this test and don’t be surprised when you get questions related to how you would handle specific situations. 

Master the Job Interview 

Chances are that if you have the skillset and experience, then you’ll likely find yourself in the job interview. This is when the majority of your EQ will be tested. Behavior during the interview is going to be closely evaluated and the hiring manager will use it to make their final decision. Here are some of the key factors that showcase your attitude.  

Actively Listen to Everything 

Rather than focusing all of your attention on answering specific questions, make sure you give all of your attention to the interviewer. Listen closely to everything they have to say. Many people fall prey to the temptation to answer questions instantly so don’t allow this to happen. Chances are that the interviewer will be paying close attention to every detail and they expect full thoughtful replies.  

Don’t Be Afraid to Talk about Conflicts in the Workplace 

No one likes conflict but it does happen, so don’t be afraid to speak about it. Having the ability to adapt and work in a team setting are two essential skills that employers are looking for. Talking about conflict at a former workplace and your ability to confront it will highlight your EQ. For instance, most people have to deal with an irate customer at one point or another. If so, describe how you diffused the situation.  

Share Credit for Achievements on your Resume 

Individuals with high emotional intelligence are always the first to share credit with everyone on their team. So when you mention team-based achievements on your resume, make sure you share credit. This will make you come across as a team player who cares about their colleagues. Being a team player is an important trait that those with a high EQ share.  

Spend Time-Sharing Ways You are Working to Improve Yourself 

Your resume shouldn’t just be a technical list of your skills and achievements. It should tell a story of your professional life. One of the best traits that companies want in a new employee is the willingness and ability to grow. Many people focus on trying to come across like they are perfectionists but in reality, we all know that perfection is never real. So if you want your resume to stand out in a crowd, you’ll need to express methods that you use to improve and grow. It takes a high emotional intelligence to look within for growth.  

The point is that hiring managers know that everyone has weaknesses. Instead of following the traditional approach of hiding these weaknesses, acknowledge them and describe steps you are taking to grow.  

Importance of Emotional Intelligence 

We’ve looked at several ways that job seekers can express their EQ through the hiring process, so let’s wrap up this blog post by describing the importance of emotional intelligence. One of its main benefits is that candidates with a high EQ are able and willing to learn from their mistakes. Individuals with low EQ are the first to blame everyone else for their failures.  

We all fail sometimes and we all make mistakes. Those who are able to acknowledge this fact and learn from the experience are going to make much better team members than those who always deflect blame. Nothing will make a hiring agent reject you faster than openly blaming a former employer or team member for something negative.  

Final Thoughts 

Top companies are looking for employees with high emotional intelligence because they are more efficient workers and less hassle than those with low EQ. They will encourage everyone around them to be better and can drastically improve the attitude of everyone.  

But the main thing is that companies want to avoid hiring people who are a bad fit for their culture. So as a job seeker, always keep in mind that companies are developing their recruitment process based on emotional intelligence, so you need to show your EQ on your resume and during the interview.