This morning, my brother sent along this article on the importance of emotional intelligence as a hiring criterion - though it’s 3 years old, the take-aways hold more true than ever.
Demonstrating that you are emotionally intelligent will go a long way towards lowering the barriers between you and the hiring manager - if they feel you are someone they can trust and connect with on a personal level, they are much more likely to hire you. The opposite is also true - coming across as rude, unreliable, or disengaged will likely give the hiring manager an excuse to cut you loose from the process.
The article’s guidelines for demonstrating your EQ are below - if you’re interested in more reading, check out the class “Emotional Intelligence” by Daniel Goleman (he also just put out a new book, Ecological Intelligence).
Read the full article: `Emotional intelligence’ a new hiring criterion
By Erica Noonan, Globe Staff | September 10, 2006
Pay attention to key EQ buzzwords in the job description, (“innovative,” “flexible,” and “friendly,” for example) and incorporate them into your cover letter and resume.
Know yourself, and learn everything possible about the values and culture of the company you hope to work for. “It’s not emotionally intelligent to force yourself into an office culture where you won’t be happy,” said Edelson.
Demonstrate reliability and trustworthiness. One of Edelson’s favorite stories is about a 23-year-old woman who wrecked her car en route to an interview for a sales position at a pharmaceutical company. Instead of being a no-show, she called and explained the situation, and got a ride to the interview. “She was determined to show them she was reliable and would show up when she said she would,” said Edelson. (Impressed, the firm hired her on the spot.)
Never fib about anything. Don’t say you’re fluent in Spanish when you haven’t spoken a word since high school. Assess your skills realistically, but follow with a pledge to improve quickly if the job requires proficiency.
Send a thank you note to show off your good manners, another component of EQ. Handwritten, via snail mail.
Tags: career transition, education, emotional intelligence, ethics, Human Resources, interview, skills, values
I think another thing is not being afraid to ask questions that reveal that you don’t know something. It is better to ask than to go on pretending that you know something. I never knew there was a term “emotional intelligence,” so that will be useful if it comes up in conversation.