EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE is the ability to become more aware of your emotions and the emotions of others to manage them more effectively. According to Daniel Goleman, there are four key competencies involved in Emotional Intelligence: Emotional Self-Awareness; Emotional Self-Control; Social Awareness and Relationship Management.
Job transitions are times of uncertainty, setbacks, and frustrations. As a job seeker, you can increase your Emotional Intelligence to monitor your internal weather; motivate yourself to tackle your weekly goals; get rebalanced after setbacks, respond effectively to others when networking, and interviewing; and lastly, influencing important decision-makers as you articulate your unique value proposition.
Here I share great tips in four (4) key areas of Emotional Intelligence:
SELF-AWARENESS is the ability to notice your own emotions and understand your triggers, capabilities, and motivations.
- One of the keys to becoming more self-aware is to get out of automatic pilot by learning to recognize your emotions and identifying the triggers that cause you to feel a certain way. What are those triggers that set you in a downward spiral? Not hearing from recruiters? Being declined as an applicant?
- There are simple ways you increase your self-awareness, such as journaling, meditating, and creating moments during your day to evaluate your internal weather. I like to use door handles as checking points of what is going on inside of me.
- To be more self-aware is important that you become more intentional about monitoring your emotions and being more present to your day. Savoring is a technique that consists in enjoying the small moments that give you joy, such as a walk-in nature and the aroma of fresh coffee brewing.
EMOTIONAL SELF-REGULATION is the ability to rebalance after setbacks, setting goals and being committed to them, and staying motivated despite the circumstances.
- One of the keys to a successful job campaign is creating a job search strategy, setting weekly and daily goals potentiated with routines, a schedule, and healthy habits. This requires self-discipline and commitment.
- Emotional self-regulation implies that you recognize when you’re experiencing negative emotions, and you find ways to switch to more positive states that will allow you to stay optimistic and productive.
- Learn to pause before reacting to emotional triggers. Imagine you are pushing an imaginary pause button and just stop for a moment to ponder, find a positive thought and combine it with breathing through your nose three times to help your nervous system to regain balance.
SOCIAL AWARENESS gives you the ability to respond effectively to others and managing different social situations to obtain the best results.
- Learn how to identify what situations make you uncomfortable, for example, having to reach out to others to ask for help during your job campaign, and networking.
- Become more aware of the body language of interviewers and hiring managers during interviews, also monitoring your gestures and body movements to convey a sense of confidence when you speak and listen to others.
- Social awareness is also about conveying your ideas effectively according to the situation. Listening for understanding, being willing to be empathetic with others around you. This implies not taking things personally, as in most cases, it is not really about you, even when it feels very personal.
RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT is about your interpersonal skills, making the best of your interactions with others to build bunds, create trust, influence, and impact others in positive ways.
- This is a very important competency during your job campaign because you want to interact with others displaying your brand to create positive impressions.
- Become aware of the importance of being an emotionally grounded and confident candidate when interacting with recruiters and hiring managers. Be assertive, concise, and confident when communicating your value proposition to decision-makers.
- Networking is one of the most important skills you can practice during your job campaign. To be effective in this area, you have to become interested in others. Reach out, ask questions, find out how you can help, and stay in touch. Others will be willing to reciprocate when you show that you care. This is particularly important when you want to be connected with job opportunities through your professional network. Learn how to leverage your relationships while being authentic, honest, and caring.
There is no doubt that being in transition might be an event filled with strong emotions. Consistently practicing these four competencies will help you feel more in control, empowered, and persuasive during your job campaign and beyond.