What influences the career development of an individual? Is it his intelligence, technical skills, or their educational success? Are the forces that affect the future career success same for all generations – Baby Boomers, Generation X or Generation Y? All these questions have been researched thoroughly by hiring managers, recruiters, and human behavior researchers in last few years. The answer to all these questions is emotional intelligence or emotional quotient (EQ).
Emotional intelligence (often referred as EQ) is the ability of a person to recognize their own, and other people’s emotions, to differentiate between different feelings and act accordingly.
When hiring people, along with job performance abilities and skills, employers are looking for higher EQ. The interviews are tailored such that they can measure EQ and predict how well the candidate will be suitable for the job role. It is proved that people with higher EQ are getting along easily with co-workers and are able to deal with job stress. Even sense of humor is one of the selection factors, as it is a part of EQ.
Higher EQ means you are aware of your feelings and moods and can handle your emotions to face challenges and conflicts with an optimistic approach. The five building blocks of emotional intelligence are mentioned here:
- Self awareness: Knowing who you are and having an understanding of your strength, weakness, and emotions.
- Intrinsic motivation: Being motivated to exceed expectations and to be dedicated to the work.
- Self regulation: Ability to control and manage impulses, which can pay off for your weaknesses.
- Empathy: Understanding others’ feelings and considering their perspective of viewing things.
- Social skill: Ability to inspire and motivate others in the desired direction, build networks and managing relationships.
EQ is a critical factor that sets high performers apart from the average ones, as it allows you to focus your energy in one direction obtaining incredible results. Emotional quotient is the strongest predictor of performance as compared to other workplace skills.
According to a study, 90 percent of top star performers are also high in EQ. While only 20 percent of below average performers are high in EQ. It is not necessary that you must have high EQ to be one of the top performers, but with lower EQ, the chances are really less.
Additionally, people with higher EQ earn more than the rest of the pack, as per the study. People with high degree of EQ earn approximately $29,000 (average) more annually than people with a low degree of EQ. These results hold true for each industry, with people at all levels, and in every region of the world.