1. 10 ways to demonstrateemotional intelligencein your job search
RecentlyIwasleadingaRésumé Writingworkshopinwhichone gentlemanwasstaringatme the
whole time.He neverspoke,justshotdaggersatme as I wasconductingthe workshop.Around him
sat people whowere engaged,takingnotes,andansweringmyquestions.
We're toldas presenterstolookat the friendlyparticipantsbecausethey'llgive youcourage,butthe
one wholookedlike he couldkill wasthe one Ifocusedon.He was mychallenge.
He wasnot angry withme,buthisdemeanourtoldme learningaboutwritingrésuméswasnoton
hismind.He was probablythinkingabouthow he wasunjustlyletgofromhispreviousjobfor
arguingwithhisbossfor the fifthtime inthree months.
We've reada greatdeal aboutthe importance of emotionalintelligence (EQ) andhow itappliesthe
workplace,particularlyleadership.Butwhatabouthow EQ appliestoyourjob search?Withouta
strongdegree of EQ, yourjob searchis doomed.Below are 10 waysjobseekersdemonstrate EQ.
1. They letgoof theiranger.Angerissaidto be one of the five phasesapersonwill face whenhe's
losthisjob.Althoughanatural feeling,itcanbe the most detrimental toyourjobsearch.People can
see itin youreyes andposture,hearit fromyourvoice;and youpushthemaway.
Angermay alsobe shownthroughsocial media,suchas LinkedIn.SomeonewithEQdoesn'tshow his
anger;rather he findswaysto channel it.Perhapsturningtoexercise,meditation,orseeking
therapy.
2. They're willingtohelpothers.Whenyouneedhelpinyourjobsearchisthe time youshouldthink
of otherpeople alsolookingforwork.Noteveryonewhoisinneedthinkof helpingothers,butthose
withEQ realize thathelpingotherswill garnerhelpinreturn.
Theyget a sense of accomplishmentwhichpropelsthemforward.Theyalsowinthe respectand
supportof others.On the flipside are the oneswhoonlylookoutfor themselvesand,asa result,
turn people away.
3. They alsoask forhelp.Onthe flipside,theyaren'ttooproudto ask for helphere andthere,all the
while feelingthey'll reciprocateanyassistance theyreceive.
People withEQrealize thatrequestinghelpisacceptable,evennecessaryinthe jobsearch.Too
manyof my customershaven'teventoldpeople theywere outof work.Theywere embarrassed,but
theyshouldn'thave been.Unemploymentisafact of life.
4. They take on challenges.Ratherthanturnand run the otherway,a jobseekerwithEQwill face
difficultoruncomfortablesituations.Itmightmeanmakingthe decisiontochange hercareer,or
attendnetworkingeventsrequiringhertoleave hercomfortzone,orjoinLinkedInanduse itto its
potential.
The majorityof people whoenterourcareercentertake on the challenge of findinganew job,while
otherswaitfor a jobto findthem.Those whocome to our centerandapproach me withhungerin
theireyespossessEQ.

2. 5. They knowtheirstrengthsandweaknesses.Emotionalintelligence meansyouare aware of your
strengthsandweaknessesandcandiscussbothin factual fashion.Theydon'tcome upwithbullshit
weaknesseslike,"Iworktoohard,"or "I'ma perfectionist."
Employerswantpeople whoare self-aware,whocanrecognize theirweaknessesand overcome
them.I talkto people whocantell me withconfidenceaboutaccomplishmentsthey'veachieved.
Thenfactuallydescribesmistakesthey've made andhow theywillnotrepeatthem.
6. They don'tblame others.Blamingothersforyourmistakesisared flagto employers.If someone
isletgo because of poor performance,he shouldadmithismistakesandtalkabouthow he'll ensure
theywon'thappenagain.
People whohave highEQrealize thatmistakesare inevitable.Those whoopenlyblametheir
situationontheirbossor colleaguescome acrossassomeone whocan'townup to their
responsibilities.Theywill notlearnfromtheirmistakes,asemployersseeit.
7. They gravitate towardpositive people.IrememberwhenIwaslaidoff frommymarketing
positionandhowI spentapproximatelythreeweekscommiseratingwithacolleague whowasalso
laidoff.We sat in a small,smokybarand drank,blamingmanagementfornotkeepingusduringan
acquisition.
I sooncame to realize Iwouldn'timprove mysituation bycommiseratingwiththisperson.Itwas
gettingdepressing...andexpensive.Istoppedmeetingwithhimandsoughtpositive peopletobe
with.Positivepeople make youactmore positively.
8. They take criticismwell.Noone likestobe criticizedfor whattheydo,butpeople whohave EQ
see itas constructive criticismoradvice.Of course certaincriticismisnotconstructive andshouldbe
disregarded.
Most of the people Isitwithto critique theirLinkedInprofiletake myadvice andapplyitto their
profile orresume,whereasothersargue aboutsmall detailsorwalkawayinsulted.People withEQ
will listentowellintendedadvice andacton it or not.
9. They learnfromtheirmistakes.One commonproblemjobseekerssufferfromisnotbeingable to
understandingtheirmistakes,andthencorrectingthem.Take awomanwhohas been"letgo"from
multiple companiesforcontinuouslyarguingwithherboss.
She will have ahard time keepingherjobif she doesn'tdevelopEQ.She maysee thisasdifficult to
do,but her future jobswill relyonit.Employerswhodigfordeeperinformationregardingwhyyou
leftyourpreviousjobcansmell thislike abloodhound.
10. Theydressand act the part. Firstimpressionsare essential.It'sestimatedthat33% of employers
make theirdecisiontonothire youwithin90 secondsof meetingyou.Yourfirstimpressionsbegin
longbefore the interview.
In the jobsearch,prior to the interview,smartjobseekersunderstandtheyare onstage fromthe
time theyleave theirhouse tothe time theyreturn.Demonstratingthistype of EQisnot only
necessarilyatthe interview;itmustbe integratedintoyourdailylife.
11. Theytake care of themselves.One thingIaskour customersisif they're exercising.Are you
walkingorrunning?Goingto the gym?Evenparkingin the spotfarthestfromthe grocery store?

3. Otherwaysyou shouldtake care of yourself isrefrainingfromnicotine,caffeine,alcohol,cutdown
on foodintake.
WhenI was outof workI increasedmywalkingtime from45 minutesaday to 90 minutesormore.
Thishelpedclearmymindfromthe obsessive destructive thoughtsof beingoutof work.I alsolosta
fewpounds,whichwashelpfulformyself-image.
The man who appearedsoangryin myworkshopleftatthe endwithoutsayinga word(normally
people hangaroundtoask questions).Ithoughtitwouldbe the lasttime I'dsee him.WhenI picked
up hisevaluationform,asawwhatappearedto be a tome of comments.Ialsosaw the highest
ranking,5 out of 5, for everyquestiononthe form.Furthermore,he attendedmanymore
workshops...alwaysappearingangry.