Understanding how emotional intelligence can help employees in the workplace can have a huge impact landing a job. One of the first things hiring managers and recruiters from employment agencies look for when screening potential candidates is how well a person fits in a team — in other words, how well a candidate deals with people at work.
Below are a few simple ways to boost your emotional intelligence, both at home and in the office, making it just as noticeable as your IQ.
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Know Yourself
In order to improve your emotional intelligence at work, you first need to understand what makes you tick.
What are your buttons?
What things set you off?
Everyone is wired differently, but if you can figure out what things upset you, or conversely, make you feel satisfied, you can manage your emotions more effectively.
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Learn to Control Your Emotions
We are all capable of feeling emotions. Some people hide them, some people don’t care if they’re broadcasted to everyone. In any case, emotionally intelligent people know these emotions, know when they’re feeling them, and know how to control them when needed.
Of course, this is easier said than done, but again, it all starts with understanding your emotions.
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Learn to Solve Problems
People with high IQ are usually adept at solving problems and resolving conflict. Learn to calm down before you make decisions, and use constructive ideas to weigh options, which in turn leads to better decision-making.
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Master Non-verbal Communication
Just because you aren’t yelling or lashing out, doesn’t mean people won’t notice you’re angry. Learn to control the tone of your voice and the way you act or move whenever you’re feeling stressed. Take a deep breath, make eye contact with whoever it is you’re talking to, and listen before making any decisions or passing an opinion.
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Balance Your Emotions with Your Thoughts
The next time you feel a powerful emotion like anger or frustration, ask yourself why you feel that way and what you can do to change it. With high EQ people, stressful situations don’t get the best of them because they can detach their thoughts from their emotions. This lets them take an objective approach when addressing whatever’s behind their feelings.
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Learn to Empathize
Empathy is a core EQ skill that will come up over and over again in different situations at home and in the workplace. Empathy refers to the ability to place yourself in someone else’s shoes, seeing the world from their perspective. If you master this skill, you’re guaranteed to become better at dealing with different people.
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Embrace Criticism
Hearing something you don’t like about yourself or your work is never easy, but people with high EQ don’t take criticism personally. Instead, they use legitimate criticism to improve their performance. Conversely, they know when criticism is unwarranted and will respond by asking for clarification.
Get more career and life advice for your personal growth by following this blog. If you’re looking for job opportunities but need help knowing where to look, let the staffing services specialists of Top Notch Personnel point you in the right direction. Contact our offices to learn more about how our services can help you.
