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Employers look for certain job-related characteristics and skills in candidates when they are hiring; such as strong on-the-job experience, technical background in the same field of work, teamwork spirit, or any other position related skills. All of these qualities are without a doubt important; however, succeeding in today’s workplace requires more than technical skills and previous experience. Employers should recognize the a very important quality to have in a candidate and that is Emotional Intelligence.

Emotional Intelligence – also known as Emotional Quotient (EQ) – is defined as the ability to identify and manage one’s own emotions as well as the emotions of others. Emotional Intelligence has 4 main pillars:

• Self-awareness: One’s ability to understand his/her own emotions and recognize the impact of those emotions on work performance and relationships.
• Self-management: One’s ability to control and manage his/her own feelings and emotions appropriately in different situations.
• Social awareness: One’s ability to understand how to react to different situations, and effectively modify his/her interactions with other people in order to achieve the best results.
• Relationship management: One’s ability to connect with others, build positive relationships, respond to the emotions of others, and influence other people.

Emotional Intelligence has been listed by the World Economic Forum as one of the top 10 skills needed to succeed at work. So, what is it about Emotional Intelligence that makes it so valuable? Below are 4 main factors:

1. Emotional Intelligence is Linked to Job Performance

Studies have shown that employees with higher emotional intelligence perform better than those with low emotional intelligence, as there is a direct link between emotional intelligence and certain organizational behaviors such as job performance, commitment, attitude, and teamwork.

2. Emotional Intelligence is Linked to the Quality of Relationships at Work

Emotional intelligence has a major impact on how well an employee interacts with coworkers, builds relationships, and manages conflict effectively.

3. Emotional Intelligence is a Key Leadership Skill

Emotional Intelligence is mainly about being self-aware, empathetic, and able to inspire and motivate others. So your highly emotionally intelligent employees are your potential leaders.

4. Emotionally Intelligent Employees are more Adaptable

Research has shown that people with higher emotional intelligence are often able to adapt successfully while people with lower emotional intelligence demonstrated poorer ability to cope with stress at work. Emotional intelligence helps people successfully interpret their own emotions and evaluate how to move forward in a positive and productive way.

Haneen Ibrahim

Haneen Ibrahim is the Head of Communications at ZenHR, the award-winning HR Software, with a strong passion for HR. She creates engaging blog and social media content on HR topics, cutting-edge trends, and valuable tips for businesses and HR professionals.