As mentioned before, being able to show emotional intelligence is one of the most important qualities for an employee to have. It will help them communicate more effectively with others, be it colleagues or superiors.

Interpersonal skills are something that all humans possess, but some people develop their ability to do so much beyond what we’re naturally born with. This is called high emotional intelligence (EI).

People who exhibit strong emotions and understand other people’s emotions are considered having higher EI.

There are several theories about why someone might have low levels of EI, but none of them seem completely accurate. Some say it’s due to genetics, while others believe poor parenting is the cause.

Whatever the reason, research shows that lower EI is not only harmful for your personal life, but also for your career.

Want to 10x your business's website traffic?

Look no further! Juice.ai puts your business in charge of its content strategy and gets you targeted clicks to your website. Check it out now!

With that said, this article will go into detail on some easy ways to demonstrate how you exercise emotional control.

Make eye contact

Making direct, meaningful connections with people is one of the most important things you can do as a person. When you are talking to someone, make sure your eyes keep meeting theirs!

This creates an immediate connection that helps you feel more confident and relaxed. It’s also a nice way to show interest in others and encourages them to open up to you.

When you don’t look directly at someone, it can come across as if they matter less to you or as if you're not interested in what they have to say.

Making direct, thoughtful eye contacts shows that you are paying attention to them and that you value their time. This is particularly significant when you first meet someone because it sets a good tone for the rest of the conversation.

It's easy to forget how powerful making strong eye contact can be so I will give you some tips on how to do this properly.

Listen closely

This is one of the most important things you can do when interviewing someone for a position. If you are not listening to what they say, then it is very likely that you will have trouble getting their answers to questions properly.

Interpersonal skills such as communication, relationship building, leadership, and motivation are all related to emotional intelligence. When asked about these qualities during an interview, people often talk about how they relate to them.

However, there’s no good way to test if someone has those relationships or not. You cannot fake being able to listen, connect with others, motivate other people, and build trust.

So, how does someone know if you're able to be a leader, communicate well, show empathy, and understand motivations? By watching you!

By watching you work, we mean actions, behaviors, and expressions. Are you smiling frequently? Is your voice calm and steady? Can you discuss both difficult and easy topics without showing any signs of avoidance, stress, or loss of control? All of these tell us something about who you are as a person.

And because we make our decisions mostly based on emotions, we must be aware of yours to evaluate whether you would be a good fit for this job.

Be honest with your answers

As mentioned earlier, being able to show emotional intelligence is not only important for career success, but it also helps you succeed as a person. Being able to demonstrate empathy and compassion can have major impacts on those around you, both professionally and personally.

By being aware of other people’s emotions, you are more likely to gain their trust and cooperation, which are key components to getting things done. And while having strong leadership skills is great, being a leader isn’t always about giving orders or talking big, it sometimes involves showing sympathy to others who are struggling under similar pressures.

Being emotionally intelligent doesn’t happen overnight, but if you work at it consistently, you will find yourself more comfortable and confident in social situations. You’ll also be happier, because you’ll recognize and manage your own feelings better.

Provide reassurance

A lot of employers look for emotional intelligence (EI) in candidates, as it is considered a crucial quality for success in workplace.

However, most people are not good at showing their emotions — we all have different levels of control over our feelings.

That’s why it can be tricky to determine if someone is truly displaying strong emotion management skills or if they are just trying to hide something.

By reading this article you will learn some easy ways to show your potential employer that you possess solid EI. You will also learn how to identify when a candidate has low EQ and what to do about it before hiring them.

Make them feel important

The second, arguably more difficult, way to show emotional intelligence in an interview is by making the interviewer feel important — or even significant. This can be done through expression of admiration for their work, asking thoughtful questions that get results, showing interest in their career, and/or telling interesting stories about yourself.

By using these strategies, you will make the other person feel like they matter to you, which is a powerful thing. It also helps your own self-confidence because you’re investing in yourself and what you know – both are great things!

It sounds cliché, but it’s true: when someone feels appreciated and needed, they do good things for themselves. They put in extra effort, keep commitments, and strive to achieve their goals, all out of desire to feel valued.

Be optimistic

Being hopeful and positive can help you gain employment more quickly, especially if there have been past layoffs or if your potential employer has bad reviews. Even if things look bleak, being confident in yourself and those around you will help you focus on doing what needs to be done instead of wasting time feeling down.

Employers want to see that you are passionate about the job and that you know how to communicate effectively. They may also desire to learn more about you by listening to you talk for an hour.

In fact, a recent study found that employers consistently rank enthusiasm as one of the most important qualities in employees. Having fun at work and interacting with colleagues is a key factor in productivity and success.

So, when an interviewer asks you about difficult situations you encountered, don’t automatically assume it was your fault!

Instead, use that situation to show off your leadership skills and emphasize the importance of teamwork. Talk about ways in which you handled the situation well and gave others chance to respond.

You can even mention something about the person who made you feel uncomfortable and ask them why they behaved this way. Then, describe steps you took to address the problem later.

Optimism is a quality that people tend to admire, so showing some signs of it could win you new opportunities. But remember, being overly positive sometimes can fool people into thinking you’re not serious about the position.

Look for their weaknesses

As mentioned before, being able to show emotional intelligence is not only important for your career but also for your personal life. With more people relying heavily on social media as sources of information, validation, and communication, it becomes increasingly difficult to get motivated and engaged with things unless you are talking about them or reading comments related to things that matter to you.

If you’re too focused on looking successful instead of looking like you care, then you will lose most of the opportunities to make friends or connect with others. This goes beyond just limiting yourself from asking questions at work either, if you don’t want to be asked why you aren’t doing anything then maybe look into whether there have been any changes at your job or whether someone else was promoted over you.

By knowing how to ask good questions and what kind of answers indicate if someone is passionate about something, you’ll know if they really do care or if they are putting up an appearance. Use this knowledge to help you determine if anyone around you seems genuinely invested in achieving their goals and moving forward.

Ask more questions

Asking thoughtful, well-researched questions is a great way to show your potential employer that you have done some research about their company and that you are interested in learning more.

Ask open-ended questions that require a narrative response or ask for comments or opinions. These types of questions require you to think about the answers and create a story based on what you learn.

Questions like “What made you choose X over Y?” and “How do you feel your job role has changed since joining X?” can help you get insights into how leadership works at your prospective workplace.

Interviewers love it when candidates bring up new topics and concepts and apply them to the organization. They believe they are being asked genuine questions that relate to the position.

Getting emotional with employees or looking for arguments is not a good look so if this topic arises, prepare a solid answer.