GET A good job, or a promotion

Here are four EQ skills that can help you beat the competition:

People need to get along to work well with each other. You may be thinking, “I'm smart. I know my stuff. That should be enough!” But it almost never is. Those who stick stubbornly to that belief rarely get promoted, or get that big new job. Why? Because while job experience is essential, big jobs require people to be able to influence other people to get things done. To do that, they need good relationships with those people. And you can learn how to build them.

The better you are at understanding people and what motivates them, the more you will stand out as being promotable. Decision makers will see that you know how to get people to actually want to do what needs doing. 

Leaders need to be good at communicating. Decision makers will be looking for someone who knows how to get things done through others. That includes being able to tell people what needs to be done clearly, in ways that make them want to do it. Threats have the opposite effect. They encourage resentment and foot-dragging. On the other hand, being too wishy washy, maybe for fear of seeming too bossy, makes people have to guess what you want, and that opens the door to misunderstanding. If you can tell people what you need from them in a clear and unthreatening way, you will be just what decision makers are looking for.

Higher level jobs cause higher levels of stress. You'll need to show decision makers that if you are promoted you will be able to handle that extra stress, without blowing up or hiding out in your office. 

These four EQ skills are skills you can learn and improve. Being good at them will really pay off, both in the enterview  and after you land the job.