In our current job market, it's not just what academic qualifications you have gained, or even what skills you've mastered, it's how well you understand other people that will get you ahead.  This is the age of emotional intelligence, often called EQ, and today's HR recruiters want proof you've got it.

Do you have the maturity and independence to follow a project to completion? Can you motivate and lead a group of your peers? Do you genuinely care about the company's values and goals? Are you the type to be sensitive to the needs of a troubled co-worker? Can you control your anger when a supervisor is rude to you? Employers are looking for better-rounded workers these days. If you're just a grabber, looking for what you can get for yourself, you might be seen as a bright spark in the beginning, but it won't carry you through a career. 

EQ comprises a collection of so-called ``soft" skills, including self-awareness, an understanding of how your mood and behavior affect others; impulse control, including how you manage stress on the job; initiative, whether you can be counted on to report to work on time, manage your own time, and meet expectations; and the ability to motivate and lead others.  Empathy is also very important, if you are an employer looking to take a graduate on for a leadership position, you want to know whether they can put themselves in someone else's shoes.  

Emotional intelligence is not just some trendy HR phrase. It's costly for employers to replace managers who fail to connect emotionally, and to regain the trust of  subordinates. Moreover, the ever-increasing business emphasis on technology and globalization means more communication, cooperation, and teamwork is necessary to get projects completed on time and within budget. Companies have to hire good communicators if they want to survive. 

As for employees, older workers tend to have more emotional intelligence, usually through hard-won experience. Younger workers, however, can close the experience gap by showing genuine excitement about the job, interest in the company, and a willingness to learn and grow.

A 1997 study conducted by the Hay Research and Innovation Group, an EQ consulting and testing company, showed computer sales reps hired especially for their emotional skills were 90 percent more likely to complete training than those hired on other criteria. Another Hay study from the same year showed insurance agents who scored poorly on empathy, self-confidence, and initiative sold policy premiums worth 50 percent less than agents who scored better in those areas.

True Alternative offer a graduate skills assesment courses designed to measure and evaluate EQ for the workplace environment. This will lead to the Recognised PEARL EQ award, currently the only LSC approved measurement of EQ. 

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