How to Demonstrate Emotional Intelligence in a Job Interview

Theories of emotional intelligence were first formed in the 1960s, but thinkers across many fields have been paying more attention to the idea lately—and so should you. Being able to recognize and manage your emotions while assessing the emotions of those around you can be crucial to landing a job and keeping it.

What Is Emotional Intelligence? 

Researchers differ on how many elements comprise emotional intelligence, but in terms of the workplace, we can focus on four basic components:

• Self-awareness: knowing what you feel at any given moment
• Self-regulation: controlling those feelings so they don't overwhelm you
• Motivation: pushing through obstacles when necessary
• Empathy: putting yourself in someone else's shoes

Why Is Emotional Intelligence Important? 

Emotionally intelligent people are better able to overcome challenges, deal with problematic personalities, and make smart decisions under pressure. Not only are those great qualities to display during an interview, but they are also skills that are vital to thriving in any workplace. Lucky for you, emotional intelligence can be learned and improved over time.

How Emotional Intelligence Can Help You in an Interview 

In a job interview, where the recruiter or hiring manager is seeing dozens of candidates with the same qualifications as you or better, you need to make an impression on both a conscious and a subconscious level. There are two ways you can do that: with body language and with active listening.

Body language involves using nonverbal cues like standing or sitting up straight, smiling, and maintaining eye contact with the interviewer. They will feel more comfortable with you and, if nothing else, will remember the feeling of calm, confidence, and friendliness you gave off.

Active listening means being present in the conversation. You can show that you care about what the person is saying—and not just preparing what you’re going to say next—by repeating what they said in a different way and asking questions about it.

Examples of Emotional Intelligence Questions 

You’re not just being questioned about your experience and hard skills; you’re being judged on how you’ll fit in with the company culture.

Here are four possible interview questions that try to assess your emotional intelligence:

• How do you think others see you at work: expressive or stoic? (self-awareness/social skills)
• How do you cope with stress or criticism? (self-regulation/managing emotions)
• How do you act when presented with multiple work challenges? (motivation/problem solving)
• How do you handle disagreements with coworkers? (empathy/conflict resolution)

Demonstrating Your Emotional Intelligence 

Going into the interview, be ready with examples from your work history that show you possess those character traits. Remember to frame your stories as Situation, Task, Action, and Result (the STAR method).

 If you’re early in your career, you can talk about events in your personal life when emotions played a role—a family or relationship quarrel that you solved by keeping a cool head, a time when you took action to help a stranger, a lesson you learned after conquering a personal fear or weakness.

 Job searching is just one of the ways being emotionally intelligent can benefit you. The more you know about yourself and the people around you, the more successful you’ll be in all sorts of social interactions.