Whether Emotional Intelligence Is an Important Factor in Graduate Employability - Coursework Example

Institution : xxxxxxxxxxx Title : xxxxxxxxxxx Tutor : xxxxxxxxxxx Course : xxxxxxxxxxx @2012 Introduction Emotional Intelligence is a new development that is currently applied in the corporate world. Its earliest roots can be traced back to the Work’s of Charles Darwin on the significance of emotional expression for survival and adaptation. According to Chakraborty & Konar (2009).Emotional Intelligence (EI) can philosophically be described as the awareness of and the competence to identify, assess, understand, as well as regulate the emotions of oneself, of others and that of groups in order to create motivation. It is a set of individual and interpersonal skills related to an individual’s personality and behavior patterns that enables him/her to function more effectively in life. Employers sometimes argue that it is a significant aspect in graduate employability (Matzke, 2011). This particular paper therefore intends to evaluate whether emotional intelligence is an important factor in graduate employability. According to Pool et.al (2007), graduate employability refers to the acquisition of all the necessary elements of success, which increases the probability of a graduate to secure a graduate job. One significant element of employability is emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence can be argued to influence graduate employability in the sense it affects the attitudes of employees, and therefore influencing job performance. Recent findings indicate that emotional intelligence has a positive effect on workplace outcomes. This is because emotionally intelligent people tend to be better performers as opposed to their counterparts who do not posses such an attribute. Lopes et.al (2006) conducted a study to evaluate the influence of emotional intelligence on workplace performance. The study involved examining a sample of 44 clerical employees within the finance department of Fortune Insurance Firm. The findings of the study revealed that emotionally intelligent employees were given greater merit. In addition, they held higher ranks within the company than the lesser emotionally intelligent counterparts. Also, their supervisor’s ratings were high. According to Lopes et.al (2006) therefore, emotional intelligence positively contributed to the performance of employees. Emotional intelligence can therefore be argued to be a significant factor in as far as graduate employability is concerned. Emotional intelligence can also be argued to be an important factor in graduate employability based on the fact that it plays an essential role in as far as employee relation is concerned (Gabriel, 2000). The workplace or the employment area is composed of different people. These people include other employees which imply that interaction has to take place within the workplace. Emotional intelligence of a graduate is therefore significant in influencing how an employee is going to interact with other workmates. As highlighted by Gabriel (2000), emotionally intelligent people possess the competence to marshal their own emotional impulses, at least, more than individuals who are not emotionally intelligent; they are self-conscious to know whatever their feelings are, and are able to reflect and convey those things; they have understanding (empathy) for others feelings and insights into how others feel; they are generally positive and easily understand the dynamics of a particular group, and most importantly, where they fit within that group. Emotional Intelligence is therefore crucial towards relating well with others in addition to in achieving ones goals. Therefore, according to Gabriel (2000), Emotional Intelligence is an important factor in graduate employability as it influences the relation of employees within the employment area. Besides, the fact many organizations use Emotional Intelligence testing to employ new staff attest the importance of emotional intelligence as an important factor in graduate employability. According to Schreuder & Coetzee (2011), the notion that emotional intelligence is an important factor in graduate employability can be argued as true. This can be based on the fact that research increasingly recognizes emotional intelligence as a significant attribute of an individual’s employability in addition to career decision-making. Emotional Intelligence is positively connected with better career decision-making self-efficiency, less dysfunctional career thinking, an advanced level of readiness to explore a variety of career choices, as well as to commit to attractive career preferences. Additionally, individuals’ emotional intelligence is also positively connected with significant employment experiences as well as their commitment to their present careers and jobs. Therefore, according to Schreuder & Coetzee (2011), people’s emotional intelligence is increasingly being recognized by organizations as significant in retaining effective and talented staff. It can therefore be argued that emotional intelligence a significant factor in graduates’ employability The notion that emotional intelligence is a significant factor in a graduate’s employability can also be argued as true based on the fact that the very idea of a “job” is rapidly being substituted by portable skills, argued to be the prime qualities that make as well as keep individuals employable. Discussed loosely over a number of decades under a number names such as “character”, “personality” and “soft skills”, Paulo et.al (2006) argues that emotional intelligence ought to be a significant factor in employability. Paulo et.al (2006) suggests that this attribute is turning out to be an important factor especially with the projected expansion of customer-oriented services in which human being interactions play an essential role. Therefore, According to Paulo et.al (2006), in order for graduates to realize their true employability potential, it is essential that they possess a well developed emotional intelligence capabilities. As a result, emotional intelligence can be argued to be a significant factor in as far as graduate employability is concerned. According to Pool et.al (2006), research has also revealed that individuals with higher levels of emotional intelligence are able to motivate themselves and others to attain more. This is because they are more often than not perceived in more positive ways by the other individuals, as more pleasant to be around, more considerate as well as being socially skilled than those with lower emotional intelligence levels. As a result, they enjoy more success in terms of their careers; develop stronger personal relationships and better health compared to individuals with lower levels of emotional intelligence. As Mayer et.al (2008) highlights, the creation of this positive effect by individuals with higher emotional intelligence is argued to be particularly important as it is believed to spread among groups through emotional contagion. Therefore, due to the ability of individuals with higher levels of emotional intelligence to motivate themselves and others to attain more, it is argued that emotional intelligence is a significant factor in a graduate’s employability On the other hand, it can be argued that emotional intelligence does not fully influence the employability of a graduate. This is because there are other relevant factors other than emotional intelligence that influence the employability of a graduate. The absence of this particular attributes may hinder the acquisition of all the necessary elements of success that increases the probability of a graduate to secure a graduate job. Other significant factors include experience, generic skills, degree subjects which entails knowledge and understanding of the subject, and career development. According to Pool et.al (2006), each component of employability is essential and if one of the elements will be missing then a graduate’s potential for employability will considerably reduce. Critics have also argued as untrue the notion that emotional intelligence is a significant factor in a graduate’s employability. According to Cherniss (2010), critics have contended that all the Emotional Intelligence measurements have been ineffective in many ways. They have, for instance, questioned current research tests on a number of grounds including unstable factor structure, weak content validity as well as lack of practical (empirical) support for both divergent and convergent validity. Additionally, some of the critics have also contended that the nature of Emotional Intelligence idea makes it impractical to come up with adequate measures. Cherniss (2010), however, highlights that a consideration for the research presently available for most popular tests only indicates a more mixed picture. This implies that there is evidence supporting both the reliability and validity of these researches, but there are also major limitations and shortcomings. According to Mayer et.al (2008), such issues of research therefore reveal the realities of empirical research whereby research designs may not be perfect, the results may lead to false significant or non-significant results, samples may not be large enough, the range of sample behavior may be restricted in a particular sample, as well as many other undesirable factors that may interfere. Conclusion From the above analysis, and based on my viewpoint, the concept of emotional intelligence indeed appears to have developed at the right time. It is clear from the analysis that emotional intelligence plays a significant role in the general success of an organization based on a number of benefits including enhancing employee job performance, has a positive role in employee relations and career success, in addition to the fact it will be of great help especially now that there is a projected expansion in terms of customer-oriented services in which human interactions play an essential role. On the other hand, there are a few controversies regarding the concept of emotional intelligence concept. However, basing my opinion on the analysis, it can be argued that the notion emotional intelligence is a significant factor in graduate’s employability is true, as it greatly contributes positively in many organizational situations. References Chakraborty, A & Konar, A, 2009, Emotional Intelligence: A Cybernetic Approach Volume 234 of Studies in Computational Intelligence, Springer Cherniss, C, 2010, Emotional Intelligence: Toward Clarification of a Concept, Journal of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 3 (1)110-126 Gerald Gabriel, 2000, What is Emotional Intelligence? Retrieved on February 23, 2012 from http://brainconnection.positscience.com/topics/?main=fa/emotional-intelligence Lopes,P.N,Grewal,D,Kadis,J,Gall,M & Salovey,P,2006,Evidence that Emotional Intelligence is Related to Job Performance and Affect Attitudes at Work , 18(1), p132-138 Matzke, D, 2011, What Is Emotional Intelligence? Personality Patterns for Personal Effectiveness, CreateSpace Mayer, J.D, Roberts, R.D & Barsade, S.G, 2008, Human Abilities: Emotional Intelligence Pool, L.D & Sewell, P, 2007, The Key to Employability: Developing a Practical Model of Graduate Employability, Vol.49, No.4, Emerald Group Publishing Limited Schreuder, D & Coetzee, M, 2011, The Relation between Career Anchors, Emotional Intelligence and Employability Satisfaction among Workers in the Service Industry Read More