Now what caused what? On another day, with a good night’s sleep, and good breakfast and less stress, you wouldn’t have reacted that way. It wasn’t as much your secretary coming in late as it was your internal state.

Being able to distinguish what’s coming from outside and what’s coming from inside is important to your Emotional Intelligence – understanding and managing your own emotions and those of others. After all, you might present an excellent report to your boss one day right after he’s had a big fight with his wife, or when his ulcer is acting up. That will make a difference in his response and you need to factor that in.

And if you want your husband to consent to taking you to that concert, it would be emotionally intelligent to plan ask for a time when you knows he’s most likely to say “yes.”

“Wait til your father’s had dinner,” my Mom always used to say. It can make a difference in your negotiating to be aware of internal state of yourself and others.

(c)Susan Dunn, MA, The EQ Coach, http://www.susandunn.cc . Coaching, distance learning, and ebooks around emotional intelligence for relationships, career, transitions, success, resilience. Mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc for free ezine. For ebooks - http://www.webstrategies.cc/ebooklibrary.html .

End your letter using "opening door" technique. Your closing paragraph for a thank you letter related to an interview should clearly state when you will call to schedule a meeting time. For example, "I would like to meet with you again to discuss this position. If I do not hear from you within next five days, I will call you to schedule a convenient time to meet. In meantime, I will be happy to provide any other information you may need to assist in your decision."

When you are writing to someone that has already provided information, your "opening door" approach will reflect an appreciation for assistance provided. In this situation, focus on advising your contact that you will provide an update on progress of your job search. Your update should detail how information they provided contributed to your success.

Networking after initial contact is easy when you have something as important as thank you to communicate. Don't miss this opportunity to expand your job search network!