Source: French to English Tester Published on: 2026-05-18
Source: The Conversation – France (in French)– By Thomas Pirsoul, Postdoctoral researcher, University of Liège
Faced with an increasingly uncertain job market and ever more complex professional transitions, a central question emerges: how do we experience these transformations emotionally, and how can we learn to better navigate them? From the transition from secondary school to university, from university to the world of work, and from unemployment to employment, one quality remains essential: emotional intelligence.
Professional transitions constitute a true emotional ordeal that begins long before the actual occurrence of the event. Differentworksemphasize that individuals do not anticipate their transition in the same way, especially on an emotional level.
Some people experience intense negative emotions, such as anxiety, fear, or sadness, which may be associated with greater uncertainty. Others, on the contrary, anticipate this stage with a high level of positive emotions, such as hope or enthusiasm, which can play a protective role supporting motivation and perseverance.
The reality of emotional experience is often more complex. Most people experience mixed emotions, that is, a simultaneous combination of positive and negative emotions. This emotional “mixity” reflects the reality of professional transitions: a phase marked both by perceived threats — uncertainty, fear of the new — and by present opportunities — new beginnings, possible achievements.
Our recent research conducted with Belgian and French colleagues highlights this role of mixed emotions and of theemotional intelligencein our professional careers, particularly in thetransition to higher education, thetransition between school and work, or forfind a job.
So, how to better navigate uncertain waters?
Emotional gymnastics
What does one feel when hoping to find a job, to make a career transition… but nothing is certain? In this regard, we distinguish two types of prospective emotions: anticipatory emotions, what one feels now in response to a future event, and anticipated emotions, what one thinks they will feel when it occurs.
Through a series of surveys with students and job seekers,five major emotional profiles have been identified, experiencing different major transitions such as the passage from secondary school to university, from university to the world of work, and from unemployment to employment.
Confident Optimists
They make up a minority of individuals, about 15%. They experience positive emotions—hope, confidence—at the prospect of the transition and imagine feeling mainly joy and pride if successful, while minimizing possible negative emotions.
Sensitive to the issues
The most frequent at about 31%. These individuals project themselves positively, without much anticipatory anxiety. However, when they consider transitions, they anticipate both strong positive emotions – joy, pride, or relief – and negative ones – disappointment, guilt, or sadness – showing a high sensitivity to both possible outcomes.
Intense worries
This profile concerns a smaller proportion of about 15%. These people look ahead with worry and nervousness, doubting their success. Despite everything, they imagine feeling intense emotions, positive if the transition goes well, negative if it fails.
Intense ambivalents
About 19% of individuals. These people experience a mixture of hope and anxiety when considering the transition, and strongly anticipate both positive and negative emotions, whether related to success or failure.
Moderates
This profile occurs at around 20%. It is characterized by moderate levels of anticipatory emotions, but lower than those of other profiles. Anticipated emotions, both positive and negative, are also present here, but at lower intensities. These individuals consider both possible outcomes, but in a subdued manner.
Our work reminds us that looking toward a professional future is not limited to a rational analysis of available options; it is a complex emotional exercise, intertwining hopes, fears, past memories, and social norms.
Emotional Intelligence
A frequently proposed approach to managing these transitions is that of emotional intelligence (EI), that is, the ability to identify, understand, regulate, and use one’s own emotions and those of others,constructive manner.
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In a study published in 2022, researchers have shown that individuals with higher emotional intelligence tend to approach professional transitions with more enthusiasm, pride, and determination. At the same time, they are less likely to feel fear, nervousness, or annoyance.
In a meta-analysisFrom 148 studies involving more than 50,000 participants, it was also observed that emotional intelligence is closely linked to several key indicators of career development. Emotionally intelligent people are more clear-headed in the face of uncertainty, make better decisions, and feel more capable of meeting professional challenges.
Emotional intelligence also manifests in the form of distinct profiles.A recent studyemphasizes that some individuals manage both to understand their emotions and to regulate them. This configuration supports a proactive and confident stance towards professional transitions. Others, however, have a good capacity for emotional awareness but encounter more difficulties in regulating what they feel. This dissociation exposes them to an increased risk of feeling less effective when facing obstacles.
Personalized support
This work has concrete implications. Employment and career counselors, occupational psychologists, and support institutions could draw inspiration from it to offer more personalized support. Rather than focusing solely on technical skills, it would be wise to take into account the emotional profiles of the people being supported.
For example, an “overly positive” profile could mask a form of denial, whereas a “mixed anxious” profile could benefit from emotional regulation tools. Similarly, developing emotional intelligence could become a goal in itself, on the same level as learning job search techniques.
In this respect, somestudieshave already highlighted that atrainingEmotional intelligence allowing to increase attractiveness to a panel of recruiters, reduce difficulties in career-related decision-making andincrease the probability of returning to employmenti.
Considering one’s emotions
In a professional world marked by uncertainty, complexity, and disruptions in career paths, emotions are no longer just background noise. They constitute an inner compass, often neglected, but nonetheless essential.
By investing in the development of our emotional intelligence, we do not just improve our well-being at work: we also become more autonomous, more resilient, and better prepared to face the challenges of the 21st centuryeCentury. It is time for employment and career guidance policies to take this dimension, which has been ignored for too long, seriously.
This article was written with the help of Arnaud Stiepen, an expert in scientific popularization.
The authors do not work for, do not advise, do not hold shares in, do not receive funds from any organization that could benefit from this article, and have declared no other affiliation than their research institution.
–ref. How to manage one’s emotions when going through a professional transition. Especially when one finds a job –https://theconversation.com/how-to-manage-your-emotions-when-you-are-in-the-middle-of-a-professional-transition-especially-when-you-find-a-job-277022