Ways to improve your Career Confidence

Ways to improve your Career Confidence

What is most challenging about having a lack of career confidence, is that in my experience, it’s one of the top things that can get you a job, even without meeting the qualifications. I have yet to see someone who is highly qualified tank an interview and still get hired BUT I have seen candidates without the best qualifications but have confidence get the head nod!

So, let’s start from wherever you are to increase your confidence level.

Here are a few strategies to help boost your confidence:

Create Power Statements:

List 10 factual statements about your achievements or things you are proud of and read them frequently. Unlike affirmations, these are based on facts and remain true regardless of how you feel that day. For example, as an affirmation saying, “I am smart.” versus a Power Statement that says “I achieved my Associates in Business.” One is a feeling that could change with the blowing of the wind and the other is a factual statement that can’ t be changed.

Get Professional Help with Your Resume (or any step of the job search process):

Have a professional or someone experienced in your field review your resume. Sometimes, an external perspective can highlight your strengths better than you can. We can be our own worst critic and even Recruiters and HR professionals in the field sometimes have to reach out to each other or to a professional for some assistance. I have witnessed several people after an outsider gets a hold of their resume, say "Wow, Is that me?"

Try your very best not to take it Personally:

Understand that layoffs and job rejections often have more to do with organizational factors than your personal qualifications and unfortunately this is something that is beyond our control. For application declines, or I call them redirections, consider that it may have nothing to do with you and everything to do with the company. For example, did you know that jobs still have to be posted even if there is an internal candidate or a referral of interest. Now there are several policies, and several moving parts in the background of this and the interview process, but for various reasons unknown to you, it may have absolutely nothing to do with you.

Identify specifically where you are facing challenges in your job search and work on it one step at a time:

The job search process can be overwhelming and when not working as desired we would much rather forget the whole process. Realistically, if you’re not able to do that, break down the process and see specifically where things are not working. Completing applications but not getting any outreach, then maybe we need to increase applications or there is a challenge with the resume or some part of your application process; got a screening interview with a Recruiter and then you don’t hear back or getting first round interviews but not getting call backs, then maybe there needs to be some interview practice for these types of interviews. Find the gap and work on it.

Building and maintaining career confidence can be a challenge but high level, pinpoint where you are feeling weakest and work on strengthening that area, stay reasonable though it may not make sense in your favor but it might from the business point of view and lastly…

…Give yourself some grace! No one’s perfect, it’s not just you and you’re not alone, so do your best to not be so hard on yourself.

Hope this helps.

I'm interested to hear any other tips on building confidence. What helps you with your Career Confidence?

Coach Olivia