Building Career Confidence

Tips to a more Confident YOU

How confident are you in your career?  Well most of us would say it depends on the situation.

Confidence can be defined as a feeling of self-assurance arising from one’s appreciation of one’s own abilities or qualities.

That’s an amazing definition.  Let’s unpack it.  It comes down to:

1. Awareness of self
2. Appreciation/gratitude of self

Awareness of self and your unique value proposition to the work environment is a critical first step.  The more you know about yourself, the easier it is to appreciate those unique qualities and characteristics that you bring to the table.

This is important work…to really figure out your values, strengths, and core competencies.  It’s about looking within and using some assessments to build awareness.

What are your core values?  What are those things about you that are so intrinsic and such a big part of you?   Take some time to really think about and appreciate your values.  I recommend the VIA assessment tool for more information on core values.  The assessment is free and especially useful as an inventory of your core values.

Gallup Strengthsfinder can provide insight to your strengths.  I always work with my clients on strengths from the very beginning of our engagement.  It is so important to know your key strengths.  With my clients, I find a lot of congruence between the VIA assessment and the Gallup Strengthsfinder.  They really are useful in helping you to identify your core; figuring out all the parts of who you are in your career

I go through an exercise with clients where we explore their core career competencies.  This is an amazing eye opener for most.  We list out those skills and knowledge areas that they have and may not even realize.  Skills are listed out such as “Team Leadership” or “Project Management” or “Analytics.” As we explore core competencies, the feedback I usually get is, “I didn’t know I had so many competencies!”  That’s because we rarely take the time to write them down and look at them, but this is essential (especially in creating a resume/Linked In profile) to building a self-awareness of your career talents and skills.

Once you have the awareness as a foundation, appreciation is the next step to building confidence.

I love appreciation.  Appreciation is a form of gratitude, and there are so many benefits to being grateful.  Gratitude can reduce stress and anxiety as well as increase mental acuity and awareness.  I invite you to research all of the benefits of gratitude.

Show appreciation to yourself.  Take the time to savor your values, strengths, and core competencies – your amazing contribution to your profession/job/leadership, etc. Now, I admit, this can be challenging at times.  One of my clients said to me recently that they received very favorable comments from interviewers and hiring managers about their background, skills, and knowledge.  This client then looked at her resume to see who they were talking about and was surprised at the impressive background presented there.  The surprise definitely led to a disconnected view of “but, this can’t possibly be me.”  But everything on the resume was true.

As you move toward building more confidence and appreciating your abilities and strengths, you might feel some “imposter syndrome.”  This is where you fear being found out as a fraud or feeling like a phony.  Like my client above looking at her resume and being surprised at what she saw.  This is where the best medicine is to truly take the time to understand and appreciate all that you’ve done in your career.  It’s also helpful to talk with a trusted advisor, friend, or coach to get a reality check about how much appreciation you truly are due!

You build confidence reflecting on your significant accomplishments and competencies; reflecting and then making sure you own the experience.  You see yourself through different, appreciative eyes.

Can you be grateful for the experiences that are you?  What can that make possible for your career confidence?

Here’s to greater confidence in all that you do!!

ACTION CHALLENGE

Try the experience of investigating more about who you are in your career (core values and strengths), and then look at the significant accomplishments of your career.  As you put your profile together, take time to truly appreciate all that you have accomplished…whether just starting out in your career or having decades of experience, there are amazing accomplishments to be savored.