Looking for a job can be mentally exhausting, and can take a real toll on our mood and wellbeing. Many job seekers suffer a crisis of confidence, especially when they have been job searching for a while, and have already experienced multiple rejections.
Here are six tips to help you build your confidence back up in your job search:
1. Don’t take rejection personally
There are lots of reasons why people might get rejected from roles. Sometimes the role has already been filled. Or the volume of applications may be unusually high so not everybody’s application gets looked at. The vacancy could have been filled internally. And sometimes the business demand changes so there are fewer hires needed.
Of course, sometimes you’re just not right for the role. A big mistake that candidates often make is assuming that the outcome of rejection categorically means that they are not (and will never be) good enough. Don’t make assumptions when there are so many other external factors affecting whether or not you get hired.
Recruitment processes aren’t perfect – strong candidates can get rejected, and weaker candidates sometimes progress through. Avoid seeing temporary success or rejection as objective proof that you are or aren’t ‘good enough’.
2. Develop your self-awareness
Confidence is a skill – meaning it can be improved over time. One way of building your confidence is by improving your self-awareness. You need to have a clear idea of your strengths, weaknesses, and an understanding of the value you can bring to the companies you’re applying to. One way of doing this is by asking for feedback from trusted colleagues (either current or previous) or friends. The more you understand yourself and your strengths and development areas, the better you can harness these for your job search.
Reflective journaling is another great way to get to know yourself better. You can journal about whatever is most interesting or useful to you – you can write about how you approach challenges, handle rejection or how you approach conflict. If you haven’t done this before, it might feel a little strange, so experiment with different formats and focuses. You can note down how you are feeling about your job search, or any interviews or applications you do, or about how you are feeling about your career or yourself in general. You could also note down weekly three things that went well, and three things you want to focus on improving next week.
3. Hone your personal brand
Your personal brand refers to the impression that people – including prospective employers – are given when they interact with you. Your personal brand can be conveyed through a CV, an interview, or your use of social media. It can be conveyed through having a blog, a strong work portfolio, through your networking and by creating and maintaining great relationships.
Reflect on how you choose to present yourself to others – both in person and online. Be aware of your personal social media accounts, and what comes up when you search for yourself online. You may want to create content that helps get you noticed. This could include blogging, appearing on a podcast, or creating other relevant, interesting, or useful content on LinkedIn. This might feel nerve-wracking at first, but is a great way to stand out and be seen.
Reflect on what your USP (unique selling point) is. Consider if you are passionate about a particular topic, or have interesting work experience in an area that many others wouldn’t have. Have you done anything unique, interesting, or a bit different from your peers? If you are stuck, create your own USP from scratch now! If you want to be known for doing something charitable, set up a charity event or initiative. Or if you want to be known for creating positive change in the world, set up a volunteer action group with others.
4. Connect with others
Networking is a loaded word, and many people cringe when they hear the term. At a fundamental level, networking is simply about connecting and having conversations with others. It doesn’t need to be scary; you can do it in your own way and on your own terms.
Attend online or ‘in real life’ events to meet other working in your industry, or the industry you want to move into. This may feel nerve-wracking but it’s a great way to grow your confidence by nudging your comfort zone. There are many benefits to networking other than getting a job. You could gain useful industry insights that aid your job search, and you’ll also grow your confidence by meeting new people and having more professional conversations.
Once you are clear on what type of roles you are keen on, ask family and friends if they know people working in that area that they could facilitate a short informal phone call with to learn more. Reconnect with old colleagues to learn more about what they’re up to, and share what you are up to and what you’re looking to move into.
5. Develop a growth mindset
A growth mindset means believing our basic abilities can be developed through investing time, effort and hard work into them. A fixed mindset views our basic ability levels as predetermined – for example, believing that if I’m not good at negotiating now, I never will be. A growth mindset will focus on what is needed to develop the required skill in the future, rather than focusing on the current shortfall.
If you are rejected after an interview, rather than focusing on how hard you found the process and all the mistakes you think you made, ask yourself “How can I better prepare myself for next time? What can I do to improve my competency/motivation/commercial answers further?”
6. Stretch your comfort zone
This is probably the most important part of growing your confidence. It’s not easy, it’s called a comfort zone for a reason – it’s comfortable! But seeking out or creating opportunities to try new things, push yourself and get more comfortable with the uncomfortable is one of the most sure-fire ways to gain confidence.
You can start small – by trying out a new hobby, attending more networking events, or practising your interview answers with a friend. Remember that you don’t need to FEEL brave or confident at first. We’re allowed to feel nervous or scared, but if we push ourselves to take action, the confidence will often come afterwards.
Want to learn more about how my career programmes help people take control of their career? Have a look at my one-to-one career programmes.
Further reading
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