We’ve established that confidence is the magic word when it comes to interviewing skills and career advancement. But what is confidence? Self-confidence is extremely important in almost every aspect of our lives, but in a professional work context it is the belief that you can do the job and succeed. As with any trait, you need to develop and master a healthy balance; too little confidence will prevent you from taking risks and seizing opportunities. Too much confidence will make you come off as arrogant. Confident people inspire confidence in their bosses, their co-workers, and their customers. Gaining the confidence of others is a pre-requisite to career advancement and success. The good news is that self-confidence can be developed. It can be built in two key ways at work: 1. Mastering job competencies and achieving goals in job functional areas. When we work hard in a particular area and acquire and master job skills, we'll succeed. We can then build upon the initial success to accelerate learning, growth, and future success. 2. Believing that we can cope with any workplace changes and challenges; any unexpected curve balls. It is a belief that we can compete successfully to keep our jobs and get progressively better jobs. Building confidence in 3 steps: Step 1: Foundation Define who you are, your strengths, your passion/values, and what you’ve achieved (experience, skills, and accomplishments.) Step 2: Destination Articulate what is really important to you and set yourself targets/ goals. Set small goals and achieve them. Step 3: Commitment Get in the habit of setting goals, achieving them, and celebrating that success. Recognize and celebrate your successes! Commit to changing your thoughts and taking purposeful actions. Positive thinking followed by positive actions will result in positive outcomes. Success is the best way to build confidence. The more you achieve, the more confident you’ll become. Interview Question (Confidence): Describe an unexpected situation you encountered in the past. How did you face it? Tip: Your level of self-confidence can show in many ways: your behavior, your body language, what you say, and how you speak. I invite you to record and share your answer with me via Google Drive, Dropbox, or your favorite collaboration platform. I will respond to everyone within 3 business days but can commit to providing detailed feedback only to the first 5 who contact me. More about interviewing skills in my next blog posts. Be sure to follow the savvy professional series for job search and interviewing tips and offers for free feedback and critique. Email me at info@choicefulpath.com.
