Confidence. It’s such an essential part of a successful job search.

  • Confidence in your abilities.
  • Confidence that you will find the right fit job for you.
  • Confidence that your actions will yield results.
  • Confidence that this job is the right one for you.
  • Confidence that you’ll add value to an employer.
  • Confidence that you can do the job.

I use a coaching process that’s designed to build my clients’ confidence in their abilities and that they will land the right job for them.  It works most of the time. Sometimes, though, clients have a difficult time “owning” confidence.

Usually this occurs when clients have been fired, laid off, or somehow betrayed at the workplace or by a boss.  That experience can and does shake someone’s core confidence.  And it takes a while to rebuild it.

Ways to rebuild confidence involve some talking and lots of action.  Here are some ways I’ve built my own confidence and helped clients build theirs.

  • Ask for informational interviews first from people who are highly likely to say yes.  Have a script of what you want to ask them. Then branch out to people you don’t know.
  • Have a script ready to handle every situation. When you feel nervous or hesitant in a situation, you probably don’t know what to say. So draft one. Read this blog for suggestions. Read other writers. Ask a friend. Simply knowing what to say really helps you feel confident in all situations.
  • Come up with your Must Have List – those things you must have in order to do your best work. Whether you can get all of them or not, it matters that you know. You then have things you are looking for in a job – and can generate a set of questions that you can ask an employer.  Interviewing thus becomes a two-way street.
  • Count up the small wins and accomplishments. It can be deflating to think “I still don’t have a job” when the truth is you are getting informational interviews or actual job interviews or some recommendations on LinkedIn. Small wins build up confidence IF you pay attention to them and congratulate yourself.
  • Shift your mindset.  This is of course easier said than done. Yet the simplest way I’ve found to shift my mindset from depressed to positive is to SMILE. Try it. Say something with a frown. Notice how you feel. I feel sad or depressed. My shoulders slump. I lose energy. OK, now say something with a smile. How do you feel? I feel happier, brighter, lighter. My shoulders come up, I breathe more easily. And I actually feel more confident – which is really a form of positive energy.

It’s so simple! What a moodchanger. And I need that simple tool every day.

The body and mind are tools for us to use to enhance our sense of confidence, and yes, of our own power.  Read this article for more insight about how feeling powerful is a great way to influence recruiters and employers in your job search.

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