Feeling underconfident at work is nothing new and, in fact, new research has revealed that the majority of people do. The study found that seven in 10 workers believe their career has a negative impact on their self-esteem and only 34 percent of men and 24 percent of women admitted to feeling very confident at work.
We’ve all been in the position where we have no idea what to do, how to do it or who to ask for help. But while you may feel like it’s a shortcoming on your behalf, it’s actually the result of a lack of training and proper support from your employer.
What makes you feel underconfident?
The study found that the five aspects of working life that impact employees the most are:
- Not feeling like you have the necessary skills
- Making a silly mistake
- Being made redundant
- Being turned down for a promotion
- Not making it through a probation period successfully
Although there may be some situations that make you question your workplace performance, there are also a number of different strategies you can use to help you feel more confident at work. These are our top tips…
Top tips to boost your confidence at work
1. Adopt a positive attitude
We hate to oversimplify the issue, but experience of life tells us that positive things happen to positive people. If you think about the negative thinkers at work, how many of those have ever been promoted or receive the accolades or rewards they think they deserve.
“Fake it until you make it” is a saying we often hear, but having a positive attitude is really not the same thing. We’re not asking you to fake anything as that suggests you’re masking a lack of confidence rather than tackling it. Instead, approach every task with the right attitude. Positivity is magnetic and it can have a profound impact on you and others.
2. Know your stuff
The fastest route to self-confidence is to really know your stuff. If you feel like there are gaps in your knowledge, ask if there are any in-house or external training sessions you can go to. If training is not an option then take some time, either at work or at home, to read up on the subject matter.
You should also seize every opportunity you have to boost your expertise and share your insights and know-how whenever you can.
3. Ask for feedback
They say no news is good news, but when it comes to your work, the more feedback you receive the better. Asking for feedback demonstrates that you care deeply about the quality of your work and shows how important it is to improve. It can also work wonders for your self-confidence.
Rather than anxiously wondering whether you’ve done something wrong, you’ll get a clear view of your strengths and weaknesses and know exactly what you have to do to hit the ball out of the park.
4. Spend time with people who boost your confidence
If you have a line manager who can’t help but put you down, just accept that some people are unable to give praise due to their own shortcomings. They are simply bad managers and there are millions of them out there.
Rather than taking that to heart, spend as much time as possible with people who appreciate your skills, encourage you and build you up. If you’re surrounded by people who put you down then it might be time to find new friends.
Want a role that boosts your self-esteem?
At Linguistica Recruitment, we have a number of current vacancies for bilingual candidates across the south coast of England. Submit your CV or call 02392 987 765 to discuss your requirements today.