Sometimes making a decision about your career is easy, like when you’ve been offered a job you really want. But at other times, making a big change can be more complicated – especially if you struggle with confidence.
In a survey of 5,000 UK adults, a third (32%) of women cited a lack of career confidence and perceived opportunities. While 65% of men felt positive about their career to date, only 57% of women shared this view. Optimism about future career prospects was similarly lower for women (50%) than for men (59%). Furthermore, low confidence is a common barrier to career progression, fair pay, and leadership opportunities.
“When you lack career confidence, you can become the biggest block to your professional success,” says Life Coach Directory member Robert Sanders. “Limitations to progress can often be because you have a belief about yourself that doesn’t support your success.”
These negative beliefs can be subtle. For example, Sanders explains, you may worry that the salary attached to the next step in your career is too much and avoid applying for jobs.
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“The belief might be ‘I can never do the job well enough to be paid that much money’ – or it could be a belief about your knowledge, skills or experience,” he says. “You may think you don’t know enough, or have the right connections, or you haven’t worked in the area long enough. Notice that it is not the facts of the situation that prevent success, but your view of those facts.”
So how can we feel more self-assured in our abilities, skills and decisions?
Our worries and beliefs aren’t always based on reality, so it can help to keep a clear record of your successes and achievements to refer back to.
“This isn’t for your CV,” says Sanders. “When you are in a negative state you will tend to focus on the low points, the mistakes and the false starts. We need to fight the natural tendency towards self-doubt by having a good stock of memories and achievements to counter-balance them.”
Another common habit is to think that there are only a limited number of opportunities in life. For example, believing that missing a promotion is your last chance to progress in your career.
“You need to think in terms of abundance,” says Sanders. “There are plenty of opportunities. Most roles exist in multiple forms, sometimes you can even create them yourself! You have plenty of time available to you.”
If you’re feeling stuck, it can help to have a sounding board in the form of a mentor or a career coach. They can provide guidance and advice, help you identify your strengths and develop new skills, provide encouragement to take risks and help you work out your goals.