Whether it’s a general lack of confidence to leap into the unknown or the simple fear of making a bad decision, if you can’t improve your confidence at work then you might be prevent yourself from realising your full potential.

The Aldrich & Co team spends every day speaking to people who are looking to find their next job. New candidates come to our offices with various levels of self-confidence. Much of this confidence, or lack of it, stems from their previous experiences.

Everyone has the potential to be a superstar, and we think we are pretty good at spotting where you’ll shine. And yet a lack of confidence can really bring you down and obstruct you from acting on your strengths.

In this article, we explain how to find and engage the aspects of life that give you the most confidence, to ensure you have the best chances of securing the job you deserve.

Learn the emotional triggers that lead to a lack of confidence at work

The way you feel might be down to negative past experiences in your professional or personal life. Feeling that you aren’t valuable is harmful and will inevitably hold you back, however good or capable you may be. Learn what triggers your bad feelings about yourself.

Once you have acknowledged what gets you down, we recommend talking to a close friend or family member about it. They will give you an outsider’s perspective that can put your worries into context.

Think actively about making a change

One of the best methods we have found to make that first step in becoming more confident is to write your strengths down. If you have something physical in your hands, you’ll feel more in control of your emotional and professional needs.

Make sure you’re in the right frame of mind to work on yourself. You can use this list as a starting point. It’s never a great time to begin homework when you’re tired! Everyone is different, so learn when your best times are for when you are at your strongest, most resilient, and most positive. Then make sure that you lay out enough time to work on yourself.  

Focus on the goal

You have probably heard the expression “eyes on the prize”. The idea behind this for our particular exercise to improve your confidence at work is not to focus on yourself but instead on what will inevitably make you happy. What do you want to achieve in the next three years? How about the next ten years?

When you have a goal in mind, you give yourself purpose. If you are passionate about what you do, you will have solid foundations for later confidence.

We have written several articles all about how to find and achieve your professional goals via the GROW Method:

• GROW Your Career
• Part 1: How Can I Choose the Right Goals?
• Part 2: What Would Help Me See My Current Reality?
• Part 3: How Can I Identify and Overcome My Obstacles?
• Part 4: How Can I Get the Will to Act on My Plans?

Improve your confidence at work with tasks you enjoy

If you feel you’re working just to survive, you may be doing untold damage to your self-esteem.

From passion springs confidence. If you’re not able to look for or secure a job that you really love, ask your boss if you can take on tasks that interest you. This newfound confidence will encourage you to go that next step in helping your team, and your firm do even better – which people will notice. Those who are confident will find that they are seen more often, and promoted faster.

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At Aldrich & Co, our support begins from the moment we start talking to our candidates about their next career move. The least successful candidates are not necessarily those who are the least skilled. Confidence helps candidates more than you might think, and the good news is that it is quite easy to train.

If you’re looking for your next role, take your first step in becoming more confident by picking up the phone and calling us about our great roles in London.