In her important article about the gender confidence gap, Margie Warrell has pointed out, that whether women are in New York, Australia or anywhere else in the world, women wrestle with self-confidence and it’s holding them back.
If at the outset strong, smart women lack self-confidence, it’s seems only logical that when they search for a job, they’’ll be even less self-confident. In more extreme cases, this lack of confidence can lead women to feel depressed and suck them in a downward spiral.
So the question is, what can women do for themselves? How can they help themselves get out of the rut that is holding them back from succeeding?
Here are 5 tips:
1. Build your confidence daily
Daily rituals like affirmations are important. Taking a few minutes out of your morning every single day to tell yourself things like “I am smart. I am creative. I am talented. I can do anything I set my mind to.” Is important. We can train our mind to succeed. We can also train our mind to fail. Which do you choose?
2. Review Your CV and think of ways you can improve it
I bet you, that if you pulled out your CV now, you would find vague terms like “proven success” or “excellent communication skills.” Instead, be specific. Think of something you accomplished – an outcome – that required excellent communication skills, and put that in the job description. Show don’t tell…
This exercise is really important because when you’re specific about your accomplishments, you realize how much value you’ve brought. This will load you with the self-confidence you need to ace any interview.
3. Allocate some time in your day to send CVs
If you’re serious about looking for a job, you have to treat that way. Set an appointment with yourself to buckle down and send CVs. You might even want to make a list companies you want to work so that you can cold email your dream employer.
4. Renew your connections with old colleagues
This is the perfect time to reconnect with old colleagues. Go out for a coffee or a drink on the bar, find out what they’re up to and let them know what you’re up to. Let them know what you’re looking for, and again, be specific.
5. Be patient. The right job is waiting for you.
Things don’t always happen as fast as we want them to. And that’s fine. Keep a positive attitude and remember that your dream job is out there, waiting for you to come and claim it. So don’t be scared, go out and conquer. But be patient.
