Confidence is the secret sauce of personal and professional success. I don’t know about you, but I am envious of those individuals who seem to be so naturally comfortable in their skin. They are oblivious to what others think of them (or at least they seem to be). They live their lives courageously and without concern about the opinions of other people. Related: What’s Confidence Got To Do With A Job? There is no doubt that having confidence in your abilities is key to your success in your job search. If you aren’t convinced of your ability to do a job, how can you possibly convince anyone else that you can do the job? You need confidence and you need to convey that confidence during every interaction that you have with your future employer. Don’t mistake confidence with cockiness, however. Displaying an overly confident demeanor that is fake or contrived can convey a lack of confidence and an interest in trying to cover the underlying insecurities that you may feel. Likewise, over confidence that is based more on the power of your personality than on your ability to perform is also a big turn off. Confidence is something one can build, but it is not really something that you can fake long term. People sense quickly if you are being inauthentic or not. They will know if you are truly confident or if you are a pretender. So how does one display confidence in oneself when one is experiencing the vulnerability of job hunting? That requires an ability to be real and true to yourself while owning your vulnerability and not letting it handicap you. If you are job hunting and having trouble with your confidence level, try these strategies for building your self- confidence up.
