Land the Job You Love: Doubt or Self-Confidence

This continues our tips to land the job you love faster and with better pay

Pablo managed 200 properties for a US company in Latin America. He ensured preventative maintenance on equipment and custodial care of buildings. He coordinated the purchase of millions of dollars worth of property and construction of new stores. He came to the US legally and in his 50’s received a master’s degree. With all of these accomplishments, he doubted himself and his worth as an employee. That doubt drove him to look for low paying jobs. As a result, he could not find a job. Once he regained his self-confidence, he landed the job he loves,  in three weeks.

Constant Rejection Develops Self-Doubt

Looking for a job can demoralize you. You offer yourself to an employer, which makes you feel quite vulnerable. You describe the skills and abilities you think will impress them. Perhaps they invite you to interview with them. Perhaps they send a nicely worded rejection. Perhaps they never respond. Two out of the three responses hurt.

If your phone call goes very well, you get to interview for the job. Once again, you try to demonstrate your worth to the company. Yet, you may still get rejected. Rejection after rejection attacks your self-confidence. Continued rejection breaks your spirit. Soon, you doubt your worth and your skills. You believe you deserve the rejections. You quit trying or worse accept a job significantly lower than you should.

Replacing Doubt with Self-Confidence

You must regain your self-confidence in order to successfully complete your job search and gain the caliber of job you deserve. I propose the following actions:

• Stop spending the majority of your time in isolation by yourself
• Stop spending your time sending emails and resumes
• Attend professional or trade association meetings and talk shop, not job search
• Talk to 10 people a day to gather information, set appointments with hiring authorities, or follow-up on meetings and interviews
• Meet 10 people a week to gather information and impress hiring authorities

Friday we analyze ineffective activities job seekers use to delay doing what works