Career Confidence: It's All in Believing

By Bonnie Jerke

Director of Career Services

George Fox University

 

Have you ever wondered why job seeking can give you the jitters, make you stressed, take an immense amount of energy, strip you of your confidence? Well, there's probably more than one reason for these things, but I want to suggest a way to alleviate some of the pressures that can work against you in that all-important job search. If it were a pill to take, it might be easier, but consider this overlooked remedy with long-lasting and far-reaching results. What you believe can build your confidence.

What About Believing in Yourself? This does not refer to an unattractive cocky, arrogant attitude, but rather something that is generated from within that is wholesome and powerful beyond words. Think about your ability to make decisions, to learn, to creatively problem-solve, your giftedness- special talents, personality. We believe daily in a lot of things so why not ourselves? Hold yourself in high esteem and others will too. Take those negative thoughts that might exist in your mind and trash them. Thinking on those things that are truly beneficial will lead you to the beneficial.

What About Believing in Your Education? It may be that you think your education in the liberal arts was not as job-specific as it could have been and that leaves you wondering what you are really prepared to do. The answer to that is ‘many things' and you have your school alumni to prove it. It may benefit you to think about what you have learned; knowledge and skill in your coursework. I read in Liberal Arts News about anthropology students who can analyze and communicate complex ideas with a cultural awareness and nonjudgmental approach. Impressive! The good news is that job choices for liberal arts grads will have increased along with the salaries in today's recovering job market.

What About Believing in Your Experience? I know you may be concerned that you don't really have the experience that an employer would want. Challenge that thought by listing your activities on and off campus, volunteer work, part-time employment, summer jobs, internships, service learning, work study, leadership roles and significant class projects. It is likely that you have stories to tell about your ability to communicate and write, interpersonal and teamwork skills, adaptability, analytical thinking, proficiency with information, self-motivation with vision, problem-solving and computer skill; this is what employers say they want.

What About Believing in the World of Work? It is there and will be for some time barring an unforeseen catastrophe (which occurred on 9/11). It will remain challenging, needing workers, and providing for a variety of options; perhaps temporarily different from what was anticipated however. There is the graduate in religion who is happily working in a tire company management or the graduate in education who is working as a trainer for a software company. Some are living their dreams, others are creating a dream as they go. Even a downturn in the economy might stimulate a new idea for employment rather than resulting in something less constructive. We are in a “job shift” economy where current titles may not exist in a few years, but new ones will probably be on tap. Want to be a leisure consultant?

What About Believing in Your Support Network? This is your cheering squad; family, friends, faculty, alumni and career personnel to name only a few. People are connected to people and that is how information flows. Many of the jobs available to you will come through replacement jobs so you need to learn about those openings by being in the right place at the right time via the “grapevine.” It can happen more easily than you think if you strategize some and allow others to practice what they do best; talk, talk, talk about you needing a job. And please don't overlook the aspect of nurture and support at a time when your life appears unstable. Let others nurse you through some of those rough spots in the job search. Many can offer hope; a valuable gift.

The above is an excerpt from The Last Job Search Guide You'll Ever Need: How to Find and Get the Job or Internship of Your Dreams, which is available for sale for $19.85 in our bookstore or $27.00 at Amazon.com but for free to those who subscriber to our free career newsletter. This hot new book contains job search secrets of the most experienced, most knowledgeable and most respected career experts. Learn career planning, job hunting tools and tactics, interviewing, cover letter and resume writing (lots of samples!), networking, and how to find an internship. Written by 149 career experts. To receive a free copy, subscribe to our free career newsletter.

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