Give your career confidence a boost

The workplace is one place where you need a bit of confidence. The application process, with its CV, cover letter and interview questions; pay reviews; promotions; personal development plans – they all require an ability to believe in yourself and, sometimes, to big yourself up. Not to mention the need to trust yourself to successfully handle any challenges you may encounter in your every-day tasks. 

Women appear to feel this more strongly than men: in 2019 research (quoted by Harvard Business Review), women are less likely to apply for a job unless they feel they satisfy all the requirements; men seem to feel they can learn on the job. Yet a 2011 survey by careers think tank Catalyst Consulting pinpointed the ability to self-promote as having the greatest impact in determining female graduates’ success, both in terms of status and salary, in comparison to other activities such as networking and putting in long hours. Only those who drew attention to their accomplishments were promoted of the 3000 women surveyed. More recently, a 2020 study found that the confidence gap between men and women predicts the gender pay gap among STEM graduates – and that the influence of gender on starting salaries is associated with confidence.

It’s a clear message: to get ahead at work, you need the confidence to self-promote. 

What does confidence at work look like?

Self-confident people are generally positive and accepting of who they are; they trust in their own abilities. Confident people are more motivated and more likely to take positive action – and therefore are more likely to succeed, as well as bounce back faster after a failure.

The belief that you can overcome challenges and accomplish tasks is referred to as “self-efficacy” – and higher levels of it have widely been linked to stronger work performance, as well as a manager’s perceived effectiveness. It relies mainly on mastery (experiencing success); modelling (observing role models succeed); and persuasion (having other people believe in you). These pillars are the foundations of many of the tips below, and can be used to boost the confidence of members of your teams, too.