It’s always exciting when you finally land that dream job.
However, some may experience an inner voice that negative talk on the first day of your new job. Whether it is self-doubt or imposter syndrome, many may have struggled with establishing themselves in a new work environment.
Starting the new job can stir deep feelings of anxiety making you feel as though you’re on the outside, not good enough or smaller than you really are. However, there are some ways one could improve their confidence in the workplace. The sooner you banish yourself of low self-esteem, the sooner you can start making an impact in the organization. Here are a few tips that will help you feel more confident at your new job.
1. Relax
Your body’s a great mirror for how your mind is, so if your body is tense and anxious, there is a chance it’s because that’s how you are feeling. So relax, loosen your shoulders and take deep breathes. Listen to your body and when you feel it becoming tense or tightening up, make a deliberate choice to loosen up and relax. Be mindful, and focus on staying positive and confident in your skills and abilities.
2. Remember Why You’re There
There is a reason why you were selected for the position among all the dozens of the candidates as the best person for the job. Your employers have faith in you and want you to succeed, and their job is to help you flourish in the role.
Also, remind yourself why you got excited about landing the job. Whether it is because of what you get to do, how you get to grow, the value you get to bring, the difference you get to make at the organization or how long it took for you to get a job opportunity, focus on the main reasons the job remains exciting and remind yourself of this often.
3. Trust The Process
In a new role, there’s pressure to perform right from the start. You might feel pressured to find the best solutions, provide right answers, or impress the people in charge. The most important thing to remember in any job is that you don’t need to have all the answers. In fact, acting as though you do is really just using bluster and hubris to keep people from thinking you are not good enough.
Nobody expects you to know everything on your first day, so when you are faced with something you don’t know about, sometimes the brave thing to do is to tell people you are still figuring things out and that you’ll get back to them with an answer.
4. See Them as People, Too
It’s always human nature to compare yourself to others and thinking that everyone around you is better in some way; that they know more or do more or are capable of more. But that’s just your brain making stuff up. Everyone around you is incomplete and imperfect and comparing yourself to those people, automatically making them better is just a strategy to keep you small and afraid.
Truth is we’re all people and we have all been in a new job before. So the next time you find yourself clamming up with new colleagues because you think they’re better than you, just smile and remember that we’re all in the same boat.
5. Create a New Normal
When that part of you that’s scared of the new starts to scream at you, give yourself room to pause. Reassure yourself that you’ve come this far, tell yourself that you are not going to die, and press on despite the fear.
Within no time you will have so much confidence in the new job.
