It can be challenging to feel confident in the workplace, especially for young professional women, and it’s not uncommon to feel self-doubt or imposter syndrome. Throughout my different work experiences, I’ve experienced this myself; from avoiding sharing thoughts in meetings to not viewing my successes as such. But after taking some time and reflecting on myself and my accomplishments, I’ve begun to feel confident as a woman in the workplace. Here are some tips that helped me overcome the imposter syndrome I experienced, and hopefully they’ll help you too!
Firstly, consider how you got the position. You likely submitted a resume and went for at least one interview. This means that your experience and skills were strong enough to land you the role and you met the qualifications set by the hiring committee. There were most likely also other candidates who applied and interviewed, but the hiring committee found that you were the right fit: your unique experiences and skillset were exactly what they were looking for. There is a reason why you ended up in the role, don’t forget it!
Now that you can start thinking about yourself and accomplishments in a more positive, assured light, you may consider building more confident behaviors through practice. For example, many women use qualifiers when they communicate both verbally and through written forms of communication. Grammarly defines qualifiers as words “that limit or enhances another word’s meaning.” But in the context of the workplace, many women use phrases like “I may be wrong” or “What do I know” due to the frequent criticisms they experience. However, you may reconsider using them to sound more confident. I find that sentences are perfectly fine without qualifiers – even if I had tried to sneak one in at the beginning or end of it.
You can also seek outside help to build your confidence in the workplace. This might be by finding a mentor, or just talking with a friend or peer within your industry. An article by Forbes mentions how finding a female mentor can be beneficial since many women experience the same challenges in the workplace, however a mentor does not have to be female to help you build your confidence. Or you may not want to start out with a mentor; I’ve noticed that talking things out with friends who also work in my industry helps me to feel validated and hearing someone else’s perspective can be refreshing. Either way, finding someone you can trust to talk about difficult or stressful situations can help you feel less alone in your industry.
Gaining confidence takes work. Changing your mindset and taking action to practice confident behaviors is key, so don’t stop at reading this blog. Check out this article by the Harvard Business Review for other great sample activities to try and increase your confidence and visit our Network with Professionals page to learn how to make connections with others in your industry!
