As much as we could wish for it – the career ladder doesn’t always lead upstairs. The same as life has its ups and downs – the career path is no different. Someone might experience being fired due to budget cuts, someone might make a crucial mistake in the process, and other might decide to leave the perfect position during their trial period because of a bad boss. The question remains: is it possible to regain confidence after such a career blow? And how to do it?
Before you make any further step – make sure you take time to reflect. It is crucial to analyze the situation, understand what happened, if it could be prevented, and identify lessons learned. The most important thing is don’t be too hard on yourself. Yes, shit happens, but it’s not always up to us. That’s a reality of life. Accept what happened and move on, when you’re ready.
Another activity worth doing before you deep dive into a new job search is to get yourself a proper analysis of your strengths and weaknesses. And don’t say that you don’t know of any strengths. We all have them. If you can’t identify exact terms, think of tasks, projects, events, meetings, and what you did well there. You can start from small things like “able to work with Excel sheets” and bring it to “able to analyze data critically.” Make a list of all the cool things you can do, print it on a piece of paper, and read it every morning. It’s a must!
Identifying weaknesses might sound not that inspirational, but it’s an excellent start for your future development. Give yourself constructive feedback and think about what you can do even better. And most importantly, start taking small steps. If public speaking was your weak spot, begin by taking a short course on Udemy or listening to a motivational TED talk. Then, think of what can be done next and slowly tick the boxes. These identified weaknesses only move you forward, not tell you how bad you’re at something.
Every crisis brings positive change. The same goes for a career blow – to some extent, you were meant to experience it. Maybe it motivated you to stay in the same field, or it inspired you to start doing completely new things. In every case, you are about to write your new story. How do you want to see it? What’s in there – in 2, 5, 10 years ahead? The secret is to imagine your future in the most appealing and inspirational way. Think of everything you can achieve and all the new people you can meet. Leave all negative thoughts behind and step into your bright, inspiring future!
There’s no better place to regain confidence than at the networking event, even if you’re an introvert. It always feels good to talk to people, share your story with them, and tell them about your ups and downs, your challenges, and your aspirations. At least, you can find a person who will listen to you and support you, and at most, you can meet an inspirational companion who might share some tips and motivate with their own career story.
If you’re just searching for a job or have already taken on a challenge – don’t forget to note all your wins. And remember that win is everything positive: if they called you back, if they gave you a positive feedback after an interview, or if you completed a task before the deadline at work. Closely monitor your success until you feel genuinely proud of yourself and everything you went through. No one gets to the summit in one day; it takes time and encouragement, firstly from yourself.
In case you think you can’t do it alone – get yourself a mentor. A mentor won’t only help you stay on track towards your career goals but also provide the support you need. A mentor might challenge you and make you go out of your comfort zone, but they will always provide honest feedback, encourage you, and motivate you to do more. Do you think you would benefit from a mentor? Check out the Mentoring Program by Femme Palette and regain your confidence in no time.
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