5 Tips to Show More Confidence at Work and Boost Your Career  

The one quality that has the most influence on your career success is confidence. You are more likely to land your dream job, pitch a new client or even launch a new business if you feel confident in your own abilities. Bottom line: to achieve success in life and in your career, you need to have confidence in your own abilities.

But before you can start taking action to build your confidence in your professional life, you need to establish the right mindset.  For instance, you do not want to be over-confident. Dr. Katharine Brooks, author of You Majored in What? Mapping Your Path from Chaos to Careers tells Forbes “over-confidence can make you take on projects that are beyond your capability, and you might not be able to complete them.”

At the same time, you do not want to be under-confident. In his article for the Globe and Mail, Robert Kelsey, author of What’s Stopping You Being More Confident?, emphasizes the need to change your viewpoint towards confidence, and says to replace negativity with positive actions. He explains that “under-confident people tend to be obsessed about the impact others have on them. Instead, they should notice the impact they have on others. You’re in charge of your own destiny, because it’s what you do that matters, not what others do to you.”

Thus, the first step to achieving more confidence is recognizing that you need to improve, and working towards finding the right balance. First, overcome a lack of confidence by assessing your abilities and identifying your key strengths. Through learning what you do best, you will be able to capitalize on these strengths, take risks, and put your best professional self forward.

Here are 5 tips to show more confidence and boost your career:

Be a Constant Learner. As the saying goes “knowledge is power” — and the more you know about your profession, the more confident you will be in your abilities. So learn through industry research, become aware of online courses and events to keep you up-to-date. Also, Learn through the actions of your colleagues and peers. Lastly, if you’re starting out in your career, it’s even more essential to become an information sponge and absorb what goes on around you. Get to know your industry sector and the champions in your field. They are well known in your industry for a reason, and it is essential that you understand why.

Establish your Personal Vision for Success. If you are clear on what your future career looks like, you will be able to take measurable objectives to establish your goals. Map out a plan for the next six months and keep yourself accountable for achieving your personal milestones. When you take daily action, and can view your progress, your confidence and motivation to do well will increase as you experience mini-successes.

Package Yourself for Success. Invest energy and time into your personal brand to become comfortable with what you bring to your career:

• • • Dress for the career position you envision, and to visually communicate your knowledge and abilities to those around you.
    • If you are a business owner, always dress to emulate your client’s company image. For example, if you are meeting with a high level CEO, choose a powerful suit to carry yourself with confidence and level the playing-field.
    • If you are meeting with a casual start-up, dress the part – but always research the company culture beforehand to see what fits best.

You can also package yourself for success by learning about the background of your client’s team and establishing commonalities. Invest time on LinkedIn researching where they went to school, where they are from, and what projects of which they are most proud.

Surround Yourself with a Community of Successful Women. When you have a positive support network and a platform to bounce ideas off of, your confidence will soar. Getting positive feedback and validation from your personal community of influencers is an invaluable way to build your confidence. It’s always inspiring to see other women succeed in business and learn how you can match that success.

For instance, in her article for Women in PR Canada, Michelle Garrett, writer for Entrepreneur.com, stresses that you need to “build your network and expertise now. Invest the time before you need the contacts. It’s always better to have your network in place — so that when you have to use it, it’s there.”

Reflect on Your Accomplishments. Take a moment to celebrate your business successes and give yourself a confidence boost. It can be easy to forget all of the progress you’ve made and the impact you’ve had on your career, in between the noise of daily activity.  As Shannon Ables, Author of Choosing the Simply Luxurious Life, explains, “Nothing worth having ever miraculously occurred without hard work.  Understand that there may be setbacks along the way; you may have to readjust your sails along the journey, but fortitude and grit never kept any dream-seeker stagnant for long.”