Overcoming Insecurities

John Krautzel
Posted by in Career Advice


Whether you're a recent graduate searching for a job, a seasoned industry veteran seeking a challenging new position, or a high-level manager making important decisions for the organization, it's common to experience insecurity. Follow these six tips to overcome your fears and keep your insecurities at bay.

1. Dissect Your Fears

Determine exactly what it is that makes you insecure. Whether you fear public speaking or feel uncomfortable during one-on-one conversations, dissect your insecurities to determine what really worries you. Think logically about your fear, and decide what the worst possible outcome is if you don't do well. You're not likely to lose your job as the result of a subpar public presentation, so don't let the fear of failure consume your thoughts and create a self-fulfilling prophecy.

2. Practice Your Insecurities Away

Preparation and practice often help to alleviate insecurities. If the thought of going into a job interview terrifies you, practice every aspect of the situation. Research common interview questions, think carefully about your response to each question, and carry out mock interviews with friends, family or co-workers. The more you prepare for the situation, the more confident you feel entering into it.

3. Push Past the Fear

Don't let your insecurities overcome you. Recognize and acknowledge your fears, and then take the risk anyway. By stepping outside of your comfort zone, fear becomes a natural part of your life and you are better able to cope with insecurities that arise in the future.

4. Create Clear-Cut Goals

Whether you have a bucket list or a mental catalog of things you want to accomplish some day, start checking off items. Don't let your insecurities and fears keep you from these achievements. Make sure your goals are specific, and come up with a reasonable time frame that you can hold yourself to.

5. Let Go of Regrets

Don't let yourself wallow in regret. While it may be difficult to look back on chances that you didn't take, realize that every experience you had or missed out on brought you to the point where you are now. Rather than regretting the past, use these missed opportunities as a lesson for the future.

6. Stop Making Excuses

Don't let a laundry list of excuses keep you from accomplishing your goals. Excuses are simply a side effect of fear. Make a list of the real obstacles that stand in your way, and come up with a solution for each obstacle. Follow this strategy until you achieve your goal.

When you find your insecurities creeping back up, follow these six tips to overcome your fears and feel more confident. While it's natural to feel insecure at times in personal and professional situations, it's important to know how to handle your insecurities in a positive and productive way.


Photo courtesy of Master isolated images at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

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  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson

    @Sonia thanks for your comment. Just in the last few weeks I have been hearing about STEM jobs and how companies are reaching out to colleges to hire new graduations in science, technology, math and engineering. Here is one of the articles: http://www.usnews.com/news/stem-index/articles/2015/11/20/op-ed-students-need-stem-education-for-21st-century-economy. Have you spent any time in your college's career services office? Take some time and see what jobs they are posting and then follow up with those companies. Shadow training isn't what it used to be. Companies want employees who can come in and hit the ground running since they are fresh from academia. Check your local area for networking events - especially ones for STEM. Be on the look out for job fairs. Check with your college to find out when their next job fair will be. Most colleges do a few fairs a year. Just make sure that you are not over saturating the market with your resume. Don't apply to everything but only to those positions you really desire. What about temp agencies? Sometimes that's a great way to get your foot in the door. Ask around - family, friends, school mates, etc. Don't narrow your search down to just what you can find on the Internet. And remain positive! Prospective employees can smell desperation a mile away! Best of luck!

  • Sonia R.
    Sonia R.

    I am near graduation in January 2016 as an Environmental Science PM and It is very discouraging that so many companies will not make time for new blood! they all started as I am and I guess they forgot how difficult it is to get started. I am pushing and knocking on all doors possible and up loading my resume daily. I follow up after with phone calls but no one has time or wants to take the time to shadow train etc.

    Any thoughts!

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