I remember reading somewhere that ladies, as a general rule, are more cautious when it comes to taking a job; men will say yes and then learn how to do it, whereas us ladies like to learn how to do it first, keeping women about 3 years behind in her career development. I don’t believe this, however it does lend itself to the fact you must be confident in your abilities if you are to land that job of your dreams.
Just a few changes can mean the difference between a standard or a dream job.
Mood board it
What exactly is your dream job? If you are asking this question, chances are you haven’t found it yet. Mood board it out, take your time and research what your natural skill set matches and see what could possibly be the dream job for you. Having a tangible board to look at can also keep you on track when you hit set-backs (everyone gets set-backs at one point).
Research your path
Do you need to do a course, internship or full blown degree? Now you know what you dream job is you’ll need to do some more research on the best way to get there. Most dream jobs require some form of qualification, but start by talking to someone who currently has your dream job. LinkedIn is a great tool to be able to connect to these elusive people, easier than ever before; interview them and see how they got their dream job and then see how you can do it. Knowing this inside intel can make you more confident going into the job market. Also have a look at our Girl Boss profiles.
Be honest with yourself
To build confidence with yourself, you have to be honest with yourself too. Are you self-destructive or do you shy away from hostile situations? Get to know you and your deep dark places, research coping strategies on uneasy situations for your personality and how you can handle it. Knowing yourself will give you unparalleled confidence that will be visible to everyone around you.
Build a strong network
With the rise of social media it has never been easier to build a strong network. Connect with likeminded people on Twitter, build bonds with business people on LinkedIn; we all now have direct real-time contact to influential people. Even getting a ‘like’ from someone influential is enough to boost your confidence a little and the more you do it the easier it becomes, until people are requesting to connect with you.
Good luck in your new adventure of getting your dream job. Everyone has it in them to achieve it, you just have to believe in yourself!
Let me know how it goes.
