Education & Career Trends: September 5, 2024
Curated by the Knowledge Team of ICS Career GPS
Article by Melissa Wheeler, published on psychologytoday.com
We’ve all heard the phrase “fake it ‘til you make it.” While faking it can be a useful strategy in your early career stages to overcome the anxiety of being the new kid on the block or to manage imposter syndrome, it’s not a long-term solution. Faking it might help you get started, but building authentic confidence will take you much further as you progress in your career.
Imposter syndrome is common, and it doesn’t necessarily go away after the early stages of your career. However, the good news is that instead of continuing to fake it, you can take actionable steps to build real confidence.
Here are 5 practical tips to help you stop faking it and start building authentic career confidence that will grow with time.
1. Weed Out Distractions and Find Your Focus
One of the key skills in any profession is the ability to focus, especially when it comes to writing—whether you’re drafting reports, creating research articles, or writing clinical notes. Developing a daily routine and consistently practicing focus is the secret to improving your productivity.
Start by asking yourself:
- When do I have the most energy?
- When am I most productive?
- How can I block out distractions?
Begin small. Set a goal for 15 minutes of uninterrupted work time, with phone and email notifications turned off. The more you practice, the easier it will become, and soon you’ll find yourself reaching a state of flow where the work feels effortless. Over time, this routine will help you build the confidence to tackle bigger challenges.
2. Know Which Balls Are Plastic and Which Are Glass
In your career, you’ll often juggle multiple tasks at once. Some tasks will seem urgent, but the truth is, not everything is equally important. There are only so many hours in the day, and it’s essential to figure out which tasks are the “glass balls”—the ones that will break if you drop them—and which are “plastic balls” that will bounce back.
By strategically prioritising your tasks, you’ll avoid burnout while still making meaningful progress in your career. This skill is crucial in managing your workload without feeling overwhelmed.
3. Prepare Like Goldilocks: Just Right
Too little preparation leads to improvisation while over-preparing wastes valuable time and energy. Finding the balance that feels “just right” is essential to conserving your resources and maintaining efficiency.
One way to do this is to seek feedback early and often. Identify a trusted colleague who can review your work, practice presentations with you, and offer constructive criticism. This practice will not only improve your performance but also bolster your confidence as you’ll know your material is solid.
Plus, supporting each other builds a network of professionals who can help you grow.
4. Celebrate Your Wins, Big and Small
If you only celebrate the big wins, you’ll miss out on the small victories that pave the way to long-term success. Recognising smaller achievements—like dedicating consistent time to a project, meeting a deadline, or being more efficient with your time—helps you reflect on your growth and builds confidence.
Celebrating doesn’t mean bragging—it’s about acknowledging your progress, learning from both your successes and setbacks, and reinforcing the habits that will lead to future accomplishments.
5. Dim the Spotlight
The spotlight effect, a psychological phenomenon, makes us overestimate how much others notice or care about our actions, successes, and failures. In reality, no one is scrutinising you as much as you are scrutinising yourself.
The key to overcoming this is to stop obsessing over how you’re perceived and focus on your work. As David Foster Wallace famously put it, “There is no experience you have had that you were not at the absolute centre of.”
Understand that everyone is too busy focusing on their own concerns to focus on you, and that realisation will free you to work with greater confidence.
Building Real Confidence for the Long Haul
While faking it might get you through a nerve-wracking meeting or a tough day, it won’t sustain you in the long run. Real career confidence comes from knowing how to focus, prioritise, and prepare efficiently. It grows as you learn to celebrate your wins, let go of constant self-scrutiny, and embrace opportunities with authentic confidence.
By taking these actions early in your career, you set yourself up for a future where you can step into opportunities with assurance. You’ll stop faking it and truly start making it, carving out a career path where your confidence and skills continue to grow.
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Have you checked out yesterday’s blog yet
Feeling Too Busy? Try Asking Yourself This Question First
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article mentioned above are those of the author(s). They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of ICS Career GPS or its staff.)
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