Landing a new job is exciting. Hopefully, you’ve increased your salary or are getting ready to work in a role that fills you with excitement and anticipation.
However, shortly after you get the good news, the excitement wears off and a new emotion takes its place: anxiety. It’s normal to feel anxious when starting a new job, as everyone gets nervous about meeting new people, learning new skills, and adapting to the norms of a new workplace. This is the perfect breeding ground for self-doubt to set it.
Fortunately, you aren’t the first person to start a new job or experience a decline in confidence in your new role. Here are five tips to help improve your confidence before your first day.
1. Do Your Research
After landing a new job, you’ll likely be keen to get started as soon as possible. However, you may have to wait a few weeks before you’re able to begin onboarding and training. Rather than twiddling your thumbs while waiting to get started, do some research and learn as much about the company and your new role as possible.
Start by digging through your new employer’s website and social media profiles. What kind of values do they aspire towards? Who do they employ at the higher levels of their corporate structure? Which brands do they align with on social media? Digging into your new business can help reassure you that you’re a good fit for the company and reinforce that you can succeed within its structure.
Next, take a look through your manager’s professional bio and LinkedIn page (if you know who will be overseeing you). This will help you understand who your manager is and may even provide some talking points for your first day. This will help you form a good relationship with your manager and help you feel more confident on your first day. Just be sure to stick to professional sites like LinkedIn, as viewing personal social pages may be seen as intrusive.
2. Improve Your Skills
Continuing to improve your skills can help you feel more confident, as many new hires feel underqualified when they first join a new organization.
Seek training opportunities that align with your current role or the role that you aspire to land. Pursuing further training can help prepare you for promotions in the future and improve your engagement at work. If you’re well-trained, you’ll be able to work on more projects and show your manager that you’re keen to advance.
When you begin in your new role, don’t be afraid to tell your manager if you’re lacking the skills you need to progress. Being honest about your current skill set is a sign that you’re self-aware and most managers are more than happy to give you the training you need to flourish. Create a shortlist of your strengths and weaknesses as you start. Knowing where your strengths lie can be empowering in and of itself.
Further, by considering your weakness ahead of time, you’ll be better positioned to successfully improve upon them in your new role.
3. Improve Your Self-Esteem
Self-esteem refers to the way you think about yourself. As a new hire, you may find developing authentic self-esteem difficult — in addition to new job nerves, you may also feel behind since you don’t have the same skills or experience as your coworkers.
Instead of comparing yourself to your peers, do some-self reflection and focus on yourself. You can develop authentic self-esteem by setting realistic goals for yourself, as well as finding supportive peers and communicating openly with them.
Try not to envy those who pick up new skills quicker than you, as everyone has their own unique strengths and weaknesses. Work at your own pace and try to achieve realistic goals that you set yourself.
If you find yourself struggling with self-esteem for an extended period, you may also want to consider seeing a therapist or working on other ways, outside of work, to boost your self-esteem authentically and organically.
4. Budget
Starting a new job is exciting, but you may find that you experience some financial worries while you wait for your first paycheck to come in. This may be particularly true if you’ve been job hunting for a while or have done freelance or gig work to boost your income during your search.
It may take several weeks, or even up to a month, to receive your full, regular paycheck. However, budgeting for an irregular paycheck can help alleviate financial stress and improve your confidence in your decision and role. Start by listening to all of the income you expect to receive and the date you expect to first get paid. Then, budget your expenditures before you head to the mall and buy new clothes and accessories.
A clear budget can help alleviate your stress and allow you to focus on onboarding and training. You may even find that you have more expendable income after your first paycheck comes in. Just be sure to forecast for cost and leave yourself some wiggle room.
5. Slow Down
When starting a new job, it’s easy to put pressure on yourself to perform from day one. However, you need time to adjust to your new work environment and find a routine that works for you. Moving too quickly can even result in getting overwhelmed in your new position.
Rather than getting frustrated with your supposed lack of progress, slow down and consider your work performance from a holistic perspective. If you’re feeling low, consider making a list at the end of each workday. This list should detail:
- What Went Well (WWW): Did you pick up a new skill today? Did you develop your relationships with your workers? Did you get to practice a technique that you just learned?
- What Could be Improved (WCBI): Is there something you want to improve on or do differently tomorrow? Is there someone you want to meet this week? Did you make a mistake or misstep when practicing a new technique?
Be kind to yourself when listing WWW and WCBI. Gentle, honest criticism is the key to being self-aware while maintaining your confidence. There’s no need to compare yourself to others or beat yourself up, either. Just a short note to yourself at the end of each day may be all you need to improve your skills and build your confidence.
Conclusion
Confidence is hard to come by when you’re starting a new job. It’s normal to feel anxious and stressed, as everyone gets nervous when meeting new people. Try to focus on practicing self-care and building authentic self-esteem. Set realistic goals and communicate openly with your manager if you want to improve your skills or undertake further training.
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