How can we convince a new boss we can be the business, if we don’t believe it ourselves? Here’s the trick…
You’re amazing. You don’t know it, but you are.
People who truly believe in themselves don’t stay out of work for long. Some are just confident. Others have an inflated view of themselves or just back themselves and say, ‘I bet I could do that!’
For those who haven’t had a job for a while, if ever, that self-belief can be difficult to come by. At Quids In’s ‘7 signs’ events for jobseekers, though, we believe everyone has something to offer.
Quids in! Editor, Jeff Mitchell, who designed the 7 Signs programme explains: “I’ve met people from every walk of life, including many who someone might describe as ‘unemployable’. Well, let them try telling me that! As I’ve watched people who slept rough under a bridge dust themselves down and do a great day’s work. I defy anyone to tell me there are many people who can’t do something.”
Take pride
According to Jeff, the way to look at ourselves differently is to ask ourselves, ‘What is my proudest achievement?’ It could be caring for an elderly relatively to ensure they spent their last days in comfort and with dignity. Or as captain of a school football team. Raising a family counts too.
Once we’ve decided on our greatest triumph, however modestly, it’s time to think about what it says about us. Parenting means we have to responsible, organised and caring, for example. Leading a team means taking decisions, having players’ respect and ensuring the right people are in the right place. With a bit of time, we can often list around 20 skills and qualities we used to achieve that goal.
“One woman came to 7 Signs and told me she had nothing to put on a CV. Until six months earlier, she had been using drugs. She’d been on them for ten years, starting from when she was in school. It’s a group session, right, so I paused things for a minute. Then I asked everyone to list what it takes to get clean of drugs. ‘Determined, disciplined, bold, confident…’, they shouted out. I wrote about 25 words up on a flip chart page. I thought I could see the woman grow in stature, as she sat there.
“At the end, I asked her to shortlist the six she could connect with most. Now give me a different example of when you’ve been ‘determined’, ‘disciplined’ and all the rest. That’s a big chunk of your CV right there.”
No more modest mouse
Modest people are good at selling themselves short. (Maybe, we should always say ‘we don’t like to show off’, if we’re asked what our weaknesses are at interview.) We often feel there are people who must be better at these things than we are. Job hunting is a job in itself and the role requires we speak up for ourselves. We all have examples of the things we do well. Now repeat the words: ‘I am amazing!’
And what happened to the woman at the 7 Signs session?
“Last I heard, she was running her own company and raising a family,” Jeff says.
Amazing.
