Regardless of your chosen industry or profession, confidence is one skill that is essential to success in any field. While self-confidence comes naturally to some people, it is a skill that anyone can learn and doing so can be invaluable to your career success.

Finding mentors in senior positions at work can be extremely helpful in building your confidence in your career.  Aside from the valuable network of contacts they can open up to you, having someone in a leadership position who can offer you feedback and advice on how they were able to achieve success themselves will give you practical insights into how to achieve your career goals.

Find a mentor to help you

Sally Martin, Associate Director at Robert Walters, comments “Support from people in senior roles at work can make all the difference in building your confidence. Their experience and insight can give you a reliable, objective voice when making decisions and you will have supporters you can rely on to help you if things don’t go according to plan.”

Take action to help build your confidence 

• Know your department and the wider company inside and out. Ensure you would feel ready to talk-up your company to a stranger.
• Remain up to date with the latest news about your industry. Trade publications are an excellent source of information and being aware of the latest industry trends can help you feel confident and prepared for new developments at work.
• Expand your comfort zone by volunteering for new challenges at work. Build your image to yourself and to others as someone who is prepared to take risks and wants to develop new skills.

Confront challenges

Building self-confidence may seem challenging, but feeling informed and prepared for the projects and challenges you undertake will always form the foundation of self-assurance at work. Take the time to make sure you are well versed in whatever subjects you have to deal with, while avoiding obsessing over too much detail. Ultimately, the more experience you have of taking on new challenges the more comfortable you will feel doing it in the future.