How to build your professional confidence

Have you ever held back your question because you were worried it might sound stupid? Received a rejection that made you start doubting your abilities? Or found a job you'd love, but been too scared to apply?

These are signs you have low professional confidence – something lots of people grapple with early in their careers.

The good news? There are plenty of things you can start doing right now to build back your missing self-assurance. Let’s take a look at what exactly professional confidence looks like, the impact it has and some strategies you can use to build yours.

In simple terms, professional confidence is believing in your ability to succeed in your chosen career. It means you trust in your skills, and you value yourself in academic and work contexts.

Professional confidence shapes how you think about yourself, and it can also affect your wider sense of self-esteem.

This all sounds a little theoretical. So how do you know what professional confidence looks like in practice? Here's a checklist of three simple statements that show you have good professional confidence:

• You have trust in your skills and your abilities. You know you have the expertise you need to do your tasks well
• You believe that you can conduct yourself professionally. You’re confident that you can communicate, collaborate and 'fit in' effectively with your colleagues
• You value your own perspective. You know you can offer insights and ideas that are worth hearing. You have a strong sense of your self-worth

Professional confidence is not always constant, however. There are plenty of factors that can knock your self-esteem in your career, from a job rejection to a piece of critical feedback. Knowing how to build yourself back up is key to long-term success.

Developing and maintaining your career confidence benefits you in lots of ways.

First of all, self-doubt (and imposter syndrome) can actually hold you back from performing well. Have you ever been in a situation where you had a task you knew you could do, but you suddenly started second-guessing yourself and it all went a bit wrong? Building confidence can prevent that anxiety from getting in the way of your work.

Behaving confidently also helps you to make a positive impression on others. If you demonstrate that you have confidence in yourself, others are more likely to trust you and respect what you have to say. It’s a chain reaction.

Confidence also empowers you to climb the career ladder. You’re more likely to embrace opportunities if you feel secure in your abilities. Likewise, it makes you better at self-advocacy, meaning you're more likely to put yourself forward for the promotions or pay rises you deserve.

Lastly, career confidence helps you to be more resilient in the face of change or when things don’t go to plan. Everyone faces knocks in their career, but confidence is what helps you buoy yourself through and keep going.

Here are some practical tips for how you can build confidence in your career.

No matter what stage of your career you're at, it's valuable to remind yourself of your achievements and the progress you’ve made towards your goals.

Take time each week to think about what you did well and what you achieved. You can even keep a running list of achievements to look back on when you need a boost. This self-recognition will gradually grow into self-belief – even if it feels a bit cringe at first.

Success doesn't have to be a concrete achievement, either. You can celebrate your positive qualities whether they're tangible or not. If you’re struggling to come up with your soft skills, ask a friend, tutor or colleague what they think you bring to the table.

Our final tip for celebrating yourself? Every time you get some praise, make a note of it. When you’re having a confidence crisis, you can then look back at all the positive things people have said about you. When you're feeling low, you'll thank yourself for the uplift.

Adopting a learning mindset is about being open to constantly growing and improving yourself. It helps you feel confident because it means you're always getting better. It's much easier to be confident when you know you've improved. What's more, you can take confidence by looking back on how far you've come.

Think about where you were a few years ago vs. where you are now. The odds are you've achieved a lot and learned even more – so recognise it!

Another way to grow confidence from your learning mindset is to treat experiences (even the hard ones) as learning opportunities. It'll help you remember that you don’t need to be perfect. Mistakes and failures are a natural part of life and they give you valuable insights that you can use to do better next time.

If you need a reminder of how important learning is to success, try something new. You'll remember that your skills are never in a fixed state, and you can always get better over time. Starting to learn a language or going to a taster session for a new hobby can be a helpful, for example. Sure, you’ll probably be terrible at first but – spoiler alert – that’s the point. You’ll get better at it, just like you’ll get better in your career.

Whether you're in a roomful of people you're trying to impress, or alone in your bedroom, so-called ‘power poses’ are a handy way to instantly boost your confidence. They don't just make you look more self-assured to other people, they can also gently influence your brain into feeling more confident, too.

Try to sit or stand up a little straighter, and if you're with other people, make eye contact. Avoid fidgeting and plant your feet firmly on the ground. Uncross your legs and lower your shoulders. Stay that way for a minute or so, and you'll start to feel much better than you would hunched up and trying to hide yourself.

This tip also works a treat on video calls, so don't forget your posture if you're in online meetings, seminars or interviews.

Try to see the value in your ideas and opinions. They’re as worthy of being heard as everyone else’s, so try to share them whenever you can, even if your voice is shaking. By putting your thoughts out there, you're telling yourself that they have value.

Another top tip? Look out for your language. Don’t start your points with “I might be wrong” or “I just”. While it might feel like you’re being humble, you’re actually sabotaging your contribution before you even get to it, and it'll make you feel less confident presenting your point.

Let your language mirror the confidence you want. Even when you don't feel your best, using clear and self-assured language will make you feel more secure.

You've probably heard the phrase 'fake it until you make it', and it's a cliché for a reason: it really works.

When you're feeling a lack of confidence, the temptation is to hide away and close yourself off. However, you can trick your mind into feeling better if you feel the discomfort and act confident anyway.

Take a deep breath, square your shoulders, and act like you have no self-doubt. Eventually, the feeling will become real.

Confidence is like any skill: you get better at it with time and repetition.

Each time you decide to share an idea at a meeting, celebrate an achievement or take a small step outside your comfort zone, you’re training yourself to have more faith in yourself as a professional.