Has Your Job Search Knocked the Confidence Out of You? by Rebecca Metschke

Searching for a job can be challenging, even in the best of times.

Obviously, this isn't the best of times - meaning if you're unemployed and looking for work, the process may be dragging on. After months of searching without securing an offer, a sense of pessimism can creep into your thinking. You can start to lose confidence.

This is perfectly understandable. Still, you've got to make a conscious effort to maintain a positive attitude. If you don't, you run the risk of catapulting your job search into the land of the self-fulfilling prophecy.

Potential employers sense your lack of confidence. Which makes you a weaker candidate. You don't perform as well during interviews. Which further erodes your self-confidence. And the vicious cycle continues.

Sometimes the space between your ears can be your own worst enemy.

I don't pretend to have all the answers regarding confidence and how to build it.

I can, however, suggest a few actionable tips:

• First, act like you believe in yourself. I liken this to the concept of "dressing the part." If you want to be perceived a certain way, dressing the part can go a long way toward projecting that desired image. Further, it can actually alter the way you behave and how you think about yourself. The same concept can apply regarding your attitude.
• Avoid coming across as desperate. For example, don't go overboard when it comes to gratitude. There's common courtesy (which you should always extend) and then there's profuse, overblown thanks for the fact that someone has given you the time of day. ("Thank you so much for reading my resume.") Recognize the difference.
• Don't skip the gym. When you feel better, you look better - and the outside world notices.
• Be thorough with your preparation. The better prepared you are, the more confident you'll be, and the better you'll perform.

Remain focused on the things over which you have control, rather than those factors you can't influence. Concentrate on the many things you can do to give yourself an advantage; you'll give yourself a sense of being back in the driver's seat.

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