These tips will make your emergence into the world of work more comfortable and make you more confident in tackling issues that will inevitably arise. For example, dealing with customer complaints or attending meetings with senior colleagues and important clients, will initially, take you out of your comfort zone.
- Offer to do a brief presentation early on in your career. This is a great confidence builder and will also set you apart from the crowd.
- Present clearly and with enthusiasm. Know your subject, practise beforehand and speak clearly. Get someone to time you so you don’t over or under run.
- Don’t be afraid about presenting or doing something you haven’t attempted before. Your greatest opportunities lie outside your comfort zone.
- Accept invitations to corporate events even if you think you aren’t going to know anyone there. Take a deep breath and go for it. Networking internally and externally is the key to your success. Don’t think like this man.
- Do not under any circumstances get drunk! You are representing your company and you are not going to impress anyone by falling over (or worse) because you have downed three bottles of wine.
- Celebrate achieving milestones in your career, however small. A glass of wine to celebrate a colleague telling you a job was well done or buying a new briefcase to celebrate a pay rise or promotion will boost your self confidence no end.
- Picture your boss at home, in the bath, watching TV and so on. Your colleagues are only human, so imagining them this way will make them seem less intimidating.