What is confidence?
According to Dictionary.com, confidence as described as:
1. full trust; belief in the powers,
trustworthiness, or reliability of a person or thing:
2. belief in oneself and one's powers or abilities;
self-confidence; self-reliance; assurance:
3. certitude; assurance
As many of our students are about
to graduate, I find myself wondering about their levels of self-confidence. More specifically, I think about how a
possible lack of confidence can have a negative impact on their job search.
Have you ever looked at a job
description and thought, “I can’t possibly do that job, I am not going to
bother to apply.”? Have you ever been at
a professional event and passed up the opportunity to speak with someone
influential in your field because you thought to yourself “She wouldn’t want to
spend her time here speaking with me, I’m just a student.”?
Having these types of negative
thoughts can keep us from getting out there and pursuing our dreams. Now, I am
not saying that new grads should apply to CEO positions of Fortune 500
companies. However, don’t dismiss a
position at first glance based on the belief that you are not what the employer
is looking for. Think about your skills,
your experiences, your part-time work, extra-curricular activities, volunteer
work, coursework, skills, and anything else that you have to offer! Meet with a
Career Center counselor to practice showing those things on a resume and
discussing them on an interview.
If you are not what an employer is
looking for, they will not call you for the position. But don't do that for them by disqualifying yourself right out of
the gate. To quote a known commercial,
“Hey, you never know!”
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Darlene Johnson,
Senior Associate Director
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