Looking for a job is stressful at best and sometimes debilitating. Looking for a job in the recent environment has shaken a lot of peoples’ confidence, leading to a vicious cycle. People with their confidence shaken have a harder time getting a job and a harder time onboarding into a new organization. They’re scared, and try to control things they can’t control and have a harder time adjusting to things along the way. This gives them a greater chance of failure.
The answer is to get back to basics: “The will to win is not nearly as important as the will to prepare to win.” (Vince Lombardi) Everyone wants to win. Everyone wants to do well in their new job. Often the difference between confidence and lack of confidence, between a good first impression and digging a hole early, between success and failure are preparation and practice.
Almost no one is unconsciously competent at onboarding. Almost no one does it enough to get to that level. Almost no one would want to. What people should strive for is conscious competence. Don’t wing it. Think it through in advance. Get help. And let the people helping you help you – especially if your confidence has been shaken. Invest in yourself.
You can’t control past events and how they impacted you. You can control how you prepare for the future and the confidence that will give you.
