Are you full of self-doubt at work? Get rid of your insecurity and burnish your self-esteem
- Suffering from self-doubt at work can wear you down. Figure out why you lack confidence and cultivate a positive self-image based on your achievements
- If it is positive feedback you need, ask for it; if new skills, acquire them; keep a journal of your successes, or try meditation, to build up your self-esteem
A day at work can be so pleasant – especially for those who are highly trained, familiar with their subject matter and get on well with others. In other words, the ideal conditions for success.
Yet a lot of people doubt themselves on the job, beating themselves up with thoughts such as “I’m not good enough” or “Am I even up to it?”
“Often it’s women who are plagued by self-doubt in their jobs,” says career consultant Hanne Bergen, in Hamburg, Germany. For example, the International University of Applied Sciences Bad Honnef/Bonn found in a 2017 study that women rate their strengths in their careers far lower than those around them.
According to the study, men can also be highly self-critical – but to a much lesser extent. Self-doubt on the job can have very different causes. It may be because those who are self-critical are suddenly confronted with new tasks for which they don’t yet have enough experience.
“In such cases, some self-doubt is normal,” says career consultant Ragnhild Struss, also in Hamburg. “In many cases, however, self-doubt stems from a lack of self-esteem.”