Assess Your Career Confidence

Have you ever wondered why some people are so confident in themselves and in their abilities, while others are not? We all struggle with confidence to some degree; especially when it comes to the job search. Suddenly, the spotlight is on you, and it is up to you to express why a future employer should choose you over other candidates. What if you don’t believe that you deserve to be chosen? This belief can greatly hinder your ability to demonstrate your value and clearly articulate your strengths in an interview.

In this blog post, I have included a short assessment where you can see where you are on the confidence continuum, what this means, and how to move forward.

Confidence Assessment

1. I can expand and grow my abilities over time:
   • Yes / No
2. I have control over my life:
   • Yes / No
3. I am capable of achieving my goals:
   • Yes / No
4. I see my potential as limitless:
   • Yes / No
5. I believe that my actions will determine the outcomes in my life:
   • Yes / No
6. Even if I’m nervous, I take action to reach my goal:
   • Yes / No
7. I see challenges as an opportunity to learn to do something new:
   • Yes / N0
8. I give myself positive messages and encouragement to reach my goals:
   • Yes / No
9. I see failure as a growth experience:
   • Yes / No
10. When I need to spend longer or put in extra work, it makes me feel inferior:
    • Yes / No
11. Life happens to me and I often feel that I have no control:
    • Yes / No
12. I do not have confidence in my capability to achieve my goals:
    • Yes / No
13. I am afraid of failure because it would reveal my true lack of ability:
    • Yes / No
14. I find that my actions don’t make a large difference in my life’s outcomes: 
    • Yes / No
15. I doubt myself when making important decisions:
    • Yes / No
16. I see intelligence as fixed in adulthood:
    • Yes / No
17. I am often self-critical and I focus on what I can’t do well:
    • Yes / No
18. I believe that I have reached the height of my potential already:
    • Yes / No

This assessment gets to the route of 3 areas of confidence:

1. Internal vs. External Locus of Control

2. Growth vs. Fixed Mindset 

3. Self Efficacy Vs. Self Doubt 

Let’s see how you scored! Please be mindful that this is NOT an assessment that has been measured on its validity and reliability. This assessment will simply allow you to gain a sense of your mindset and natural tendencies as they relate to confidence. 

*A mix of answers means that you may be in the middle or that your response may vary based on the circumstances.

Locus of Control: 

Every person varies on how much control they think they have over the circumstances of their lives. You have an Internal Locus of Control i>f you answered  “yes” to questions 2 & 5 and “no” to questions 11 & 14. This means that you believe that, even when chance events occur, you see that you have control over the outcome. You have an External Locus of Control if you answered “no” to questions 2 & 5 and “yes” to questions 11 & 14. This means that you see life as outside of your control.

So why is this important? Well, if your goal is to search for a new job, improve your professional skills, or begin a new venture – the belief that YOU have control over your life will lead you to action. As soon as you believe that life just happens to you and there’s no point in trying because that new job, promotion, skill development, or venture won’t work out; your motivation to take action will decrease. And if you don’t take action, nothing will change.

When you take responsibility for your life and your circumstance and see that your actions DO make a difference, then you will develop a bias towards action – which will lead you closer and closer to your desired outcome. Ultimately, an internal locus of control will leave you feeling empowered and confident to make the needed change in your life.

Mindset: 

There are two different mindsets that impact your belief of your basic qualities such as intelligence, talents and abilities. You have a Growth Mindset if you answered “yes” to questions 1, 4, 7 & 9 and “no” to questions 10, 13, 16 & 18. This means that you believe that your intelligence/talents/abilities can be improved with effort and practice, and that failure is a growth experience. You have a Fixed Mindset if you answer “no” to questions 1, 4, 7 & 9 and “yes” to questions 10, 13, 16 & 18. This means that your abilities are fixed where they are and that failure should be feared or avoided.

As you consider applying for job where you may be rejected, making a change in employment with many unknowns, or launching a new venture – the fear of failure can prevent you from taking that first step forward. The belief that failure is representative of your full potential will lead you to not want to try something you’re not good at. If you don’t try – then there’s no opportunity to get better. Conversely, if you begin to recognize that you CAN continue to grow and learn, and that failure is just a way to get feedback along the way, then you will be able to confidently take the steps needed to reach your goals.

Belief in Yourself:

There are two ways you can view yourself when faced with a decision or an action; as capable of incapable. You have Self Efficacy if you answered “yes” to questions 3, 6 & 8 and “no” to questions 12, 15 & 17. This means that you believe in your ability to accomplish the task at hand. You have Self Doubt if you answered “yes” to questions 12, 15 & 17 and “no” to questions 3, 6 & 8. This means that you hesitate, hide and avoid the task at hand because you doubt your ability.

Every day we are met with decisions whether or not to “try”. The only difference between making an attempt, no matter how small, is the belief that you CAN do it. The more we believe something, the more we look for evidence that it’s true. Therefore, if you tell yourself that you CAN’T do it, and then you don’t – that becomes further evidence. If you give yourself positive messages and take that small action – then you will quickly get positive reinforcement to take action again.

The more you take action, the more your confidence will grow. The more confidence you have in yourself, in your ability to continuously improve (despite failure), and in the control you have over your life – the more successful you will be!

In future posts, we will discuss HOW to develop a strong Internal Locus of Control, Growth Mindset & Self Efficacy.

Questions & Action Items:

1. What did my assessment results reveal?

2. What does failure mean to me?

3. How can I take action moving forwards?

Are you ready to turn over a new leaf?