Sometimes conquering a fear just takes a small lifting of your voice instead of shying away from what you ought to do. Ralph Waldo Emerson famously said that we should always do what we’re afraid to do. But as we all know by now, that’s easier said than done.
Everyone is afraid of something. The greatest hack to life is facing your fears and doing something.
Yup! Planning what you’ll do after you finish from the university can be nerve-wracking – not everyone has a clear idea of what job they’d like to do after those final exams even though it’s a phase they can’t wait to get over!
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Young people ‘plan’ and have very big expectations then find themselves disappointed with their day to day life. Particularly in the legal profession, mid-to late 20s, many employees have very high ideals. They didn’t go in to law to make money, but at the companies they work for it becomes all about that: the bottom line. They get this fear that life will never live up to their expectations.
When you start working you know nothing. So it’s more about how you approach the world of work and what your attitude is. Also, most managers are pretty reasonable people. They want people to perform well and work in a harmonious environment. The keyword in all of these dear young graduate is ‘work’. Consistently putting all effort in a career you choose, any career, will see you rise to the top.
That said, conquering your fears leads to more growth, and within the realm of your career, good things usually come from facing what scares you the most. Don’t worry if you’re feeling alone in your fear, though; there are, in fact, five basic fears that all humans share according to PsychologyToday.
But how do you start facing your fears?
The most common workplace fears or career fears apparently sounds too simple for others to understand. Yet, for the one nurturing that fear, it must need a lot of courage and the willingness to overcome the fear, to be able to face it.
Thinking ahead to your future, we’ve tackled 5 career fears to help put your mind to rest.
- My CV won’t be good enough
This is a very common fear! It’s understandable because most of us will have to create at least one CV in our lifetime and for some reason they do not always teach it at school. The greatest way to go about ensuring that your CV will stand out to a recruiter is to do your research. Search the internet for templates, see whether your industry prefers a certain format, check it time and time again for spelling and grammar errors and have someone else look at it for you as well.
The point of a CV is to show yourself off to potential employers and to especially showcase the relevant experience/skills/passions you have in regards to the role you are applying for. Once you’re okay with it, then be confident that your CV will sell you to the right job.
- What if I don’t present myself well at interviews
Quite simply, the more preparation you can do – the better! Interviews aren’t so complicated. When you realise that 80% of the decision to hire someone is based on what the interviewers see and hear on the day and only about 20% is based on what is in your CV/qualifications, it then becomes easier to go through an interview phase and claim your prized job.
Here are some universal guidelines on how to behave in job interviews.
- Make sure you wear smart clothes
- Be polite and professional to everyone you meet
- Have a mental note of questions you think your interviewer is likely to ask you
- Think your response through before speaking
If you keep to these guidelines and fit their requirements for the role, you should have a good chance at receiving an offer.
- There’s too much competition for the job I want
There will always be competition, that is just a fact of life. There are very few jobs where you’ll be the sole candidate. Job seeking is a fine art, and the more you experience you have, the better you’ll get at it. This is not to say that people don’t get it right at first trial. Try to look for ways that you are unique, such as hobbies that could help you in the role you are hoping to get or a personality trait that fits the role perfectly. Personalise your CV and cover letter for each new job you apply for, and don’t look down on yourself for receiving a few knock-backs. Having a positive attitude and never giving up will eventually land you the job you want!
- I’ll end up in the wrong job
Many younger people experience a sense of disappointment when work doesn’t live up to their expectations. Graduates start their career in law or finance expecting a high-flying, glamourous life-style, and end up despondent when they are filling in spreadsheets until 2am.
During our lifetime we spend a staggering 99,117 hours at work, so it’s important that you enjoy your job! It’s highly unlikely that you’ll stay in one role for your entire working life – the average is 6 jobs across 6 different companies according to one study. Use your time constructively to learn a little more every day. Learn how to talk on the phone, learning how to use social media, learn how to think before you act. Reach out to people who are older and choose a mentor. Try to see this as a time of great learning. You need to remember that you have all this time to settle on a job you love doing, so there’s no need to panic.
- I can be haphazard. What if I get fired?
Anybody who works in a fearful environment knows it. You’re feeling anxious about going into work. You have bosses who are bullying and aggressive. It’s not necessarily loud – you can have a very aggressive boss who is very quiet, very able to read body language and manipulate people. In a fearful environment people stop being creative, it becomes more about surviving rather than thriving.
If you trust your boss you could talk to them about your fears. But if you constantly feel stress or under pressure you might want to rethink your job. I work with people who are very happy at work until they get a new manager, and that produces all kinds of anxieties.
If you work in a healthy organsation but can’t shake this fear, you need to look inside yourself and understand what your personal triggers are. You might have a boss you dislike, but if you dig deep enough, it comes from something else in the past that is triggering something today. The brain is always working on survival and danger, so the brain will respond to perceived threats even if there isn’t really a threat.
