Remember your first day of school? What about your first ride on an airplane? Your first kiss? Do you remember how nervous you felt when experiencing your firsts?
Those same feelings emerge when we have our first interview, our first networking meeting, our first job loss.
There are some advantages to having all that Adrenalin running through the body, but usually we hang on to the feelings that are negative. The best cure…have more firsts, so there aren’t so many…huh? If you are having more first interviews, you will have more experience with them and feel more comfortable. If you step out of your comfort zone and network more, you will feel less nervous because it won’t be so new.
We learn from experience, therefore, the more experience you have, the wiser you should be…but only as long as you learn from the past. If you don’t debrief and learn what you could have done better and recognize what you did well, you are likely to make the same blunders/faux pas/mistakes. Learning gives us confidence, not arrogance.
Eleanor Roosevelt is credited with saying
“Do one thing every day that scares you.”
This is a wonderful challenge for the every day of your life!
Hannah Morgan speaks and writes about job search and career strategies. She founded CareerSherpa.net to educate professionals on how to maneuver through today’s job search process. Hannah was nominated as a LinkedIn Top Voice in Job Search and Careers and is a regular contributor to US News & World Report. She has been quoted by media outlets, including Forbes, USA Today, Money Magazine, Huffington Post, as well as many other publications. She is also author of The Infographic Resume and co-author of Social Networking for Business Success.
