Can You Hack Your Professional Confidence?

"I wish you were more confident."

That's what my boss told me after a client meeting a couple of years ago. I knew SO much but came across as so insecure. Especially with people who were my parent’s age.

At that point, I had been in online marketing for five years. I was completely self-taught (still am) and there was nobody around to learn from. Sure, I had some internet people I looked up to, but I have never worked in a "formal marketing role" at a normal company with a marketing department.

Confidence was very difficult to come by in those days.

Today, I know that I was deeply mired in the Dunning-Kruger effect. After the initial over-confidence of learning something new wears off, you pretty much feel like a fraud for the next couple of years.

Today, I know that confidence eventually came. But back then, I just didn't know how to “train my confidence”.

Part of overcoming imposter syndrome and making your way out of that low point is just time. Just keep going and keep learning. Things eventually crystalize and get easier as long as you keep doing the work.

Still, there are some things you can do to accelerate the process and hack your professional confidence.

1. Execute Cheap Experiments

Find low-stakes ways of testing your skills and putting them into practice. Big projects often add pressure due to their size and the financial stakes involved. To make things easier on yourself, seek out smaller projects in the beginning. Even if you are already working on big projects in your job, if you are still low on confidence, find small projects to complete by yourself. Your confidence will grow with each success.

2. Experience Similar Services

A lack of confidence in your ability can sometimes be related to a lack of clarity about what “good work” is in your field. To overcome this, you can buy services that are similar to the ones you offer or at least get some quotes for a couple of projects. Seek out “good work” and analyze it. This will help you get clarity about what the expectations in your field are. You will probably find out that you have the same skills and could do the work equally well. That's good to know. Looking at work other marketing professionals had done on similar clients like mine really helped me see that I was in the same ballpark.

3. Seek Out Other Professionals at Your Level

Swapping notes with other professionals from your field can help you realize that you know more than you think you know. My biggest boost of confidence usually came from talking to other people in online marketing and realizing that "I know what they know and if they are worth the money, so am I".

4. Connect With Professionals Who Are Ahead of You

Learning from people who are on the same path as you but a couple of years ahead can really help reassure you that you are taking the right steps to become an expert. It doesn't have to be a formal apprenticeship or a degree program, it can just be someone else in the industry who you can exchange experience with a couple of times. I did all of my learning by myself but hearing "you're doing well" or "that's a good idea, now go and check out this other thing" from someone with more experience really helped me move forward. Also, someone who is ahead of you can point you to the best resources to learn more. A simple ask can save you hours of googling and information overwhelm.

5. Fill In Gaps

Most of our low confidence is irrational, but sometimes, there is a true gap. If you find that you are shrinking away from a specific type of project because you have a lack of clarity or skill in that area, systematically address it. You don't have to become an expert, but you have to improve your weakest points until they do not drag your confidence down anymore.

Confidence does not come from studying more material. You won't feel better if you get another degree, another certificate, or read another million articles on the subject.

At some point, more information will only make you feel more inadequate.

True confidence comes from doing things. The more things you do, the better you will feel about the quality of your work. Nothing boosts your confidence like the feeling of truly having helped someone.

I know that it is hard to do things when you're afraid to mess up. But in most environments, it's very hard to mess up in a way that can not be fixed.

So, don’t worry too much. Just try it out.

You can’t solve all your confidence issues overnight, but you can still dramatically accelerate the process by implementing a few of these techniques.