You probably do it so often that you don’t even notice it. Sometimes you can be acting in this way because you believe it is supposed to be. After all, nobody wants to be perceived as conceited or rude. However, when you undervalue yourself, you send the message to others that you don’t respect yourself as much as you should, which can have a negative impact on your professional prospects.
But if you don’t know you’re doing it, how can you stop? Here are 10 signs that you might be selling yourself short in your career:
#1. You don’t negotiate salary offers because you think you should be grateful.
Negotiating a higher salary is asking too much of the company at this time. You think you’re not deserving of better compensation than what’s being offered. You know you’re fortunate just to be there.
#2. You may find your work to be dull and uninteresting, while others may find it fascinating.
While others may value diversity in experience, you may feel that your unique perspective makes you a lesser person. Especially if you’re trying to switch careers, this is a surefire way to eliminate yourself from consideration for positions rather than capitalizing on the skills you already possess.
#3. Your habitual tendency to worry excessively and anticipate the worst possible outcome.
You have a hard time putting yourself out there during the job search and on the job because you fear rejection and a negative outcome.
#4. You don’t share your ideas in meetings because you don’t think they’re worth sharing.
Not wanting to waste anyone’s time with ideas you think won’t be well received, you refrain from contributing your own.
#5. You prefer to just go with the flow at work and rarely advocate for yourself.
You fear that if you assert yourself, you will hurt someone else’s feelings. You’d rather ensure everyone else is content than focus on your own comfort.
#6. You shy away from talking about yourself and your achievements.
Every time someone asks you about yourself, you immediately become uncomfortable, and you’d much rather devote the rest of the conversation to focusing on the other person.
#7. You are terrible at accepting compliments and always trying to deflect them.
Instead of accepting compliments graciously, you find a way to deflect attention away from yourself or change the subject.
#8. You’re afraid of failing, you avoid taking risks, even if they could lead to exciting growth.
You never actively seek out better employment opportunities because you always assume that someone else will be given the nod. You always pass up or suggest that other people take on new opportunities that might be too difficult for you.
#9. You believe that everything you’ve accomplished was a happy accident.
You dismiss your success as a fluke and move on. Since you find your strengths to come so easily, you discount their worth and convince yourself that they are not marketable. Since you find some abilities to be second nature, you dismiss them as unremarkable and unnecessary.
#10. You’ve convinced yourself that you can’t find a better job, so you keep the one that makes you miserable.
You consider yourself fortunate, despite your dissatisfaction with your current situation. You doubt that better opportunities exist or that you can replicate your success in a new setting.
So, How Do You Stop Selling Yourself Short?
All of these sign stem from an individual’s lack of belief in themselves and their excessive reliance on the approval of others. By focusing solely on the worst-case scenario, as is the case when selling yourself short, you are setting yourself up for failure. Assuming the worst requires just as much work as hoping for the best.
In the end, you can’t know what will happen unless you try, but assuming the best at least helps you move forward. And remember that you can be both humble and sure of yourself. You don’t have to choose between the two. If you know your worth and think you’re good at what you do, that doesn’t make you arrogant. It makes you trustworthy, and showing that you’re trustworthy is how you move up in your career.
Curated by Danielle Tan.
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