There's one thing I always seem to hear from my administrative colleagues as they gear up for the dreaded task of interviewing for a new job: “I just need to be confident.”
That phrase has always puzzled me.
What does it really mean to “be confident”? How do you act on that? It’s an unactionable expectation we put on ourselves and others, like telling someone to “calm down.”
Here’s the truth: Being confident isn’t possible unless you are confident.
Confidence doesn’t come from forcing yourself to feel a certain way or mimicking how others do it—it comes from knowing yourself and your skill set.
Confidence is recognizing what tools you have in your toolbox and not being afraid to state that as a true fact, not an opinion.
Confidence is a belief that your exceptional skills align with the job you’re interviewing for.
Confidence is being sure, without hesitation, that you have the talent to get the job done. That’s not ego—it’s self-awareness.
So, let’s stop trying to "be confident" during interviews and instead focus on something actionable: connecting the dots for the interviewer about why your skills and experience fit the role they need.
That is confidence—real, grounded, and effective.
