“There are two types of people - those who come into a room and say, 'Well, here I am!' and those who come in and say, 'Ah, there you are.'" -Frederick L. Collins
"He who has confidence in himself will gain the confidence of others." -Leib Lazarow
A Tale of Two Job Seekers
Let's suppose at work you are assigned the task of hiring a new employee. You narrow the applications down to two candidates: Bob and John. You call them both to come in for an interview. On paper it looks like John is the better choice. He went to a more prestigious school, has a higher GPA, and has more relevant work experience than Bob.
Bob comes in first for the interview. He is dressed in a nice, clean, pressed business suit. He has a firm handshake. During the interview he maintains strong eye-contact. He answers all the questions without hesitation and without stuttering or saying, "uh". He looks completely relaxed, smiles often, and makes a few light-hearted jokes to ease any tension. Bob knows his qualifications on paper are not as good as they could be so he makes sure to talk about all of the other ways he could add value to the company if he was hired.
Bob leaves and John comes in for his interview. He is dressed in business casual attire. His handshake isn't limp, but it's not exactly firm either. He avoids eye-contact for very long. He hesitates when asked a question before responding. The tone in his voice makes it seem as if he is unsure about what he is talking about. He appears nervous, sweaty, and extremely tense. John knows his résumé is great and it speaks for itself so instead of talking about his accomplishments he asks about employee perks and benefits.
Needless to say confidence will most likely win the day and Bob will get the job, even though on paper he is was not the best man for the job.
This is just one exaggerated scenario to demonstrate how important confidence is. Confidence plays a role in almost all of our social endeavors. Confidence comes natural to some people, while others have to consciously think about it and practice it daily. If you were unaware of the importance of confidence until now take this chance to start making a change. We will go into some confidence building resources in the axioms to come.
Bob comes in first for the interview. He is dressed in a nice, clean, pressed business suit. He has a firm handshake. During the interview he maintains strong eye-contact. He answers all the questions without hesitation and without stuttering or saying, "uh". He looks completely relaxed, smiles often, and makes a few light-hearted jokes to ease any tension. Bob knows his qualifications on paper are not as good as they could be so he makes sure to talk about all of the other ways he could add value to the company if he was hired.
Bob leaves and John comes in for his interview. He is dressed in business casual attire. His handshake isn't limp, but it's not exactly firm either. He avoids eye-contact for very long. He hesitates when asked a question before responding. The tone in his voice makes it seem as if he is unsure about what he is talking about. He appears nervous, sweaty, and extremely tense. John knows his résumé is great and it speaks for itself so instead of talking about his accomplishments he asks about employee perks and benefits.
Needless to say confidence will most likely win the day and Bob will get the job, even though on paper he is was not the best man for the job.
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This is just one exaggerated scenario to demonstrate how important confidence is. Confidence plays a role in almost all of our social endeavors. Confidence comes natural to some people, while others have to consciously think about it and practice it daily. If you were unaware of the importance of confidence until now take this chance to start making a change. We will go into some confidence building resources in the axioms to come.
