Two steps to sounding more confident

Confidence is key, whether you’re speaking in a board room or with a colleague on your way out of the office. The more confident you appear, the more willing people are to follow your advice and typically more opportunities will come your way. However, do you ever find yourself wishing you could portray the easy, secure professional you aspire to be?

There’s no shame in not feeling like you’ve reached the top of your game! As a staffing and recruiting professional, just like any individual, working hard to constantly improve is what makes you a valuable team member, and if you feel your confidence needs a bit of a boost, here are a few tips. Sometimes, you may feel secure in your decisions and what you are trying to communicate, but somehow fail to convey that confidence to other people. So, if you feel your confidence needs a bit of a boost, here are two tips.

1) Mentally rehearse.

Tripping over your own words can immediately take away from the message you are trying to convey – it doesn’t matter how important your words are – even if you’re saying you invented sliced bread. If you’re having a pre-scheduled meeting with someone, consider mapping out a few talking points and practicing sentences that are key to your delivery. Practice will help you smooth out the kinks and allow you to feel more secure about the message you are communicating. Remember, you don’t have to repeat yourself word-for-word, just feel as if you know the right method and the proper transitions from one idea to the next. This will really help you when you’re trying to communicate to an important client at your firm or when you’re trying to convince a potential job candidate to consider a position you’re trying to fill.

2) Place emphasis on first-hand knowledge.

Regardless of whether you are discussing a work issue or conversing casually with someone, it’s best to stick to topics you’re comfortable with. You’re able to come off as a thought leader and will feel more confidence because you’re not taking a shot in the dark about something. If the topic of conversation does go into areas that you don’t know well, it’s better to be upfront and say that you “haven’t read that article yet” or are interested in learning more. Confident people don’t act afraid about a lack of knowledge on a subject matter, they are willing to admit their ignorance and learn more. When you are talking to a client about their industry, make sure you have researched everything you can about the business beforehand. Ask questions if you’re unsure about the clients needs. A client would  most likely rather have you ask questions and receive the right pool of potential candidates than receive workers who are not the right fit.

Keep a positive spirit and use these tips and your staffing know-how to help you get an edge in the industry. By boosting your confidence and using your high-quality staffing software to gain insight into hiring trends, you can grow and succeed in the industry.