Dear Career Coach

I have the opportunity to apply for a new role that’s coming up in my company.  Several colleagues have encouraged me to go for it but I feel really worried about taking on the challenge.  Part of me knows that I can do the job but I’m terrified of taking on too much and making a mess of things.  What can you advise?

It might be cold comfort but be assured that everyone goes through periods of doubting themselves, especially when change hovers on the horizon.  We all have moments when we feel overcome by fear and self-doubt and our internal conversations can cause us such angst that we want to cling onto the familiar and thus, we hope, avoid the possibility of failure and humiliation.

While you know intellectually that you are capable of doing the new job, it doesn’t necessarily translate into how you feel about doing the job. If you have been successful so far in your company, you will clearly be taking a risk by taking on a new challenge with no guarantee of success – a prospect you have every reason to be worried about.

Also, while it’s nice that others are encouraging you to apply, when you are feeling anxious, it can also lead you to question their motives.  Do they really want you to succeed?  Are they setting you up for a fall?  Are they after your current job?

While people can offer their opinions and reassurances, the only person who really knows whether or not you can do this job successfully is you.  Find a calm environment and think carefully about what the job involves.  List the fears you have about taking on the role, however petty they sound.  This is about being honest with yourself and not about worrying how someone might judge you.

Once you’ve identified all the issues, go back over your list and create the solution to each one.  If it’s about a lack of any of the technical skills needed for the job, are there ways you can overcome that or other resources you can tap into?  If it’s about managing a team for the first time, are there any concerns that you really will not be able to handle?  If it’s about the impact of the hours involved on your lifestyle, are there other arrangements you can put in place to deal with it?  If it’s about having to do new things like make presentations or speak in public, is there some training you can ask for?

Looking clearly at each issue will help to reduce the level of ‘noise’ in your head and the resultant panic, and will help you to focus on making a plan.

Finally, be honest about the emotional impact of the decision.  Yes, you could get the job and fail.  If so, what’s the worst that could happen and what would you have learned?  On the other hand, you could get the job and succeed and if that’s where you put your focus when you visualise the outcome of applying for the job, you will have a far greater chance of success.

Focus on what you want and the benefits that it will bring you. Accentuating all the positives that will come as a result of a new and more challenging career opportunity can be a powerful weapon against your fear of failure.

If you’ve thought it through and know that you can do the job, don’t let the negative voices in your head and a momentary crisis of self-confidence sabotage your opportunity to take your career to the next level. As the saying goes, ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’. Overcome the self-doubt by finding gratitude for the opportunity ahead of you to amaze yourself – and others - by what you can accomplish.

All the best!