The Confidence Interval: Your Piece of the Pie

You get invited for an interview, you are scared but by default, you convince yourself that you are the right candidate for the job. You will do whatever research about the company, its people and even equip yourself with those interview sound bites everyone pretends to hate. This is happening to me as I write this. A top FMCG company has just invited me for a second round of interviews. Not to brag but this did not come as a shock. I’m confident in my skills, I know what to bring into an interview situation and truth be told, the first round candidates did not pose a threat to me. Even though I was and still am, I’m up against some really book smart people, I’m convinced the company is after a well-rounded candidate with a myriad of business skills and I have that.

This time however, I only have myself to measure up against. The moment I heard about the interview, I started planning what I was going to say to prove to them that they should hire me. Granted I really want the position: excellent graduate programme, being fast tracked into managerial positions, assistance with professional engineering registration oh it’s a dream! Of course I want it.

This however, got me thinking about my worth: why was I so ready to impress these people? They have what I want, rather, they have what I think I want but have I really thought about what I’m going after? Is it really what I want? I bet a lot of us do this when we want something. We mould ourselves into what the other party wants but rarely do we look at what we want.

The working world is changing. People are becoming more and more life-work balanced. Doing the work you love maximises the worth you feel about yourself. Stake your claim, if that doesn’t work out, do it again in until you find a company that will back your values. This is not philosophical mumbo jumbo by the way.  I’m not a ‘lie on the couch and lay it all out ’cheerer either.  All I’m saying is don’t always conform to what is required, sometimes just decide who you want to be and look for a place that accommodates that. I bet it will lead to a lot less job hopping, plotting against your boss and animosity towards a guy who gets promoted because he befriends the right people. Eventually, you can be in the job you love and not have to pretend you enjoy golf! Believe it or not, employers want people who understand themselves, so wealth and worth are not mutually exclusive at all.  As for me, I’ll put on the pretentious suit but when it comes to impressing, forget the traditional bargaining power balance, I’ll be staking my claim! Will keep you posted though!

Right to Confidence

Walk into the room like you already own it. Speak as if you already have validation and approval. Get into a place like you belong there.  To some people, this comes naturally.  Belonging, being, is a birth right. Others, strong encouragement from the more intellectually mature early caregivers instils this strong sense of self. Sure, I’m sure self-doubt surfaces from these people now and then but they always have an unchanging reference point on which to restore their well-crafted composure and self. For most people, confidence is a struggle. Before you roll your eyes and pass this off as some psychological analysis which is bound to be followed by unfounded advice from someone who ‘knows from experience’, you are wrong. Not to hurt you ego or anything.

I’d like to focus on the confidence you need to walk into a professional environment and say exactly what is on your mind. Most of us just assume that the guy who talks the loudest knows the best. This is not necessarily the case. Science or Art? Who cares? During my varsity years, talking in front of the whole class used to terrify me. Never mind that I was a confident A student in high school. Suddenly I felt like I was thrown at a deep end of the pool and other people were better that me: smarter, more knowledgeable, more cosmopolitan and what have you. The truth is: some of them were, and others not.

I realised that this was not a reason to hold back and disappear, however. Those who did participate in class did not say something that was extraordinarily smart, it was mostly something I was mostly thinking of myself. Whatever box you prefer to put yourself in, ensure that it’s not too small for you to imagine better. Even those loud speaking, big shots have moments of self-doubt, so just be. Make a fool of yourself: It’s done me wonders! Don’t sweat the small stuff because you know what: It’s all the small stuff!

Being confident is your right, your choice, no one has it all the time but if you can just get over yourself for a moment and stop obsessing about your insecurities: you will succeed. Try this: Imagine you are wrong about how the world of work, the politics, the perceptions, you own self-defeating constraints or whatever, just for a day and just give yourself a fresh perspective, or just pretend your way through it.

Sindiswa Dlamini

Welcome feature

Hi

At the end of the year I will be graduating from one of the top universities in the country. This is my Honours of my university degree in Industrial Engineering. Don't worry you are not the only one, most people would ask me to explain what Industrial Engineering is but not now. I will though, as you get to know me. I'm an engineering whatever with dare I say useful, business know-how. I’m black. I’m a woman.  I don't always spell correctly though. That's all you need for now. Some more: I have a great sense of humour but often serious.

I started this blog because I mostly wondered: how many people, like me, have asked themselves: how do I find the opportunities I need to succeed in my pursuits for wealth? Even more importantly, how do you achieve my wealth without compromising my integrity (if you are interested in it of course)? Black professionals often have to qualify themselves and prove that they are not BEE (if you don't know what that is, please get off my blog) window-dressers to actually be recognised. Moreover, we are notorious for ‘job-hopping’. Are we really that unenlightened or just not catered for in the current working environment?

I live in a country with a lot of racial diversity, thank Ala for that! However, this comes at a price. Being driven and finding your place at work or in making that all so important moola is not easy. Corruption, nepotism, BEE, or even my personal favourite term, tenderpreneur (God bless whoever coined it) might follow you. If somehow you have enough insight not to be boggled by all those, look up and you'll see that you haven't really tried to pursue success, whatever that may be for you!

I hate constant complainers who offer no solutions. I am looking to engage in a solution based environment with ‘can-do’ thinkers with a lot of humour (Lord knows I love it) and informed insight and solutions. I truly believe that the simplest, most basic thought is often the solution. For now I really would love your stories and insight. So please enlighten and educate.  First question: What is going on in this country and the workplace?

Sindiswa Dlamini