4 Ways to Silence Your Inner Critic During a Job Search

You know that voice, that inside voice that whispers ‘you can do this’ into your ears as you take that daunting step? The one that gives you that gentle nudge forward to push you outside of your comfort zone. It knows when enough is enough, fear cannot and will not win every time. It simply can’t.

But what about the voice that tells you you’re not good enough, you’re not ready or you’re not suited. That voice which drills into you time and time again that now is not your time so you better take a step back. Bask in the fear. This inner critic. This silencer. They love nothing more than keeping you in your place. Which one do you listen to more?

In ‘Don’t Keep Your Day Job’, Cathy Heller talks about your mess being a part of your message and I think this is really important to remember, particularly in times of transition, times of change and times of uncertainty. Pretty much like this exact time. Hello Pandemic.

For many of my clients and for many of you, that voice that tells you you’re not good enough, what we could call your ‘Inner Critic’ or IC for short, grows and takes over in times of a job search particularly. The constant applications, the virtual interviews, the unexplained silences from recruiters, all of these and more weigh heavily on your being. They play into what the voice knows – or thinks it knows and essentially feed it. That is if you let them.

How do you counteract this though?

1. Let’s start off by naming your inner critic. Yep, give them a name. Separate them from yourself. Mine for instance? She’s Jaz. A headwrecker, a button-pusher and the gal who knows just what to say, to make me tremble (both literally and figuratively). My friend calls hers Herbie – yes like the VW.

Research shows that trying to annihilate your inner critic or trying to suppress them, doesn’t work in the long run. Terrible I know. But detaching them from yourself, well that’s the start. It takes them out of your being as such, and almost creates a separate person. One who you can speak to, question and potentially reason with.

This post was originally published on Thrive Global, November 5th, 2020. You can read the rest of the article here.