It can be hard enough for anybody seeking a job, with fewer and fewer jobs available since the pandemic. Finding jobs is harder than ever. All the tips and guides suggest being outgoing and confident, but what about the introverts out there that find it hard to be outgoing and confident?
- Practice
Practice as practice makes perfect; practice confidently speaking to people; no matter how silly you feel, you must practice until it comes naturally to you. Practicing might feel silly at first, but it really is the key to success; the more you practice, the more naturally things will come to you.
- Scheduling
Don’t overschedule yourself and overwhelm yourself; an introvert having too many social interactions can do you some good, but it can also exhaust you and affect performance and morale. You must space out job interviews so that you can recover between them and prepare for the next ones. Being at a low-stress level for interviews is optimum otherwise, you might feel overwhelmed and come across as shy or lacking in social skills in your interview.
- Strengths
Sometimes being an introvert can be a good thing; you can use this to your advantage as sometimes there needs to be a balance within a workplace of both introverted and extroverted people. Being an introvert might affect social interactions, but often due to introverted people being uncomfortable in social situations, their work output is much higher because they come to work and focus solely on their work. You can use being introverted as a way to explain your dedicated and hardworking nature. This is only a positive and will be viewed so by employers.
- Social media
If you find yourself an introvert, you can often use social media as a release; whilst it might be hard to say things in person, it is easier to use social media to broadcast your voice. Networking is a great way to make contacts and get your foot in the door somewhere; social media can play a huge role in this. Using your strengths of social media, you can create mutually beneficial relationships that may help you get a job whilst maintaining your introverted self.
- Go easy
It can be easy to be hard on yourself because you wish you were more extroverted, but everybody is unique and different and so are their personal attributes. Whilst the grass may seem greener on the other side, it’s important to remain true to who you are and sometimes remember what you view as your biggest flaws can be an advantage. It’s crucial that you remain authentically yourself and don’t beat yourself up over it, there has to be a balance between introverts and extroverts, and your role in this is crucial.
