How to Build Confidence During a Career Change

Changing jobs or careers can feel like stepping into the unknown. Even if you're excited about the possibilities, that small voice of doubt often creeps in:

Am I really good enough?

Can I start over?

If that sounds familiar, you're not alone-and the good news is, confidence isn’t something you either have or don’t have. It’s something you can build, even in the midst of a major transition.

Let’s explore how…

We Can Be Our Own Worst Enemy

Career or job changes bring up a host of internal challenges, not just logistical ones. While you’re updating CVs and applying for new roles, your inner critic might be louder than ever. It tells you you're too old, too inexperienced, or too far behind. You may worry about judgment from others or fear making the wrong move.

A lack of confidence isn’t just uncomfortable-it can actively sabotage your progress. It may stop you applying for roles you’re capable of, prevent you from networking, or lead you to accept less than you deserve.

Fear of Failure

Fear isn’t weakness, it’s biology. When you consider a big change, like switching careers or jobs, your brain’s primitive region-often called the amygdala-kicks into gear. This part of your brain evolved to detect threats and keep you safe, back when danger meant a sabre-toothed tiger rather than a job application.

Today, it still can’t tell the difference between physical danger and emotional risk. So when you contemplate leaving the familiar, your nervous system responds as if your very survival is at stake. This ancient wiring can trigger anxiety, avoidance, or paralysis-not because you’re incapable, but because your brain is trying to protect you from uncertainty. The challenge is learning to recognise fear for what it is: a signal, not a stop sign.

If this crisis of confidence isn’t addressed, it can cause people to stay stuck. Some retreat to the safety of a job they no longer enjoy. Others bounce from role to role, never quite feeling secure in their new identity.

According to a 2022 LinkedIn survey, 37% of UK professionals say fear of failure has held them back from making a career change-despite wanting to. The longer these doubts fester, the more they shape your decisions, not based on potential but fear.

In Action

One of my clients, a teacher of 15 years, knew she wanted out-but every time she thought about applying for something new, she was paralysed. “I’m only good in a classroom,” she told me. Over time, we worked on identifying her transferable skills and reframing her story.

She wasn’t “just a teacher”-she was a skilled communicator, planner, mentor, and problem-solver. Once she recognised this, she started applying for roles outside education and was offered a new position within two months. Confidence came not before action-but through it.

You Can Do It!

You can feel confident even in uncertain times. It starts with a shift: from thinking you need total certainty, to trusting yourself to figure things out as you go. Confidence isn’t the absence of fear-it’s the belief that you can move forward despite it.

You don’t need to wait until you feel ready. You can build belief step by step, and every small win reinforces that.

Practical Tips

Here are five practical ways to build confidence during your career or job change:

1. Track What You’ve Already Overcome

List three times you’ve done something new and succeeded. Maybe it was starting your last job, learning a new skill, or surviving a difficult life chapter. Your past resilience is proof you can navigate this too.

2. Create a 'Wins' File

Keep a document (or folder) where you record positive feedback, successful projects, and moments of pride. Refer to it when self-doubt hits.

3. Reframe Your Experience

Think in transferable skills. For example, if you’ve managed a classroom, you’ve handled conflict resolution, time management, leadership and multitasking-skills every sector values.

4. Practice 'As If' Thinking

Act as if you already had confidence. How would you sit? Speak? Apply for a job? This mental rehearsal gradually aligns your behaviour with your ideal future self.

5. Speak Your Goals Out Loud

Whether it’s with a coach, mentor, or peer group, saying your goals aloud-and hearing encouragement back-helps combat imposter syndrome. It creates external accountability and internal belief.

Reach Out!!!

You don’t have to do this alone. Confidence grows faster when it’s nurtured in safe spaces-where you’re supported, challenged, and celebrated.

If you’re thinking about making a change and your confidence feels like the biggest barrier, I’ve got some limited availability this week for a no-obligation chat. Let’s explore what’s next for you:
👉 Book your free session here

You’ve already done hard things. Let this be the next brave step.