If there’s one thing I have learned in college, it’s the importance of confidence and the belief in your capabilities. Having confidence, however, is easier said than done, and most people would agree it’s sometimes difficult to portray this quality in intimidating situations, such as interviewing or talking to a recruiter.
To articulate how to develop this skill, I gained insight from UBWA alumna Emma Galasso. Galasso graduated in 2018 and currently works as a Stunt Team Assistant for a Stunt Coordinator on a Netflix superhero movie. During her time at Ohio State she worked for Marvel on the Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Endgame movies. Due to the competitiveness of the entertainment industry, confidence plays an essential role to her success.
Galasso said, “I know what I’m capable of and how I can succeed. I don’t doubt my abilities. Being able to confidently say ‘I’ll solve this problem’ sets me apart from other people in my position.”
Here are five tips to help you find your inner confidence, so that you can land your dream opportunity.
1) Expose yourself to a variety of experiences.
Exposing yourself to a variety of experiences will enable you to anticipate and solve problems faster. Getting better at problem solving will give you confidence in your intellectual capabilities and your ability to contribute to teams that you’re working on. Feeling like you can add value to a team will make you feel more comfortable and confident in both the current opportunity you are working on as well as future teams that you may join.
2) Do things that scare you.
One of the tips that Galasso gave was, “anything that makes you nervous (the kind of nervous that just means you’ve reached outside of your comfort zone), do it.” Growth happens when you challenge yourself to do things that you don’t normally do. Accomplishing new things will enable you to have a ‘can do’ attitude and grow your mindset as to what you believe you’re capable of which will develop your self-confidence.
3) Become comfortable with yourself and take pride in who you are.
Developing comfort with yourself enables you to be able to rely on yourself and develop a sense of independence to take on new challenges. Taking pride in who you are and being able to showcase what makes you unique is tremendously important in order to portray your confidence.
4) Think about the opportunities that excite you and visualize yourself in those roles.
If you imagine yourself achieving your dreams then you will continue to go for opportunities that will bring you closer to accomplishing your final goal. Having the mindset that you have the capabilities and talent to end up where you want to be in your life is a sense of confidence that others will appreciate.
5) Be patient, persistent, and express gratitude.
Confidence doesn’t show up overnight. It takes practice in order to shift your mindset and to be able to portray that shift to others. Surround yourself with confident people and continue to follow the other tips above, and eventually you will experience growth. Be sure to thank the people in your life that act as role models, mentors, and your support system because they will help you to flourish and become who you want to be.
Developing your self-confidence isn’t easy. It takes time, effort, and practice, but it is a trait that you can train continuously to improve upon. Once you are able to find your inner confidence and portray that to others, it will help you to achieve your dream jobs, internships, and opportunities, as Galasso was able to do.
I would like to thank you for reading this post as well as Emma Galasso for her insight in writing this post! If you have any questions or would like to learn more about developing your self-confidence, feel free to email me at chambers.487@osu.edu.
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