I still feel like ‘the graduate’, what can I do?
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I’ve heard this expression several times when working with young professionals a few years into their career. Behind it, in essence, is a lack of self-belief, so let’s explore what that looks like and how we can develop our sense of self-worth and competence to ensure we reach our full potential.
How do you see yourself? Do you still see yourself as the junior, the one lacking any real knowledge or expertise? If you do, others will subconsciously pick up on this and treat you accordingly. In other words, we get back what we give out.
What thoughts are going through your mind that leave you still feeling like the ‘junior’ in the team? It could be that you are still unsure where you add value to the projects or workload of your team, in which case talk to your manager about your progress in the role. Ask for feedback on the value they see you making to the team, or for validation of your own assessment of the value you add.
Alternatively, it could be that you regularly measure yourself against others who’ve been in the same role as you for far longer and who, therefore, have a wealth of tacit knowledge built up over time. If so, think about the level of expertise you had when you first began work compared to the expertise you now possess – you’ll notice the difference, especially if you spend any time with new joiners or new team members. Don’t underestimate the distance you’ve travelled, instead congratulate yourself.
How would you rate your self-confidence on a scale of 1-10 where 10 is high? If it’s below 7, think about how to bolster your confidence. This could be through listing your achievements in life, gaining a mentor, gaining insight to your innate strengths (see paragraph below), asking others what they see as your strengths or what they see you adding to the team. Consider asking people for some ‘career development’ feedback and pose 3 questions:
What treatment are you experiencing from others? Is it justified? Whether it is or not, what can you do to help them see you differently? Do you talk about recent achievements at work? Do you let people know what new knowledge or insights you’ve gained? Do you know what your strengths are, those things that are unique to you and over and above any technical knowledge required by your role? If not, do a skill, experience and achievement audit and then think about possible answers to questions like, “what’s your role in this team?” or “how’s it going?” or “how are you?”.
Instead of answering “I’m the administrator” say “I keep all our records up-to-date to ensure we can prove at a moment’s notice we are compliant with regulations”. Instead of saying “it’s all going fine” say “really well, we just finished phase 1 on time and under budget”. This ensures that people walk away knowing something positive about you. Keep the answers short and sweet – 20 seconds is enough – and practise these ‘bon mots’ so you are more likely to remember them when needed!
Has your behaviour changed in line with your responsibilities? Perhaps you now lead a section of work but behave as if you are still a team member? Make sure you step up to the demands of your current role. That may mean chairing meetings, initiating contact with suppliers, customers or other teams whose work feeds into yours or updating people on progress before it’s requested. When it comes to leadership – on any level – the old saying ‘if it looks like an elephant, it probably is an elephant’ applies! So, remember to act like you ‘own’ your role, even if you feel nervous.
Can any of your current workload be legitimately delegated to someone more junior in the team? If so, this will give you time to move on to more complex, demanding work which will grow your skills. If this isn’t possible consider what ‘added value’ you could bring to tasks. For example, do you just report data or now write summaries of key themes and areas requiring further exploration? Do you ask the ‘so what’ questions and provide a possible answer? This will grow your value to the team and develop an awareness of your future potential.
Finally, volunteer for projects and initiatives to grow your skills, use untapped skills, or develop others. This is a great way to develop your abilities, realise the contribution you can now make compared to when you first began work, and help others see you in a different light.
TAKE AWAY
How we feel about ourselves links directly to how others perceive us, and how they treat us in turn. If we still feel like the graduate, it’s probably because we still see ourselves as the graduate. So, understanding why this self-perception exists, tackling the causes and rethinking who we are and how we add value at work is essential. When we feel valued, when we have a healthy degree of self-respect, we behave more confidently with others and they, in turn, treat as fellow professionals. This applies throughout our whole career, so the sooner we learn to value ourselves, the happier and more successful we will be.
How do you see yourself? Do you still see yourself as the junior, the one lacking any real knowledge or expertise? If you do, others will subconsciously pick up on this and treat you accordingly. In other words, we get back what we give out.
What thoughts are going through your mind that leave you still feeling like the ‘junior’ in the team? It could be that you are still unsure where you add value to the projects or workload of your team, in which case talk to your manager about your progress in the role. Ask for feedback on the value they see you making to the team, or for validation of your own assessment of the value you add.
Alternatively, it could be that you regularly measure yourself against others who’ve been in the same role as you for far longer and who, therefore, have a wealth of tacit knowledge built up over time. If so, think about the level of expertise you had when you first began work compared to the expertise you now possess – you’ll notice the difference, especially if you spend any time with new joiners or new team members. Don’t underestimate the distance you’ve travelled, instead congratulate yourself.
How would you rate your self-confidence on a scale of 1-10 where 10 is high? If it’s below 7, think about how to bolster your confidence. This could be through listing your achievements in life, gaining a mentor, gaining insight to your innate strengths (see paragraph below), asking others what they see as your strengths or what they see you adding to the team. Consider asking people for some ‘career development’ feedback and pose 3 questions:
- What should I keep doing?
- What should I start doing?
- What should I stop doing?
What treatment are you experiencing from others? Is it justified? Whether it is or not, what can you do to help them see you differently? Do you talk about recent achievements at work? Do you let people know what new knowledge or insights you’ve gained? Do you know what your strengths are, those things that are unique to you and over and above any technical knowledge required by your role? If not, do a skill, experience and achievement audit and then think about possible answers to questions like, “what’s your role in this team?” or “how’s it going?” or “how are you?”.
Instead of answering “I’m the administrator” say “I keep all our records up-to-date to ensure we can prove at a moment’s notice we are compliant with regulations”. Instead of saying “it’s all going fine” say “really well, we just finished phase 1 on time and under budget”. This ensures that people walk away knowing something positive about you. Keep the answers short and sweet – 20 seconds is enough – and practise these ‘bon mots’ so you are more likely to remember them when needed!
Has your behaviour changed in line with your responsibilities? Perhaps you now lead a section of work but behave as if you are still a team member? Make sure you step up to the demands of your current role. That may mean chairing meetings, initiating contact with suppliers, customers or other teams whose work feeds into yours or updating people on progress before it’s requested. When it comes to leadership – on any level – the old saying ‘if it looks like an elephant, it probably is an elephant’ applies! So, remember to act like you ‘own’ your role, even if you feel nervous.
Can any of your current workload be legitimately delegated to someone more junior in the team? If so, this will give you time to move on to more complex, demanding work which will grow your skills. If this isn’t possible consider what ‘added value’ you could bring to tasks. For example, do you just report data or now write summaries of key themes and areas requiring further exploration? Do you ask the ‘so what’ questions and provide a possible answer? This will grow your value to the team and develop an awareness of your future potential.
Finally, volunteer for projects and initiatives to grow your skills, use untapped skills, or develop others. This is a great way to develop your abilities, realise the contribution you can now make compared to when you first began work, and help others see you in a different light.
TAKE AWAY
How we feel about ourselves links directly to how others perceive us, and how they treat us in turn. If we still feel like the graduate, it’s probably because we still see ourselves as the graduate. So, understanding why this self-perception exists, tackling the causes and rethinking who we are and how we add value at work is essential. When we feel valued, when we have a healthy degree of self-respect, we behave more confidently with others and they, in turn, treat as fellow professionals. This applies throughout our whole career, so the sooner we learn to value ourselves, the happier and more successful we will be.