Before you update your résumé, reach out to a recruiter, and practice your answer to the classic “Tell me about yourself…” question - you need to ask yourself a more foundational question:

Do I trust myself?

This 4-word question is not meant to assess your ability to interview credibly or complete certain tasks confidently. It is meant to assess how much you trust yourself to hold your highest intention and persist in the face of uncertainty.

Because while the world of work is being reshaped by the consolidation of industries and the rise of artificial intelligence, confident subject matter expertise is no longer enough to carry you from one job to another.

Now, you need to be a trust-builder, and that effort doesn’t start with your résumé; it starts with you.

Make Self-Trust Your First Priority

It was around this time last year that I discovered the work of Rachel Botsman, a researcher, speaker, and creative specializing in trust in the digital age. Botsman defines TRUST as "a confident relationship with the unknown,” and her definition has helped me explain an important distinction to my career changer clients:

Self-confidence is the belief that you possess the necessary content knowledge and skills to excel in a specific domain.

Self-trust is the belief that you possess enough experience and intuitive wherewithal to navigate any context, especially changing ones.

Simply put, self-trust is anchored more deeply in the person than the problem, and when you are trying to cut loose to search for a new role, organization, or industry, that grounding in self can make the ambiguous effort a whole lot less overwhelming.

Amplify Trust One Conversation at a Time

Of course, you might now be wondering, “…but how do I build self-trust? So I have more of it…”

Well, to get a little more practical and tactical, I’ll tell you what I tell my clients and friends…

You must prioritize more conversations that are not job interviews. (Read that as many times as you need to so it really sinks in.)

More personal, coaching conversations…the kind that challenge what you really believe about yourself and your career, reinforce what you are really capable of, and clarify what you really need to do next.

More low-stakes, exploratory conversations… the kind that educate you on new and unfolding business problems, deepen your sense of support and connection, invite your experienced and intuitive perspective, and position you as someone ready to collaborate.

Prioritizing these types of conversations helps you:

Convert your core values into more authentic professional goals
Describe your unique content knowledge and skills, and highlight your experience and intuitive wherewithal.
Feel more supported and informed, which makes you a more compelling candidate when it's time to start interviewing!
Create opportunities for others to see you as someone they can trust, which increases the likelihood that they will want to help
Connects you to more people and uncovers more opportunities that need someone like you!

And on a deeper, subconscious level, prioritizing these types of conversations helps you and everyone you meet build a more confident relationship with the unknown future of work.

…and if that’s not a win-win, I don’t know what is!