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Reframe Six Career-Limiting Beliefs

By Larry Buhl, Monster Contributing Writer

The phrases “you create your own reality” or “you just need self-confidence” can be maddening to hear when your career or job search stalls. But career experts point out that your beliefs really do influence outcomes. Unless you first believe you can and will find the job or career you want, you’ll end up defeating yourself. Here are six common career-limiting beliefs and how you can reframe them in a more constructive light.

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Belief: I’m not good enough.
Reframing: I’m as good as I say I am.

People who have been on a very long and fruitless job search can fall into a vicious circle of withering self-esteem, helplessness and depression, according to Los Angeles-based therapist Helaine Harris. “Long-term unemployment in particular can bring up whatever negative self-beliefs were already going on under the surface,” she says. To do a career and self-esteem triage, Harris suggests listing your accomplishments, your positive qualities and how you’ve coped with difficult situations. “This helps people reframe what they call failures as just steps along their life path of learning,” Harris tells Monster.com.

Belief: It’s a terrible job market.
Reframing: People are still being hired, so why not me?

True, the unemployment rate and long-term jobless statistics are still ugly. But some fields and jobs are going begging for qualified applicants. “It’s not a bad job market, but it is a shifting job market,” says Penelope Trunk, founder of Brazen Careerist, a career-management platform for young professionals. Trunk recommends looking for jobs you like on a job site like Monster, then tailoring your resume and doing your own projects to show that you have those skills.

Belief: I must be overqualified.
Reframing: Maybe I can update my skills.

Nobody is overqualified, Trunk says. They’re just not qualified in ways employers are looking for. “If you have 10 years of experience and employers aren’t interested, you probably need to develop a different set of skills,” she says.

John McKee, career coach and author of The Plan, agrees. “You need to detangle your job search efforts from your self-esteem,” he says. “You have talent, but you need self-confidence that you can take advantage of that talent in new ways. And that might mean you won’t land another job like your last one.”

Belief: I’ve invested too much time, money and energy in this career to change now.
Reframing: A change might do me good.

Most people fall into their careers and ride the “escalator of advancement” without considering where they want to go, McKee says. “If you’re stalled or unemployed, it’s the perfect time to take control of your life and do a career assessment,” he says. In his book, McKee recommends looking at where you want your life to be in five years in order to develop a more strategic outlook and take the pressure off finding the perfect job immediately.

Belief: My skills will just be out of date -- again.
Reframing: Change is hard, but staying stuck is harder.

Nobody likes upheaval, whether we choose it or whether it’s forced on us. But career development -- even in a time of low unemployment -- occasionally requires stepping outside our comfort zone, according to Harris. “Most of us want to do what we’ve always done, even if it hasn’t been working for us,” she says. “The environment is forcing many more people -- young and older -- to do a thorough self-assessment, and take risks.”

McKee suggests learning from successful organizations. “They are always making plans, taking steps, evaluating success and revising those steps when they need to,” he says.

Belief: I can’t get a job without experience, and I can’t get experience without a job.
Reframing: I can make my own experience.

Remember that “valuable experience” is not the same as “paying job.” If you think lack of job experience is holding you back, try volunteering, interning or offering free professional advice through blogging. “Everything on the resume doesn’t have to be a paid position,” Trunk says.

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