Young Lawyers: Building Confidence at Work

When did you start feeling confident at work?

For many young lawyers, it takes a few years to feel like we know what we're doing.

Phrases such as 'imposter syndrome' and 'workplace anxiety' aren't uncommon early in our careers.

But there are things you can do to overcome stress and build self-confidence:

Track your learning and accomplishment (the 'brag book')

It's easy to lose sight of the skills we've gained over time - and too easy to focus on recent mistakes. We can take a longer term view by setting up a word document, notebook or even email folder that tracks things like:

1. thank you emails from clients / colleagues for work that you've done well;
2. key projects that you were involved in; and
3. work that proves you can do something you couldn't do before.

It's been great having a reference point to look through when I've felt bad for making mistakes - and super helpful when it comes to performance review time.

Play to your strengths

There's a lot of value in shoring up your weaknesses. But it can be stressful focusing only on things that you're struggling with.

We can take the initiative by looking for tasks that draw on our strengths or things we enjoy.

Good at writing or marketing? Offer to help the business development team or suggest topics that your clients may want to know about.

Got coding skills? See if you can automate a workflow / develop a program that solves a problem in the team.

Comfortable researching / public speaking? Offer to research and present on recent developments in the law / client industry (especially for those sweet, sweet CLE points).

Be honest and ask questions

I'm not a fan of the 'fake it til you make it' mindset. Especially in a workplace that relies on teamwork. And a profession where people rely on your advice.

Instead, I think it's better to be completely honest and ask whenever you're not 100% clear on something (even if it doesn't sound as catchy).

Don't pretend you know what's going on because you're worried about wasting somebody's time.

Asking questions shows that you're willing to learn. That you care about getting things right. And you don't have to worry about being 'exposed'.

Hope that helps!