Confidence is both about how you appear on the outside and how you feel on the inside. Feeling confident can help you succeed in a job interview, with your work activities and in life in general.

Following a CMS Vocational course can build your confidence and self-esteem by:

a)      Providing you with useful workplace skills

b)      Giving you experience of different environments

c)       Helping you to build interpersonal relationships

Five ways being confident can help you in the workplace

At work, being confident can help you with a range of activities, such as:

1. Presentations
2. Dealing with customers
3. Negotiating a pay rise or a promotion
4. Communicating and building relationships with colleagues
5. Reaching team leadership and managerial positions

Five ways being confident can help you in your personal life

In life outside work, building confidence can help you with:

1. Developing a positive, can-do attitude
2. Dealing with family issues
3. Developing strong, well-balanced personal relationships
4. Dealing with difficult situations, eg knowing what to say to someone who is upset; complaining about bad customer service
5. Taking on roles in the community, eg amateur dramatics, sports team coach, raising money for charity

How to become more confident

“We learn wisdom from failure much more than from success.”  Samuel Smiles

Some people are naturally confident, others have to work harder at it. But you can learn and master self-confidence. Here are five tips:

1. Remember that everyone makes mistakes – but that’s is how we learn to do things right the next time around. Don’t be fazed by people who appear more confident or accomplished than you – they will have their own insecurities.
2. Think about how you portray yourself to the world. A few tips: hold your head up and look people in the eye; develop a firm handshake; practice speaking slowly and clearly in the mirror; take time with your appearance but develop your own personal style that you are comfortable with.
3. Take constructive criticism on board but avoid or challenge people who constantly criticise or undermine you. Write down a list of the positive things in your life and focus on solutions rather than problems.
4. Don’t give up if something is difficult, keep at it until you succeed. This will boost your confidence more than achieving something that you found easy.
5. Be open to learning new things. Following a vocational course can give you confidence in your abilities and to develop transferable skills that can help you in a variety of work environments and in your life outside work.

CMS Vocational course skills that build confidence

The skills you learn on a CMS Vocational Training course are wide ranging. A few examples of how these could build your confidence:

• Customer service skills – can help you communicate confidently with others at work and home
• ICT skills – can give you the confidence to achieve tasks at work and help work colleagues with less advanced computer skills
• Accountancy skills – can help you become confident at managing money, whether your own accounts, in the workplace or when taking on a role such as the treasurer of a society
• Activity leadership – by following a course where you lead others in outdoor pursuits you can gain confidence in your abilities to lead and organise others
• Team leading and management – teaches you transferable skills including problem solving and monitoring work done by others, which will boost your confidence

Here are some examples of our previous learners who have completed a course with CMS and how it has had a positive impact on their life!

Leoni Cornelly- Level 2 AAT Apprentice

Jamal Bent- Level 2 Operational Services Apprentice

Dominic Livesey- Kirklees Active Leisure Apprenitce of the Year

Dewi Ferrero- A career in the fitness industry

Sophie Parkin- 19+ Intermediate Apprentice of the Year

Conclusion

If you are lacking in confidence, a vocational course can give you access to skills that can improve your self-esteem, allow you to access better employment opportunities and boost your all-round self-confidence.