Latest / Career Coaching with Fexingo: Professional Coaches, Career Counselors, and Guidance for Workers / How a Career Confidence Audit Reveals Your Hidden Strengths
Transcript
- Lucas: So you know that feeling when you walk into a meeting and everything just clicks — you're on, you're sharp, your ideas land — and then an hour later you're in a different meeting and you feel like you're faking it? Luna: Oh, absolutely. I think everyone has those moments. But I don't think we're taught to actually track them. Lucas: Right. And that's exactly what a career confidence audit is for. It's a structured way to notice where your confidence naturally spikes and where it dips — and then use that data to make smarter career decisions. Luna: So it's like a personal energy map, but focused on confidence specifically. Lucas: Exactly. I first came across this idea through a career coach named Tara Mohr, who wrote about the 'confidence gap' — not as a fixed trait but as something that fluctuates based on context. And I think that nuance matters. Luna: Because if you believe confidence is just something you either have or don't, you miss the fact that your environment and tasks play a huge role. Lucas: Let me give you a concrete example. I worked with a marketing manager named Priya — not her real name — who felt stuck. She thought she had lost her edge. But when we did a confidence audit, we found that her confidence was actually high when she was doing data analysis and presenting to small groups. Luna: But low when she was doing what — brainstorming in large groups? Lucas: Exactly. She felt invisible in big creative sessions. So her 'problem' wasn't lack of confidence overall — it was a mismatch between her strengths and her role's expectations. She shifted into a product marketing role that leaned more on analytics, and her confidence came back. Luna: That's such a clean example. So how does someone actually run this audit? Is it a journaling thing? Lucas: It can be as simple as a notebook or a spreadsheet. The idea is to log your confidence level — say on a scale of one to ten — after each meaningful work interaction or task for about a week. Luna: And you want to capture what specifically triggered it, right? Like, 'I felt an eight when I presented the quarterly numbers, but a four when I had to pitch a new campaign idea.' Lucas: Yes, plus the context. Who was in the room? Was it planned or spontaneous? Did you get immediate feedback? Over time, patterns emerge. Some people find they're most confident early in the day, others after exercise, others when they're working alone versus in a team. Luna: I've also seen research that women in particular tend to underrate their confidence in male-dominated fields, even when performance is identical. So an audit could reveal that the lack of confidence is actually about the environment, not capability. Lucas: That's a great point. And the audit doesn't just show where you're low — it shows where you're high. And those high-confidence moments are clues to what you should be doing more of. Priya's high-confidence moments all involved data, so she leaned into that. Luna: What about someone who finds that their confidence is low across the board? That's a bigger red flag, right? Lucas: It can be. If your average is below a four or five for most tasks, it might signal burnout, a poor culture fit, or even a career that's fundamentally misaligned. But even then, the audit gives you specifics. Maybe you're drained by administrative work but still confident in client calls — that's useful information. Luna: So the goal isn't to fix your confidence — it's to design your work around where you naturally feel strong. Lucas: That's the most actionable takeaway. I've seen people use this data to negotiate role changes, delegate tasks that drain them, or even switch industries. One engineer I know realized his confidence was highest when he was teaching others, not coding — so he moved into a developer relations role. Luna: And it doesn't have to be a huge overhaul. You could just adjust your schedule to do the high-confidence work first, when your energy is best. Lucas: Exactly. Even small tweaks compound. What I love about this tool is that it's based on your own data, not generic advice. It's not someone telling you to 'lean in' or 'fake it till you make it.' It's you observing your own experience. Luna: And speaking of making tools like this available — this is exactly the kind of content we love to produce on Career Coaching with Fexingo. If you've found this episode useful, and you want to see more ad-free, practical career guidance, listener support is what keeps us going. Lucas: Yeah, it really is. We don't run ads, so we rely on people who value the show enough to throw in a coffee's worth. If you're able, you can support us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: And we mean it — even a one-time contribution helps. No pressure, just an option. Now back to the audit: I want to dig into how often you should repeat this. Lucas: I'd say quarterly, at least. Confidence can shift as your role evolves. And it's also a great tool to run after any major change — a promotion, a new boss, a pivot to a different industry. Luna: So it becomes a kind of career compass. You check in, adjust your course. Lucas: Right. And one more thing — when you look at your audit, don't just focus on the low scores. Those high scores are gold. They tell you where you're in flow. And flow states are linked to long-term satisfaction and performance. Luna: So if you're a listener thinking about a career change, this could be your first step — before you update your resume or start networking. Lucas: Absolutely. Because if you don't know which parts of your job make you feel capable, you might jump into a new role that looks good on paper but leaves you feeling just as uncertain. Luna: And that's the opposite of what we want. Lucas: Yes. So my challenge to you: this week, pick three interactions or tasks and rate your confidence. Just three. See what you learn. Luna: That's actually doable. I might try it myself. Lucas: I'd be curious to hear what you find. For now, that's the career confidence audit — a simple tool that can reveal a lot.