My daughter Emma just started her first job in art conservation, in Scotland. Getting there took grit. She triple majored in biology, psychology, and neuroscience and planned on medicine. Then she followed her heart into conservation and moved to Wales for her master’s degree.
Then came the job search. Conservation is a niche field with only a handful of openings, and Emma filled out application after application. So many places never responded at all. No interview, no rejection email, just silence.
I don’t know exactly how many applications she sent. I just know it was a lot. And it was so frustrating to watch her put real time into every one of them and then never hear back.
Honestly, I think a no is better than silence. Even a quick note that says “Thank you for your application, we’ve gone in a different direction” gives you something. Real feedback would be even better, so you’d know what to work on. I understand why most companies don’t offer it, because it takes time. But when all you get is silence, you start filling in the blanks yourself, and the story you tell yourself usually isn’t a kind one: I’m not good enough.
Applying into silence: why new hires start out doubting themselves
Emma isn’t alone. In a September survey, 93% of job seekers said they’d applied for a job and never heard back. Career experts estimate new grads often send 100 or more applications before they land a single offer.
And I think it’s just as hard for people applying later in their careers. When you have to apply to that many jobs to land one, it’s hard not to start believing you’re not good enough.
So when they finally land the job, a lot of them walk in the door already doubting themselves.
Most of them won’t tell you how they feel. They’re grateful to finally have the job, and they don’t want to risk it by looking unsure. So the doubt shows up in quieter ways. They apologize before asking a question, or start every email with “I just wanted to check.”
When a leader notices those habits and responds with encouragement and clear feedback, a new hire can let them go and start showing what they’re really capable of.
How new hire confidence affects your bottom line
A new hire who doubts themselves holds back from day one. They stay quiet in meetings and wait for permission before they take initiative.
It takes them longer to contribute, and if they never get comfortable, they’re more likely to leave. Every new hire who walks out the door takes the time and training you invested with them. They’re also the people you were counting on to lead your organization five years from now.
Leaders can change this
The first few weeks are when you have the most influence. How you treat a new hire early on tells them whether they belong.
You can shape how confident your newest people feel starting in their very first week.
How to build confidence in new hires with The REAL Method®
- Respect Yourself. Your newest people take their cues from you. When you stay steady during uncertainty and speak about yourself with respect, you show them what confidence looks like under pressure. Pay attention to how you talk about your own work in front of them. If you constantly downplay your wins, they’ll learn to do the same.
- Embrace Your Failures. Your newest hires may have just spent months hearing nothing back. Share one of your own mistakes and what it taught you. Better yet, tell them about a time you didn’t get the job or the promotion and how you moved forward. You’ll give them permission to make mistakes too.
- Ask Yourself What You Want. Then ask your team. A simple “Where do you want to be a year from now?” gives new hires a sense of control the job market hasn’t given them. Revisit the question every few months so they know you meant it.
- Live Without Limits. Hand new hires real responsibility early: a client call, a project to own, a seat in the meeting where decisions get made. Be available when they need you, and then let them run with it. Every small win becomes proof they can point to the next time doubt shows up.
Help new hires change the story they tell themselves
After months of silence, many new hires carry a story into work with them: I got lucky. They’re going to figure out I don’t belong here. One of the tools I teach is Ctrl-Alt-Delete, and leaders can use it with their teams.
- Ctrl: Notice the story. When a new hire hesitates, ask what they’re telling themselves, and whether it’s real and helpful.
- Alt: Offer a better one. “What if I mess this up?” becomes “When I figure this out, I’ll be the one teaching the next person.”
- Delete: Clear out the habits that don’t serve them, like comparing themselves to coworkers with ten years of experience.
A two-minute conversation like this can change how someone shows up for the rest of the week.
Your entry-level team is your future leadership team
Emma did land her job in the end. Watching her search reminded me how much a single response can mean when you’re just starting out.
The next generation of leaders is sitting in your entry-level roles right now. How they feel about themselves this year will shape how they lead later.
Think about your own first job. Someone probably took a chance on you or gave you more responsibility than you felt ready for. That person shaped the leader you became. You can be that person for someone on your team.
That’s the heart of my keynote, The Confident Leader. If you’re planning a leadership event or offsite for 2027, I’d love to help your leaders build confident, high-performing teams. Explore my keynotes.
Frequently asked questions
Many spent months applying for jobs and hearing nothing back. That silence leaves them doubting their abilities, so they often start quietly, hesitate to ask questions, and wait for permission before taking initiative.
Model steadiness, share your own setbacks, ask new hires what they want from their careers, and give them real responsibility early. The REAL Method® turns those steps into a simple framework leaders can use from week one.
The REAL Method® is Simone Knego’s framework for building confidence and performance in leaders and teams. It stands for Respect Yourself, Embrace Your Failures, Ask Yourself What You Want, and Live Without Limits.
Employees who doubt themselves take longer to contribute, hold back ideas, and are more likely to leave. Building confidence early protects the time and money you invest in every new hire.
About the author
Simone Knego is an international keynote speaker, two-time TEDx speaker, and USA Today bestselling author of REAL Confidence: A Simple Guide to Go from Unsure to Unshakeable. She helps organizations increase profits by building confident, high-performing teams through The REAL Method®. Learn more at simoneknego.com.
