Job hunt: Why most Irish women don’t have the confidence to apply

So, it turns out that a quarter of Irish people are unhappy in their current jobs, but the majority of people cant find the self confidence to move onwards and upwards

51% of Irish workers admitted not applying for a new job because of a lack of confidence, according to new research by LinkedIn.

The reasons people felt a lack of confidence were pretty varied: 

42% of professionals lacking confidence thought they didn’t have strong enough experience, while 40% thought that there were better candidates for the role and 40% were apprehensive about leaving their comfort zone.

This self-doubt applies to all professionals surveyed, with almost a third  of all workers surveyed questioning whether they would like their new job or if it is worse than their current position; almost 2 in 10 professionals stating that they are scared of rejection and failure; and 18% also admitting that they do not know what to do next.

However, LinkedIn's Jobstacle research found that there are a few tools people can utilise to help them charge up with enough confidence to move roles. 

One of the methods to overcome their lack of confidence was talking to someone in a similar role so they would know what to expect, with a third of professionals saying that such a conversation would be helpful.

24% of the research participants say that they are currently in a role that they are unhappy with or uninspired by. The lack of job motivation typically leads to people moving on quite quickly, with three quarters of people unhappy with their previous job admitting that they had been in the role less than a year before they applied for a new job.

When asked about the biggest motivational factors for applying for a new job, two thirds  of professionals say that a salary increase would tempt them to apply for a new role.

This was followed by better benefits like flexible working hours and healthcare (41%) and better work life balance (41%).

The appeal of feeling wanted was also a plus with four out of ten workers saying that they would be more likely to apply for a role if they were approached about it.