I'm worried I look incompetent at work, what can I do?

You can only do your best. Make efforts to improve any skills you feel you may lack in and focus on your strengths. You're probably doing better than you think - workplaces can be busy and managers don't always have the time to congratulate you on every success. Perhaps asking where you can improve will be beneficial - that way you can work cohesively with your work instead of feeling like you're incompetent. Stay confident and remember that you can always improve. Make sure you're maintaining a generally high standard - you will always have areas that you do better in than others.

To avoid looking clueless when you come to work, have all the activities you plan to do written out on a sheet of paper or on your phone. That way, when you finish one task you will know what to move onto next. If you genuinely don't understand how to do a certain job at your workplace, it is 100% okay to ask somebody for help. Asking for help doesn't make you seem foolish or incompetent, it shows that you are willing to improve your skills. It sounds like you are experiencing anxiety about the job because you want to do it well. When joining a new workplace or another workplace with a different atmosphere than your old one, that is common. The more you practice and the more times goes by, you will be an expert at knowing what to do. Never give up!

Confidence is key here. The only set way to get people to believe that you know what you are doing is to act like you know what you are doing. When you appear to be unsure of yourself, others are forced to think just that. On the contrary, when you present and assert yourself in a way that shows self-confidence, people are more likely to trust that you know what you are doing. Start by feeling fully comfortable in your own skin, who you are as a person, and what you know as a person in your field of work. Once you gain that comfortability in yourself, you will be able to gain access to your confidence.

Comparing ourselves with others is a virus we all catch as children. Comparison and competition should only be done with your past selves. I am aware of how difficult it is to eradicate this virus. But, the solution is to calm yourself, to love yourself more, to let others believe what they please about you (there is nothing we can do about it, people are free to believe whatever they want), and to compete with your past self, with your yesterday self. Improve. That's all you can do. Watch yourself constantly to make sure you act according to your principles, to your liking, to your sense of goodness (your own definition of good).

Dress confident to feel good about yourself, and you will feel more confident in the work you do as well! Also, do not be afraid to ask questions. In my experience, people are more receptive to someone who is curious and wants to learn than someone who willfully does something wrong. Also, think about the reason you are worried. Is it because of a certain skill you do not feel strong in? If not, think of good ways to tackle it! Is it the way a certain coworker treats you? If so, try to have a conversation to determine why they are saying these things to you! If training or the work itself is stressful or overwhelming, try to find a resource at work to talk about these things and develop an action plan.

you are not alone, alot of people feel this way when they start something new. It is important that you understand that you were selected because of your capabilities, keep an eye on your accomplishments, and know your are worthy of the place you are at. Most importantly be kind to yourself, and try to focus on the positives. If you need more help, try to talking to a superior or a manger, to understand the role more deeply, and to get some feedback. This could give you a direction in understanding which areas you need improvement on, and where you are thriving

I felt like I was completely incompetent at my job but oddly enough I ended up becoming one of the top brokers in the company so I learned that I was the only one who saw me as incompetent, I had created this false narrative in my head. In reality I was more than competent and exceeded my expectations massively. Just let your actions and your outcomes speak for your competency. Actions are what is true not feelings or emotions. It really didn’t matter what I looked like at work to myself or anyone else. How I was looked at had nothing to do with my ability to get the job done.

Let me tell you a secret here... nearly everyone, if not everyone, feels the same way. And that's the beauty and the beast of the workplace. We all feel like we can do better and so we push ourselves to our limits or past it. It is a great motivator and benefits you especially if you're looking to get promoted but it can also be harmful to your body and spirit if you're not careful. Start with doing an objective assessment of yourself with one of your performance review forms. Solicit formal feedback from your supervisor and your peers. Then work to improve your areas of opportunity and solidify your strengths. The advantage of this is it allows you to work on tangible action steps to improve yourself and feel more competent. Some perception can be mixed in there, so make sure to clarify anything that's vague or unclear and look to get concrete examples.

I’m going for an interview tomorrow so have been thinking about this very thing lately! What to wear, say, etc.. and wondering if I’ll fit in or end up looking like a total dunce. I found myself questioning myself and rushing around, reacting instead of responding. I remembered the love letter I had written for myself that morning and all the good things I wrote about myself and that helped calm me down. I also remembered the good quotes and goals and plans I have on my Pinterest account. Recalling things I have to look forward to also helped calm me down. Taking time to slow my roll when I’m spinning out seems to be helpful to me, and in my research in the last 20 years, vital to widening the gap between stimulus and response so that when we are having a thought or feeling that isn’t helpful we gain control back using skills and tools instead letting it get out of hand. Writing it down (I’m worried I’ll look incompetent) and finding the opposite could also be helpful. Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes who may be feeling the same way and how you’d respond to them could also help as it shows you how kindly you deserve to be treated. It’s a crazy world right now. Seems like every man (and woman, and person) has become an island unto themselves. Hurricane covid left devastation in it’s wake - but the resiliency, bravery and resourcefulness of life has risen to the challenge as well. Choosing what we want to focus on takes an effort - just like working out at the gym, or getting to church every week - taking care of our mind, body and spirit, however we want is our responsibility - one can learn to cultivate and grow into a beautiful and unique garden all our own.

In most cases, one may look incompetent at work when, depending on the type of job, we stand around trying to look busy. At other times, if one person works on a team of very hard-working people and it seems that they are the only person behind in the work, it will look like they are incompetent. Whichever is your case, you only need to worry about your own work. If you don't understand something, always ask, either a colleague or someone more senior than you for advice and guidance. If you are unsure of how something works, ask the person who has the most experience with it for help. At most times, it is all in our own heads. If we really wasn't competent in our work, we would've had some sort of warning from our Supervisor/Manager already. When no one had actually complained about your work ethics, efficiency, and productivity; then you are most likely just overthinking it. Whatever work it is that you are doing, just make sure you give it your very best. Work above and beyond what is expected of you, and don't worry about what others think of you. If you were given a warning, then you'll have to put some effort into changing the ways you work.