This is a great description of how I felt on my first day. I had graduated from a reputable university, did relatively well on all my accounting courses, but I felt like I knew nothing.

The first month was really difficult. Not only did I not understand my role in the company or how to do my job effectively, I had no clue what the finish product looked like. This made it nearly impossible to ask for help. I didn’t even know what questions to ask.

This turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy. I’d have work assigned to me, stress out over not knowing what to do, feel defeated and ultimately hand in poor quality work.

I think Gill does a great job explaining how to get out of this rut. These two points are worth remembering

“Be kind to yourself. Remember that you are entitled to make small mistakes occasionally and forgive yourself. Don’t forget to reward yourself for getting the big things right.”

“Consider the context. Most people will have experience moments or occasions where they don’t feel 100% confident. There may be times when you feel out of your depth and self-doubt can be a normal reaction. If you catch yourself thinking that you are useless, reframe it: “the fact that I feel useless right now does not mean that I really am.”