Is Shyness Affecting Your Job?

It is accepted that most people have felt shy at one time or another but not everyone who appears to be shy can be identified as having any social problems. While some are only shy in certain situations they feel uncomfortable with, such as meeting people for the first time, others feel shy more often and go out of their way to try and avoid any situation that encourages them to experience unpleasant feelings.

They tend to be more sensitive to criticism than less socially anxious people and tend to worry in advance about any unpleasantness in social interaction and are generally fearful of potential negative reactions in others. They might constantly worry about what other people think about them and they may be afraid of behaving in uncharacteristic ways in case they look foolish or draw attention or criticism to themselves.

One of the drawbacks of shyness is that it can interfere with people's ability to concentrate on doing well in their job. The truth is that other work colleagues might not see the best of them at all and there can even be misunderstandings about certain aspects of their behaviour, which may cause them to come across as being quite distant or aloof. This can be very frustrating for shy people because it is probable that they have all the necessary qualifications, aptitude and skills to do an exceptionally good job but statistics show that shy people tend to have more trouble than extroverts advancing on the job, even when they do succeed in getting one.

Consequently, this can cause shy or socially anxious people to miss out on a great deal of opportunities in their careers and they are therefore more likely to hold themselves back from achieving their full potential.

Can you relate to these anxieties?

So, what's the solution?

Are there any jobs to suit shy people?

Successful Careers for Shy People was written to address some of the issues concerning jobs and shyness. It outlines the various careers that can be pursued by people wanting to spend more time working alone, whether that is working for a company or on a self-employed basis, working from home.

You can read the first chapter FREE. Just send a blank email with REQUEST a FREE CHAPTER in the subject line to [email protected] and a pdf file will be sent to you.

Andrea Scott is the Author of 'Successful Careers for Shy People', which is available at: http://www.homeworkinguk.com/shy.html and at: http://www.jobs-for-shy-people.builtfree.org

You can also subscribe to 'Careers for Shy People' newsletter by sending a blank email to [email protected].