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New pharmacists should also consider how their communication skills influence their confidence. They should work
to achieve attributes of dependability, professionalism, positivity, self-motivation, worth, and ethics.5,6 New pharmacists
can enhance these attributes by expressing appreciation and
gratitude toward staff and mentors often, by initiating conversations with coworkers and employees, and by dressing to
show they respect their work.5,6 These actions express that a
new pharmacist appreciates an opportunity and is working
hard to fit in with the culture of the organization. New pharmacists should complete tasks accurately and on time and
clarify uncertainties with mentors and supervisors.5,6
Figure 1. Process for enhancing confidence.

large. The keys to mastering the influence of thin-slicing are
to recognize its presence and to learn how to highlight the
most admirable skills during any first impression. Thinslicing most often harms individuals who underestimate the
impact of a first impression. Creating awareness of how
humans engage and form opinions with one another can lend
the new professional to enhance their repertoire of strengths
and interview skills.

Building Confidence
As new pharmacists work to build up their range of professional skills, confidence and credibility should be a primary
focus as these attributes often separate the good pharmacists
from the great pharmacists.
Being a new practitioner can be overwhelming. For one,
completing years of education to achieve a professional
degree has contributed to numerous long nights and stressful days. Too much confidence can close off the mind to
learning and growth and induce reckless behavior; all of
these are unacceptable for patient care. Conversely, without confidence, a new practitioner may find trouble adjusting to their new position and their work performance may
suffer.
Enhancing confidence can be developed with small
situational changes as outlined in Figure 1. New pharmacists should focus on and practice, first, their physical
mannerisms. Pen tapping, nail biting, eye contact avoidance, crossed arms, and nervous movements are nonverbal giveaways that undermine the confidence of new
practitioners. These habits are often learned and can therefore be unlearned. New practitioners should be mindful of
the nonverbal cues they exude and by turning these habits
into conscious thoughts, new practitioners possess the
skills needed to ditch these habits all together. For particularly engrained nonverbal habits, new practitioners can
recruit mentors and friends to highlight when these habits
surface, helping to make the new practitioner more conscious of the occurrence.

Portraying Credibility
While balancing confidence as a new pharmacist can be a
familiar concept, most new pharmacists may forget about
also building up their credibility. However, confidence and
credibility go hand-in-hand. Credibility is the ability for
coworkers and supervisors to rely on a new pharmacist's
work ethic, judgment, and skills to get projects done well.7
New pharmacists can enhance their visibility at work or during an interview if they can demonstrate the ways in which
they are credible.
In efforts to portray credibility in the work environment,
new pharmacists should hone in on traits of empathy, humility, reliability, and teamwork.8 These traits allow new professionals to demonstrate their commitment to pharmacy
practice. The most credible of people are sought out for collaborative work, but a new professional must first develop
and sustain relationships with others to establish credibility.
Credibility can come from building community in the workspace, and new professionals can work on community building by getting to know coworkers and volunteering for
organizational positions or on behalf of their organization.8
Credible workers work to create their own opportunities
within the scope of their work environments.7,8 New pharmacists may envision new services and new positions within a
particular pharmacy, and credible pharmacists look for ways
to make it possible. A new pharmacist's vision may be too
large, but new pharmacists can work with mentors and colleagues to develop more structured and realistic goals to
move close to that vision. Credible people create meaning in
their work. For new pharmacists, creating meaning in everyday work can help them focus their goals, structure their
plans, and create an opportunity to build credibility in their
everyday work life.

Developing a Personal Brand
In efforts to interview best and stand out in a group of qualified candidates, new pharmacists may consider how best to
develop their personal brands. Most new pharmacists are
transitioning from student to resident, fellow, or practicing
pharmacist and that in itself requires introspection and focus.

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