Career Advice on Social Media That Deserves a Closer Look

You've probably seen it: "Just believe in yourself and take the leap." And look, it's motivating,  self-belief genuinely matters. Confidence can help you apply for roles you'd otherwise avoid, negotiate, set boundaries, and finally make changes you've been putting off.

But on its own? This advice can miss something really important.

When career plans don't work out, many of us instinctively turn the blame inward. "I didn't want it enough." "I wasn't confident enough." "I should be further ahead by now." Sound familiar? That's not a personal flaw, it's a pattern. And honestly, it's one I see all the time in my coaching practice.

Here's the thing: a lot of what shapes our career outcomes isn't actually within our control. Restructures happen. Hiring freezes appear out of nowhere. Biased recruitment processes exist. The job market can be wildly unpredictable. Tristram Hooley describes this dynamic as responsibilisation, where systemic issues get reframed as individual shortcomings.

It's worth sitting with that idea for a moment.

And this isn't just my observation. Lent, Brown, and Hackett's Social Cognitive Career Theory reminds us that confidence doesn't develop in a vacuum, it's shaped by both the supports and barriers in our environment. Building self-belief matters, but so does recognising when the environment itself is the obstacle. Their research shows that perceived barriers, from discrimination to lack of access to networks, directly influence how we see our options and whether we pursue them at all.

Duffy and colleagues take this further in their Psychology of Working Theory. They introduce the concept of work volition. Our sense of agency in making career decisions. But here's the part I find most useful, that sense of agency is shaped by structural realities like economic constraints and marginalisation, not just mindset.

For many people, the freedom to "take the leap" is just not equally available. The theory validates what so many of us feel but struggle to name, that career outcomes are influenced by forces beyond individual effort.

So yes, back yourself. Build your skills, strengthen your CV, practise those interviews. But also stop carrying shame for problems you didn't actually create.

A more helpful approach is self-belief plus context. Try asking yourself:

• What parts of this situation are mine to influence?

• What parts are organisational or structural, and not evidence of my worth?

• What strategy fits the reality I'm in right now?

This shift doesn't make you powerless. It makes you precise, and I've found that precision is surprisingly stabilising. It helps you move forward with clarity, confidence, self-respect, and a plan that doesn't rely on blaming yourself when the system is fundamentally problematic.

That's the kind of coaching I do. We work with you, and we name the system, so you can take your next step with both confidence and perspective.

If any of this resonates, I'd love to hear from you.

References

• Duffy, R. D., Blustein, D. L., Diemer, M. A., & Autin, K. L. (2016). The Psychology of Working Theory. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 63(2), 127–148.

• Hooley, T., Sultana, R., & Thomsen, R. (2018). Career guidance for social justice: Contesting neoliberalism. Routledge.

• Lent, R. W., Brown, S. D., & Hackett, G. (2000). Contextual supports and barriers to career choice: A social cognitive analysis. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 47(1), 36–49.