I’ve had lots of different roles in my career. And I can pretty much vouch that I’ve always tried to talk the hiring manager out of hiring me.

Like many, I felt that if there was any part of the job that I didn’t know, I was unqualified.

The fact is that if the job’s a stretch, there’s probably at least 40-45% of the role which will be completely new. And that will feel terrifying and seem like grounds for disqualification.

Here’s the thing: you’ll learn the things you don’t know…which is the whole point of taking the next opportunity. It’s ok to feel terrified at a certain level. But don’t rationalize it as an excuse so you don’t make the leap.

Every time someone has spoken to me about the terrifying new job they’ve been presented? I almost always tell them: “Come see me in a month, I think you’ll be great at it”. And that’s pretty much what happens.