Ever feel like you don’t deserve being in the position that you’re at? That’s a feeling that most students and new grads feel whenever they enter their first internship or full-time job. These feelings can be summed up with the term, “Imposter Syndrome”:
a psychological condition that is characterized by persistent doubt concerning one’s abilities or accomplishments accompanied by the fear of being exposed as a fraud despite evidence of one’s ongoing success
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
I’ve struggled with this feeling multiple times in my career and here are five things I learned to help me combat it.
1. Everyone experiences it
Literally everyone you meet will have experienced this at one point in their life. Whether it be the senior VP’s at your organization or a student leader. Everyone (unless they are completely confident and secure in their success) will have had doubt about their accomplishments. This is a feeling that stems from insecurity and the fact that our society tends to criticize those who are successful. While this shouldn’t necessarily be considered a “normal” feeling, it’s definitely reassured me when I realized a lot of people have felt this way before.
Realizing that it’s not just you who is experiencing this can help you feel less alone. Knowing that you can talk to others about this feeling who will (most likely) be able to understand how you’re feeling has helped me feel less like a fraud.
2. Give yourself grace
Once you realize that you’re not alone in feeling this way, it’s time to give yourself grace. This can come in multiple forms, but generally just learning to be gentle with yourself will do wonders for your mindset. Try to understand where this feeling might stem from. Whether it’s when a superior criticized you for something that wasn’t your fault, or if you were bullied for your success. Or simply, it’s just being younger than everyone else! There’s generally a root to this feeling. Taking the time to be kind to yourself about feeling this way and trying to understand the root will help you overcome it.
For me, my imposter syndrome came mostly from the fact that I interned during the summers in university. So when I started a full-time job, I continued to feel like an intern because I was the youngest person in the company. Once I realized that this is why I felt like a fraud in my full-time job, it helped a little bit to ease the feeling of fear.
3. Other people believe in you
The biggest thing that changed my mindset about imposter syndrome is the fact that your manager believes in YOU. They hired YOU to work in the position that you are at now because they believe that you have the necessary skills to excel in the job. Out of everyone who applied, they ended up choosing you. Your managers may not say it often, but they see your experience and skills as valuable and qualified.
When I had this realization, it really helped me feel better about myself and less of an imposter. A lot of my imposter syndrome comes from self-doubt and knowing that there were others who believed in me, made me feel validated. Don’t underestimate yourself because no one else is.
4. Remind yourself of your worth
Knowing that others believe in you is one part, but now it’s time to look inwards. Look at your skills and abilities and evaluate how they make you a valuable asset. Maybe you have a unique experience that others may not have. Or it’s a unique skill that is more rare in the workforce. You are more valuable than you think. Sometimes it takes time to realize that and that’s ok! But take an inventory of why you shouldn’t be feeling like a fraud. Going over this will build your confidence in your abilities and lessen the feeling of imposter syndrome.
When I did this, I realized that I have valuable volunteer experience where I developed a lot of my skills. Understanding that this experience has enabled me to gain the skills and abilities that I use in my everyday job has made me feel a lot more confident when I’m completing daily tasks. Knowing that I’ve done this before and have witnessed what works and what doesn’t is valuable!
5. Celebrate your accomplishments
Lastly, never forget to celebrate yourself. Whether that be with others or simply by giving yourself a day off to relax. You should feel proud of where you’re at and all of your successes. You are the one who got yourself to these positions and accomplishments. Remember to celebrate these accomplishments to celebrate yourself but to also validate your successes! You deserve it.
I hope these 5 things will be able to help you minimize your imposter syndrome, or at least tame it. Please let me know other ways you’ve battled your imposter syndrome in the comments, through Instagram DMs or by emailing me!
