Do you feel like you don’t deserve your job? Are you constantly doubting your ability? Are you worried your colleagues or bosses are going to ‘find you out’ and strip you of your job title? If that sounds like you, you’re probably dealing with a bad case of impostor syndrome. According to Indeed, over 50% of employees experience impostor syndrome in the workplace. And if so, it’s best to nip it in the bud a.s.a.p. If you don’t, you could find your career quickly halted!
The term ‘impostor syndrome’ was first coined in 1985 by Pauline Clance, a clinician at Oberlin College in the US. She used it to describe feelings of unworthiness or ‘not being good enough’. Impostor syndrome can leave you feeling like a fraud, thinking you don’t deserve to be in the position you are.
If you allow your impostor syndrome to rule your life, your career will soon start to suffer.
Impostor syndrome can really impact your confidence in the workplace. Since you don’t feel ‘good enough’, you’ll find yourself lacking self-belief. This might mean you don’t share your ideas. Or you don’t take part in meetings. Ultimately, you deny your potential.
With impostor syndrome, you don’t always have the confidence to put your best foot forward. So, your boss might not get to see your potential. In the end, you could miss out on opportunities to progress your career.
Sometimes the worst part of impostor syndrome isn’t missing out on opportunities. It can just be the mental strain that comes with it. You could end up constantly criticising yourself. If you’re not perfect, you might start obsessing over your flaws and completely overlook everything you have to offer.
If you’re going to overcome impostor syndrome, you need to let go of the need to be perfect. Why? Because you’ll never achieve perfection. No one ever does. And no one expects you to be perfect either. Being open about your weaknesses with your boss can also be very liberating! If you don’t have a boss that will help you overcome your weaknesses, we may suggest finding yourself a shiny new boss…
If you’ve got impostor syndrome, chances are you reject many compliments. You may find yourself laughing off any praise or being overly modest. Instead, just say ‘thank you.’ And even more importantly, take it on board!
You could probably find 100 reasons why you don’t deserve that promotion. But I bet you can’t find 5 reasons why you do! Lots of people tend to focus on the negative aspects of themselves. You could receive 10 compliments, but you still choose to focus on the one bit of criticism. Well let’s put a pin in this self-destructive way of thinking, shall we?
You can do this by making a list of everything you’ve achieved. This doesn’t just have to be work-related, like completing a project to a deadline. It can also be something like always being told you’re a good listener.
It’s important to understand success isn’t linear. Nobody’s journey is filled with win after win. You have to be willing to accept there will always be slip-ups. But don’t let that stop you from moving forwards. You wouldn’t let speed bumps or diversions stop you from reaching your destination, would you? So why let setbacks stunt your career progression?
One of the most empowering things to remember is that even the most successful people on the planet started somewhere. And we’ll bet they said ‘yes’ to opportunities even when they didn’t feel ready. But they learnt on the way.
You’re only ever one thought away from breaking impostor syndrome. Yes, it may rear its head several times throughout your career. But you always have the chance to kick it to the curb rather than letting it defeat you. Impostor syndrome is more common than you think. Even the people in the highest positions will experience it at certain points. But it’s how you deal with these thoughts that count!
Ready to take the next step in your career? Get in touch! We’ll only reach out with opportunities you’ll love!
Vanessa Ramkissoon | Recruitment Content Expert
