Experiencing Imposter Syndrome? You’re not alone.

Using her own experiences of self-doubt, Gembridge director Michelle Varcoe shares her key tips for addressing Imposter Syndrome at work. 

Many people get Imposter Syndrome at work – the feeling of fraud or doubt in what you have to offer your workplace, even if you have expertise and years of experience behind you.

A 2022 study by The Hub Spot revealed that 90 per cent of women and 80 per cent of men suffer from Imposter Syndrome. 

During my own career, I have had my own experiences of Imposter Syndrome. And in my 25+ years in recruitment, I also hear about this from others and witness it from the interview perspective.

For me, the key times I have experienced Imposter Syndrome (and overcome it) are:

• Stepping into my first board member role.
• Attending an Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) course.
• Launching a new business – Gembridge.
• Transitioning to a new career as a fundraising campaign manager.

Through all of these, I found that stepping out of my comfort zone was important for continual professional development and to expand skills and learning. 

Here are some other thoughts and tips for addressing Imposter Syndrome:

What value do you add?

Becoming a board director/trustee and attending the AICD course, I learnt that everyone’s experience (including my own) can contribute in valuable ways by adding expertise, perspective, passion, voice, lived-experience, etc. 

Tip 1: Remember the ‘why’

The purpose of attending and showing up is to learn and develop a skill. What is the point of committing time and money towards further professional development if you know everything?

Mentors and coffee

Starting a new business or career is a learning curve. In asking for advice, I found people are generally open and willing to share, and they also genuinely want you to succeed. 

There are several mentors I check in with regularly, others annually, and they are all very generous with their knowledge and sharing their own stories, mistakes, learnings and expertise. Knowing that others have trodden a similar path can make yours seem more achievable.

Tip 2: Don’t forget that people are innately helpful

Ask for advice, help and tips, share your challenges, and bounce ideas off of others. According to Asana’s Anatomy of Work Index 2022, 26 per cent of workers claimed that having a mentor or training program in place would help their feelings of Imposter Syndrome.

Find a leadership coach

Formally engage a coach to help you build confidence, understand your strengths and value, and help you grow into your own leadership style. 

Through sessions, they listen, guide you and share different approaches. I have engaged Jac Phillips and Cassandra Hatton, as well as listening to so many others on podcasts during my commute to work.

Tip 3: Engage professionals

There are plenty of books, articles and podcasts available, but like many things, your return on investment is higher if you commit to the work. 

You can engage a coach to meet with you individually to tailor sessions to your needs and current situations. They can provide relevant reading lists and guide you personally. You could also attend group sessions or a combination of both. Alternatively, stream your favourites via podcasts, including Simon Sinek, Brené Brown, Stephen Covey and Shane Hatton.

Same but different

Changing careers can be daunting. I transitioned from recruitment into fundraising (and moved back again). Although roles and industry sectors have differences, there can also be similarities. 

Your experience plus your transferable skills are valuable. For instance, in recruitment, I am finding gems (researching, searching, qualifying and interviewing candidates) and connecting people (introducing to clients and managing recruitment projects). In fundraising, I am finding gems (researching and prospecting donors) and connecting people (sharing impact and asking for significant support).

Tip 4: Highlight your transferable skills

If you are applying for a role, go through each dot point and think of an example of how you can demonstrate each point, either directly or within a different situation where you can apply the learnings.

Quit the negative talk

The Hub Spot 2022 study also found that almost half (48 per cent) of respondents suffered from intrusive negative thoughts due to Imposter Syndrome.

Negative self-talk is not helpful. Focus on your value and what amazing skills and attributes you bring to the world. 

How would others describe you? What would your colleagues, network or manager say about you? Most likely it’s something along the lines of… “you’ve got this!” or “you have more experience than you give yourself credit for!” or “believe in yourself, you can do it!”.

Tip 5: Be resilient

Remember you will not be good at everything. Learn from the wins as well as the failures. Reflect on your proven success, and the encouraging and positive words that others say about you.

Do the work

You can’t become an expert overnight, so put in the hard yards and get some rungs on the board. Ongoing study, research, reading, learning and upskilling is critical to your career.

Tip 6: Be prepared

Fail to prepare, prepare to fail… some people can wing it, many can’t. If you are well-prepared, you will feel more confident and less like a fraud.

Many people get Imposter Syndrome. Whether it’s applying for jobs, during the interview process or when starting a new role, people at all levels and gender express feeling self-doubt, out of their depth or fearful. I’ve even seen first-hand confident CEOs get nervous and feel they don’t know what they are doing.

Yes, it could be lack of confidence, nerves, fear of trying something new, transitioning into a new career or starting with a different organisation. Whatever you call it, it can still resemble Imposter Syndrome.

When I was younger, I thought everyone in their forties, fifties, sixties and older would know exactly what they were doing, or where they were going with their career and life. I discovered this is simply not true.

No matter what career you hold now or in the future, there will be new information, tasks, projects, systems, software, challenges and opportunities. Life is a continual journey of learning and discovery.

It’s okay to be out of your comfort zone. Stretch yourself a little and lean into new challenges.

This article was originally published on Gembridge’s website.