{"id":2582,"date":"2023-03-08T16:00:46","date_gmt":"2023-03-08T16:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/?p=2582"},"modified":"2025-10-22T15:14:18","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T14:14:18","slug":"am-i-a-fraud-impostor-syndrome-and-your-career-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/2023\/03\/08\/am-i-a-fraud-impostor-syndrome-and-your-career-2\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cAm I a fraud?\u201d Impostor Syndrome and your career"},"content":{"rendered":"

This blog was originally published in April 2020.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

So\u00a0you\u2019ve made it through uni. You\u2019ve worked hard. You\u2019ve done your career research\u00a0and polished your CV.\u00a0Most people would agree you\u2019re all set for\u00a0a rewarding and fulfilling career.<\/p>\n

But would\u00a0you<\/i>\u00a0agree?<\/p>\n

Impostor Syndrome\u00a0is the constant, nagging feeling that we don\u2019t\u00a0deserve what we have achieved.\u00a0It\u00a0leads us to believe our accomplishments\u00a0are a fluke\u00a0and that, one day, the world will\u00a0see through our \u2018fake\u2019 success.\u00a0Most of us suffer from this to some extent.\u00a0But why would they want to publish your blog post?\u00a0<\/i>What do you have to say that\u2019s so important? How long before they\u00a0<\/i>realise<\/i>\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0<\/i>just not that good?<\/i><\/p>\n

Unfortunately,\u00a0it\u2019s all too easy to fall into this trap\u00a0of negative self-talk.\u00a0We\u2019re taught to value modesty and to never be \u2018big-headed\u2019\u00a0\u2013\u00a0having low self-esteem on top of that can lead us to\u00a0doubt ourselves when we do well.<\/p>\n

Impostor\u00a0Syndrome was conceptualised in 1978 by Dr Pauline\u00a0Clance\u00a0and Dr Suzanne\u00a0Imes. They studied\u00a0a group\u00a0of\u00a0women whose success could be objectively quantified\u00a0\u2013\u00a0they scored high in tests and were academically recognised as\u00a0high-achievers. Yet the women themselves\u00a0experienced feelings of \u2018phoniness\u2019 and put their success down to luck.<\/p>\n

It affects both men and women, though gender\u00a0differences have been noted.\u00a0Having written eleven books and\u00a0won\u00a0numerous awards, Maya Angelou\u00a0doubted herself every time she sat down to write.\u00a0\u2018I\u2019ve run a game on everybody,\u2019 she said, \u2018and they\u2019re going to find me out.\u2019<\/p>\n

I know I find that reassuring.\u00a0That feeling of being \u2018found out\u2019 isn\u2019t\u00a0exclusive to me \u2013 even the most successful people\u00a0struggle to accept their\u00a0professional achievements.\u00a0And for those who are just starting out\u00a0in their careers, impostor syndrome\u00a0can potentially sabotage\u00a0some great opportunities.\u00a0I\u2019ve been so afraid of appearing cocky on my CV and at previous job interviews that I\u2019ve been really tempted to sell myself short.<\/p>\n

So how do we strike the balance?<\/p>\n

Honesty is the best policy<\/h2>\n

Employers can only go by the strengths and experience you\u00a0put forward.\u00a0Have you led and motivated teams? Have you conveyed that?\u00a0Be truthful about what you\u2019ve already achieved\u00a0and don\u2019t downplay your success.\u00a0Contrary to what that little voice might say, no one can\u00a0\u2018expose\u2019 you as an impostor if you\u2019re upfront about your strengths.<\/p>\n

Success is\u00a0more than just luck<\/h2>\n

Whether you\u2019ve\u00a0made it through to an interview or assessment centre, or you\u2019ve been offered\u00a0a position, don\u2019t let your inner critic devalue your success.\u00a0Remember, employers need employees, and\u00a0they don\u2019t take decision-making lightly. If you\u2019ve received an offer, it means you have something of value\u00a0\u2013\u00a0that could be\u00a0relevant\u00a0qualifications,\u00a0demonstrable work ethic,\u00a0or\u00a0powerful interview technique.\u00a0Ask\u00a0for feedback on\u00a0what you did well \u2013 it\u2019s always good to know!<\/p>\n

Talk to someone<\/h2>\n

We get so wrapped up\u00a0in our\u00a0own worries, it\u2019s easy to convince ourselves we\u2019re the only people feeling this way. We look at our peers and marvel at their skills, not realising that we are just as capable, or that everyone is on their own unique journey of self-improvement.<\/p>\n

It might sound really\u00a0cheesy, but\u00a0talking to your peers\u00a0is a great way to challenge\u00a0negative\u00a0feelings.\u00a0They might reveal that they feel the same way about their own\u00a0achievements,\u00a0or\u00a0reassure you that\u00a0your self-doubt is\u00a0unfounded.\u00a0Just knowing other people\u00a0are going through something similar\u00a0could put your mind at ease, which in turn allows you to work to the best of your abilities.<\/p>\n

Challenge negative beliefs<\/h2>\n

Ask yourself:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Where\u2019s the evidence that I\u2019m an\u00a0impostor?\u00a0On closer inspection, you\u2019ll probably realise there\u2019s no proof at all \u2013 it\u2019s just a feeling.<\/li>\n
  • Would I say this about my best friend? If you wouldn\u2019t doubt\u00a0another person\u2019s success, you\u2019re most likely holding yourself to a different standard.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      \n
    • What did I do well\u00a0on that application or in that interview? It\u2019s much easier to focus on\u00a0what you think you didn\u2019t do well, and that is what fuels\u00a0impostor\u00a0syndrome.\u00a0Try not to give in to it.\u00a0There are reasons you\u2019ve\u00a0made it this far \u2013 look hard and you will find them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      And remember\u2026<\/h2>\n

      I\u2019ve been told it takes between six months and two years to get to grips with a new job. No one knows everything from the get-go, so be kind to yourself and don\u2019t be afraid to ask for help. You won\u2019t come across an \u2018impostor\u2019 \u2013 rather, your initiative and willingness to learn are traits any good employer would value.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      This blog was originally published in April 2020. So\u00a0you\u2019ve made it through uni. You\u2019ve worked hard. You\u2019ve done your career research\u00a0and polished your CV.\u00a0Most people would agree you\u2019re all set for\u00a0a rewarding and fulfilling career. But would\u00a0you\u00a0agree? Impostor Syndrome\u00a0is the...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1443,"featured_media":1787,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[748],"tags":[10,600,319,8],"class_list":["post-2582","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archive","tag-career-planning","tag-careerfulfilment","tag-imposter-syndrome","tag-self-awareness"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/82\/2020\/04\/red-human-face-monument-on-green-grass-field-189449.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2582","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1443"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2582"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2582\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2582"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2582"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2582"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}