Navigating the feeling of ‘not good enough’ as a young professional

Written by Jasmine Caine, Rewired PR...

“One day, they’re going to realise I don’t know what I’m doing.”

Growing up, I was always a high achiever. If I wasn’t top of the class, I was doing something wrong.

I quickly became familiar with the feeling of adrenaline, which would move swiftly from pride to panic, whenever I got a good grade at university, was hired for a job, or told I was being promoted. Success never felt entirely genuine – I just happened to be in the right place, around the right people, at the right time.

At the beginning of my career, this meant that I was constantly looking for ways to go above and beyond to prove myself to my managers, or risk being ‘found out’ that I didn’t deserve to be there. Now, if ever I’m asked to do something outside of my comfort zone, you can bet that I’ll be prepping for hours, if not days beforehand, to make sure that everything is perfect and there’s less chance of it all going wrong.

The Phenomenon

In 1978, psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes introduced the term “imposter phenomenon” (now more widely known as “imposter syndrome”), which was defined as “an internal experience of intellectual phoniness”.

Despite evidence of success, those with imposter syndrome are likely to doubt their abilities, attributing their personal and professional accomplishments to external causes, such as luck or coincidence, rather than acknowledging their own capabilities and efforts.

Author of ‘Ditching Imposter Syndrome’, Clare Josa, identifies the phenomenon through four ‘P’s:

• Perfectionism: setting incredibly high standards, where everything has to be absolutely right, in fear of failure. You may second guess your decisions, suddenly start working much longer hours, and can be at risk of stress or burnout.
• Procrastination: 70 per cent of people with imposter syndrome use procrastination as a coping technique, often dancing around the edges of what they should be doing, rather than just getting a job done.
• Paralysis: feeling like a rabbit in the headlines, you may hide from the thing that actually needs to be done, but then use the adrenaline of a deadline to push through.
• People Pleasing: the constant need for approval, you may undervalue yourself, volunteering for things that aren’t really your responsibility when you already have too much to do, so as to not feel rejected.

If any of these sound familiar, it might help to know that you’re not alone!

Why do we feel this way?

In a digital world where everything and everyone are at our fingertips, the demands of life both in and outside of the office can often feel overwhelming. It is too easy to compare ourselves with the success stories on social media, or wonder why we’re not as good as our siblings, friends and colleagues.

For young professionals, finding our feet in the world of work can contribute to those feelings of inadequacy. When transitioning from academia to professional life, we’re competing to find a good job, then trying to actually do a good job among co-workers who have years of experience under their belt. Then, there’s the challenge of finding somewhere to live, managing all the bills, keeping on top of relationships and navigating what might be a new city, hundreds of miles away from home.

So, it’s hardly surprising when many of us start to believe we don’t belong, and this feeling is likely to be even more prominent for those from a minority background.

Of course, there are many other reasons why someone might be gripped by imposter syndrome. But despite our individual experiences, the phenomenon has become a common trait.

Changing the narrative

GBCC’s Future Faces recently hosted an “Imposter Syndrome & Self-Doubt” session with GuruYou, as part of its three-part Bounce Forward series.

It was an opportunity to think about why we might doubt ourselves, and reflect on some of the thoughts that can get in our way: “I don’t know enough”, “I don’t belong here” or “they’ll find out that I can’t do this”.

Understanding the voice within, and how to reframe it, is key to reducing overcoming the imposter phenomenon. By challenging negative thoughts, looking for the evidence and acknowledging our achievements – however small – we can start to develop a more realistic and positive self-perception.

So that this becomes easier, GuruYou recommends keeping a Positive Attitude Log (PAL). Whilst a gratitude journal keeps a record of all the things that happen to you each day, a PAL looks at what you have done to move towards your goals, and how you have made a positive impact.

Building an external network of peers, who can recognise and champion your successes, can also help to offer an unbiased perspective, so you can look at your life and career through a more positive lens. This can have a big impact on building confidence and tackling the sense of self-doubt. At Future Faces, we’ll be launching our next mentoring cohort very soon, so it’s worth getting in touch to find out how you could benefit from the programme.

By surrounding myself with like-minded individuals, I have recognised how common it is to feel like an imposter. But, there are so many of us waiting to be called out as a fraud that surely we can’t all be that bad?