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Ask CareerBuddy: How can I deal with Imposter Syndrome?

October 12, 2024

Hi, CareerBuddy!

I think I have impostor syndrome.

I recently got promoted at my job but I cannot exactly say or count the efforts I made to have deserved it. I often think that I say ‘’I have a lot of work to do’’ just to make myself feel like I am actually working.

How do I deal with this?

Hey! Glad you reached out and we can definitely relate with this feeling, in fact, a lot more people are dealing with Impostor Syndrome than you can imagine! *group hug*

However, you need to conquer that feeling before it takes the best of you and the first step is to realize that it is just a ‘’feeling’’, and feelings sometimes aren’t real.

A couples things you should do;

  1. Separate what you’re feeling from facts. Often times, we let our emotions cloud our judgement and that’s okay because we’re human. But you need to learn to approach situations with logic and objectivity.

  2. Give yourself credit for it. Yes, this helps you affirm that you worked for it and you earned it.

  3. When things go south, reroute. Instead of beating yourself up over the little failures, pick the lessons, apply them more intelligently and move on!

  4. Involve others in your processes. You need to ditch misguided rules like ‘’I should always know the answer’’ or ‘’Never ask for help.’’ Recognize that you have just as much right as the next person to be wrong, have an off-day, or ask for assistance.

  5. Visualize success at the end. This is really just to position your mind to appreciate every effort you will make towards the work, such that when you win, it doesn’t look like a coincidence.

You’ll be well on your way to conquering impostor syndrome if you try this new approach.

P.S I think you deserved that promotion