Handling Impostor Syndrome, Part 2

Now that we’ve refreshed your memory as to what impostor syndrome is, let’s talk about how to handle it. You don’t need that little voice in the back of your head cackling about how everyone is going to find out that you're a fraud!?

In the long-term, impostor syndrome can lead to anxiety, burnout, depression, low self-esteem, and more. It’s important to treat yourself kindly and recognize your value and your worth.??

So what can you do to assuage these feelings? Here are some tried and true tips:

• Know when it is impostor syndrome rearing its ugly head. The first step of handling impostor syndrome is recognizing it and acknowledging its presence. If you often feel like your success is due to luck rather than hard work, if you’re paralyzed by fear of failure, if you hold yourself to impossibly high standards, recognize that this may be impostor syndrome!
• Define what success means to you. You need to know what you consider valuable in order to measure your success. In a time of FOMO and seeing people only post the highlights on social media, be aware that your success may not look like someone else’s. You may be asking, “Why is this important to combating impostor syndrome?” Here’s the thing: if you prioritize spending time with family and a work-life balance but judge yourself against someone who prioritizes career growth, that’s not fair to either one of you!
• Own your accomplishments! Recognizing your accomplishments goes along with defining what success means to you. This one has a couple of great benefits. Not only do you get to reflect on your wins, but you also get a list of future resume builders. Making a list of things you’ve done, both big and small, helps you grow your confidence. It also helps you recognize that you earned your success; it didn’t just fall into your lap.
• Let go of the idea that you need to be perfect. I hate to tell you but you’re not going to be perfect! Striving for perfection is asking for failure. If you’re constantly holding yourself to a much higher standard than you might hold others to, acknowledge that. Everyone makes mistakes and, as long as you learn from them, that's okay! In addition to holding you back on the job, being a perfectionist might be the reason you aren’t applying to jobs in the first place. It’s well-documented that women will often not apply to a job unless they meet 100% of the criteria. If you meet 60-70% of the criteria, apply to the job! Don’t let perfectionism hold you back.
• Use your network. Look for others who have already left healthcare or are going through a career transition themselves. Build a community of people from whom you can find support. You can often find LinkedIn groups, Discords or Slack channels (mentioned in previous articles), or even Facebook groups that are geared toward career changers or those who want to get into tech.
• Be a mentor. This one might seem a little odd but has honestly been one of the biggest helps to me. Once you begin to feel confident in your skills, help others! Answer their SQL and Tableau questions and be a resource for others. What better way to solidify your own learning and build your confidence at the same time?
• Recognize when it’s not impostor syndrome. Unfortunately there may be times when what you are experiencing and feeling is not impostor syndrome. Don’t write off racism, sexism, or other toxic work culture as “impostor syndrome.”?
• Know that you are not alone. Impostor syndrome can be isolating and lonely. We don’t want to discuss our doubts and potential feelings of failure but the reality is, it’s more common than not. Even wildly successful people like Tom Hanks, Michelle Obama, Emma Watson, and Maya Angelou have experienced impostor syndrome. If they’ve gone through it, I guarantee people around you have as well.?

It’s tough to talk about impostor syndrome but that just makes it all the more important that we do have these conversations. Knowing that others experience it and learning ways to combat impostor syndrome will help you in your career transition and beyond.?

Have you found ways to combat impostor syndrome? Drop them in the comments below!

OTHER RESOURCES:

• How I deal with imposter syndrome as a Data Scientist｜5 actions to apply at work and in life
• Thinking your way out of imposter syndrome | Valerie Young
• The Surprising Solution to the Imposter Syndrome | Lou Solomon | TEDxCharlotte
• Women in Data Science: Impostor Syndrome (Part 2/5)
• Imposter Syndrome in Tech | Alex The Analyst Show | Episode 5