“I’m a fraud.”
This was the phrase that was playing itself on repeat in my head last summer. During that time, I had the privilege of interning at a large tech company but I genuinely didn’t think I was deserving enough to be there. Despite surviving a grueling interview process, getting positive reviews from my teammates and manager, and even completing a project that would soon go into production, I thought I just got lucky. I found out that this self-doubt thought process is called Imposter Syndrome, a pattern in which an individual doubts their skills, talents or accomplishments and has a persistent fear of being exposed as a “fraud”.
It turns out I wasn’t the only one thinking this way– and that there was a reason for it. Imposter Syndrome disproportionately affects women and women of color in the workplace due to the lack of representation of women in [Tech/STEM]. Historically, women have also had to fight for their professional rights and equal pay, so when opportunities do come our way we have a hard time accepting the fact that we are deserving of our positions. This is especially prevalent in tech companies, as the ratio of men to women is very high.
Imposter Syndrome can be very self destructive, but over time I’ve come to understand and fight it, so here are some tips I use:
1. Recognize those moments when you feel like a “fraud”.
Ask yourself why you feel this way. Is being the only woman in the meeting making you feel a certain way? Understanding that societal stereotypes are a large cause of feelings of inadequacy in women is a huge step in conquering Imposter Syndrome. Plus, you might be genuinely more intelligent than some of the men in the room.
2. Set realistic goals.
If you are a perfectionist like me, Imposter Syndrome probably hits you even harder. Things might not always go the way you want, but you have to work with it. Setting unrealistic goals will make you mull over your failures, or worse, make you expect failure. Expecting failure will no doubt feed into your individual doubts, making those fraudulent feelings even more apparent.
3. Seek out a mentor.
This can be a female identifying teammate, manager, or a random older employee in your company. Networking around the company and finding someone to share your experience with or to gain insight from will take you very far in your career. In my experience, people will generally go out of their way to connect you with the right people. If this doesn’t work out, you can always connect with people through online platforms like LinkedIn.
4. Embrace it.
If you think about it, having Imposter Syndrome is an indicator that you are passionate and care about the work you are doing. Being in a male dominated industry may make you more self conscious and self critical, but you yourself can turn that into a productive mindset. This change in mindset was so helpful for me because it allowed me to embrace the feelings of incompetence and use them to help me learn and grow more.