I am a recent college graduate with a degree in Business Management. During my final semester of college I had to create a leadership journey line. When I got the grade back the professor had said that she thinks I suffer from Impostor Syndrome. I immediately grabbed the computer and headed for Google. After reading many articles on the syndrome i’m 99% certain that I suffer from it. Now that I’m done with college i’m in a massive job search but I don’t think I can perform any of the jobs because I don’t think highly of myself. I also think I got lucky to graduate college therefore I won’t be able to handle a job that requires me to have a college degree. I press through and apply for jobs but I blow the interviews by being very nervous that the interviewer can see through me. Any advice would be great.

I am a recent college graduate with a degree in Business Management. During my final semester of college I had to create a leadership journey line. When I got the grade back the professor had said that she thinks I suffer from Impostor Syndrome. I immediately grabbed the computer and headed for Google. After reading many articles on the syndrome I’m 99% certain that I suffer from it. Now that I’m done with college I’m in a massive job search but I don’t think I can perform any of the jobs because I don’t think highly of myself. I also think I got lucky to graduate college therefore I won’t be able to handle a job that requires me to have a college degree. I press through and apply for jobs but I blow the interviews by being very nervous that the interviewer can see through me. Any advice would be great.

I stumbled across this blog purely by chance as I was researching on ‘fear of being a fraud’. I’ve just bought your book and wanted to say thank you. I look forward to reading it.

The reason I was researching this topic is because I’m considering going back to work after having had two kids. My career was in corporate/management training. I had been in this industry for 2 years before I got pregnant and was doing really well. When I have no experience I usually dig in with passion and determination and often this makes me good at what I do. After some time however I got the reputation I was an excellent trainer. I didn’t really accept this because I always felt I copied from all the other good trainers. In addition, I would think how would they know? Anyway, my greatest anxiety was when I had to be in front of all my piers. I would just block and perform very badly. I knew it was illogical but I just couldn’t shake the anxiety and I would always look so incompetent. I felt like this many times in my life: when there are high expectations of me I always fall short.

Is this related to the imposter syndrome? The fact that I always show complete incompetence in front of those that consider me to be good at what I do? I was once asked to be part of an international task force (I was 25, had just finished my traineeship and was promoted to brand manager) because the European CEO had seen me present my brand plans and thought I would be able to provide excellent insights. Now that just did it. My anxiety was so high I developed chicken pox for the second time and a year later changed company. I have to say it’s quite crazy at how I go about running away from my fears.

I look forward to your reply. In the meantime I’ll be devouring your book.

Vanessa

What a wonderful post to wake up to! Writing this book was the hardest thing I ever did so I appreciate that all the effort is being noticed.

I’m thrilled to know The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women is helping you put so much of your impostor experience into a social context — first generational professional, being a student and especially a graduate student, and finally a woman.

How wonderful too that it’s opened up a dialogue within your family. It would be interesting to have a book club made up just of family members!

I think you’re going to really like Chapter 6 The Competence Rulebook for Mere Mortals. And as for understanding the difference between being confidence and being arrogant — this very question is the basis for Chapter 10 on why its harder for women to follow the advice to just “fake it til you make it.”

I’d love to hear from you again once you finish the book to see if you still have any outstanding questions. And of course, I’d love to hear any ahas!

Once Secret Thoughts of Successful Women, I’d be honored if you were able to take a few moments to offer a review on Amazon.

Finally, I SO appreciate you helping to spread the word about the book. I’d love to help as many people who experience the impostor syndrome — men and women alike — as possible. THANK YOU!

Warmly,

Valerie Young

I have to say I am in love, love, love with your book (Secret Thoughts of Successful Women). I love that I stumbled upon this post of you explaining the day you found out there was a name for what you had been feeling. I first discovered the word imposter syndrome from my McNair Scholars Director at the University of Wisconsin River Falls. If this is the first time you have heard of the McNair Scholars Post-Baccalaureate Program it was a program founded in honor of Ronald E. McNair an African-American physicist/astronaut who was killed in the Challenger explosion. Ronald McNair faced many social and economic barriers to becoming educated. So, in essence the program is for undergraduates whom are low-income, first-generation, or fall in a traditionally under-represented group, and this program allows students to gain the skills necessary to pursue a MSc or PhD. With all that you know about imposter syndrome I am sure you have deducted those who are McNair Scholars like myself are one of the groups that are very prone to imposter like feelings.

So, long story short, here I was a horrible student in high school, the first in my family to go to college, low-income, female, and from a town no one has ever heard of in the Midwest. I thought what the hell am I doing. I was relentless to prove myself my first years of college and received Deans List every semester, a professor pushed me into submitting an application to McNair Scholar’s and I got in. My mom wanted me to come back home, get married to a nice wealthy man, and get started on making babies, but instead apparently I was going to Graduate School. I went through the intensive program because I felt it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up, never anticipating I would make it through, or even graduate with my Bsc for that matter. I graduated May 2011, moved to England and I am currently 6 months into my MSc Program.

I had so much apprehension beginning my graduate school program…I have never felt so frozen with fear in my life. I could “fake it until I make it” in undergraduate, but graduate school, and in a different country at that! I felt like I was kidding myself and I really needed some guidance and I did not know from where. So I searched imposter syndrome on amazon, and there was your book. I put it on my wish list…and this Christmas I received it as a gift from my husband. I am only 5 chapters in, but I am taking it oh so slow…I have never had anyone break down so many points about imposter syndrome that I needed to hear. I bought a journal and have been taking notes while reading the book like it was written for me. I have been facebooking about it, and I am about to write a blog about it. I am so excited to read what comes next and I just feel so much more at peace while reading it and can’t get enough. One thing I am still struggling with is the difference between having self confidence and being arrogant…I don’t know if I can actually distinguish the difference between the two. If you have any more advice on this I would appreciate it?

Also, your book has opened up the lines of communication with my family. I was able to establish both my dad and sister have imposter syndrome. I would have never thought my dad, the jack of all trades, would have imposter syndrome. I was also shocked when my sister (a nurse) told me that she goes to work everyday feeling like she doesn’t belong there and she is horrified that what she believes to be her inexperience will cause the death of one of her patients. Your book has become a kind of a family experience for me. I just wanted to drop you a note to tell you my story thus far in my struggle with imposter syndrome, and also to let you know that I appreciate all the time that it must have took to compile this information and how much of your life you must have devoted to this topic. You have truly helped me in my journey! Thank You!

I’m thrilled and humbled to know that my words have helped shift your thinking and to play BIG!

Confidence is powerful stuff.

Looking forward to hearing about all the great things that are sure to come.

Warmly,

Valerie