Impostor Syndrome
Imposter Syndrome in my definition is feeling like you don't belong, specifically in a work setting. It's what I consider to be a subset of anxiety, but that's a different post.
I've experienced imposter syndrome a lot - I'm 26 and about to start my 4th full time job. By the time that I left each of the previous 3 jobs, I felt like if I could go back in time and tell myself something to help myself calm down it would be that they hired you for a reason and just focus on execution.
That first part is crucial. Whatever company hired you saw potential in you, potential that you probably see in yourself. If you didn't see that potential, then you probably wouldn't be in the position that you're in to begin with. I am not a hiring manager and have never hired someone, but I don't think that managers hire people expecting them to be able to do everything on day 1. If you can do everything on day 1 with no training, you are probably over qualified for the job.
The second part is all about execution. Have a discussion with your manager to get expectations for the first 30/60/90 days. Get a very detailed list of what is expected of you each week and make sure that is your first priority. I don't know of anyone that got let go because they did what they were hired to do.1 Ask dumb questions! Don't assume things. My last role was in consulting so I had a lot of different clients, and you'd be surprised how companies use different words that all mean the same thing.
I think that a healthy level of imposter syndrome is actually a good thing. I think it means that you care about the work that you do. If you have too little, you run the risk of being overqualified or uninterested. If you have too much, it's probably best to talk to your managers and peers about how to manage it and maybe consider scaling back responsibilities. And maybe talk to a therapist!
My advice for anyone going through imposter syndrome is to harness it and be a sponge! They hired you for a reason. Give it your best effort and rise to the occasion.
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At least not in my line of work. But I feel like there are a lot of political scapegoats out there↩