Let’s set the scene. You’ve just started a new job, it’s your first day in the office and a colleague is introducing you to the rest of the team. “Everyone, meet Jessica, she’s our new Marketing guru and an expert in PPC, Adwords, and Social Media!”. Suddenly, you feel slightly panicky, too warm, and entirely uncomfortable. You’ve trained for years in Marketing and have the qualifications and real-world experience to back it up but you can’t help but wonder, am I a fraud?
If that sounds familiar to you, you’re suffering from Imposter Syndrome. The official meaning of the phrase is ‘the persistent inability to believe that one’s success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one’s own efforts or skills'. The phrase was first coined in the 1970s by psychologists Suzanna Imes and Pauline Rose Clance and was originally thought to apply exclusively to high-achieving women. With time however, we’ve learnt that Imposter Syndrome is suffered by both women and men.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re 40 years into your career or just starting your first full-time role. It doesn’t matter whether you’re taking the step up to Managing Director or becoming an Administrator for a new team, anyone can suffer from thoughts of doubt. Here at Swindale Parks we’re here to help you with the entire recruitment process from your initial application to your first day on the job and beyond, and we’ll be happy to talk to you about any doubts you might have.
In next week’s blog, we’ll look into the signs of Imposter Syndrome and how to overcome them, but in the meantime, if you need to talk, we’re just a phone call or an email away!