Sometimes you enter a new job or role and feel like you just don't measure up. You look at everyone else that is starting with you and wonder how you were selected for your role. You have been successful at several roles, but still feel like you are lacking. These emotions can be overwhelming and disastrous. This is imposter syndrome.
Imposter syndrome can be defined as a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist despite evident success. The key point to imposter syndrome is that you have several successes but that doesn't quell your doubts or low self esteem.
At different points in my career, I have also been afflicted with imposter syndrome. It's a funny issue because the more I learn, the less I feel like I know. As I perfect more skills, I feel like I need to perfect more. EVERY time I start a new job I feel like I'm not prepared.
I recently started at BCG and started feeling all of my nervous energy again and began to feel imposter syndrome. Today at work, I was able to partially overcome this! While talking with the other new employees, I learned that many of us were feeling the same way. As we commiserated together and talked through our nervous energy, we all felt more confident and knew that we were ready for the job. If you suffer from imposter syndrome, realize that there is HOPE!