You got the job. You’re doing the work. Your manager seems happy. And yet, somewhere in the back of your mind, a quiet voice keeps whispering: “Any day now, they’re going to figure out you don’t really belong here.”
If you recognise that feeling, you’re far from alone. Psychologists Dr Pauline Clance and Dr Suzanne Imes first identified imposter syndrome in 1978, and since then it’s been found to affect people across every profession, level, and background. A review published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that up to 82% of people experience imposter feelings at some point – and it’s often the most competent and conscientious who feel them most acutely.
That last point is worth sitting with. Imposter syndrome doesn’t tend to target people who are coasting. It targets people who care.
What It Is (and What It Isn’t)
Imposter syndrome isn’t a clinical diagnosis – it’s a pattern of thinking. It’s the persistent belief that your success is down to luck, timing, or other people’s generosity rather than your own ability. People experiencing it often feel they’ve somehow fooled everyone around them and that it’s only a matter of time before they’re “found out.”
It can show up as overworking (to make sure nobody spots the “gaps”), avoiding new challenges (because failing would confirm the fear), downplaying achievements (“Oh, anyone could have done that”), or struggling to accept compliments genuinely.
The tricky thing is that external success doesn’t fix it. Getting promoted, winning an award, or receiving praise can actually make it worse – because each new achievement raises the stakes of being “discovered.”
Why It Hits Alumni Hard
For many of our alumni, imposter syndrome has a specific edge. If you built your career through hands-on experience, apprenticeships, or vocational training rather than a degree, you might sometimes feel like you’re on different footing from colleagues who took the academic route. You hear people mention their university or their postgraduate qualifications, and that inner voice gets a bit louder – conveniently forgetting that your path gave you resilience, practical skills, and real-world perspective that no lecture theatre could.
It can feel difficult to admit any of this out loud. But naming it is genuinely the first step to loosening its grip.
Practical Ways to Turn Down the Volume
You probably can’t silence the inner critic entirely – and that’s okay. The goal is to recognise it for what it is and stop letting it drive your decisions.
Keep a “done” list. At the end of each week, write down three things you did well. Not grand achievements – just moments where you contributed, solved a problem, or helped someone. Over time, this creates evidence your inner critic can’t easily dismiss.
Talk about it. Mention it to a trusted colleague or friend and you’ll almost certainly hear “me too.” Imposter syndrome thrives in silence. The moment you share it, it loses some of its power.
Separate feelings from facts. Feeling like a fraud and being a fraud are completely different things. When the thought arrives, try asking: “What’s the actual evidence for this?” Usually, there isn’t much.
Pro Tip: Next time you catch yourself thinking “I just got lucky,” pause and rewrite the story. What skills, effort, and experience actually got you there? Be as specific as you can. It’s harder to dismiss concrete details than vague feelings.
Permission to Be a Work in Progress
Nobody has it all figured out – not your manager, not the confident colleague who always seems to know what to say, and definitely not the people on LinkedIn whose careers appear impossibly smooth. Everyone is improvising to some degree.
The fact that you sometimes feel uncertain doesn’t mean you’re failing. It often means you’re in exactly the kind of challenging, growth-oriented role where imposter feelings tend to surface. That’s not a sign to retreat. It’s a sign you’re in the right place.