Last updated on February 15, 2024
Being a recruiter is amazing, right? But it’s true that you must work really hard to succeed.
Despite the experience and the enthusiasm, sometimes things don’t go as well as you think. Sometimes you can’t fill out a position on time, the candidate ghosts you, and a new hire fails to impress. So, no matter how much you love your job, you may feel from time to time that you aren’t good enough.
And listen, to some extent, this is totally normal. Sometimes we all think, ‘Ahh, I could have done it better… Maybe I should improve.’
The problem is when you start doubting yourself. When you get a huge shout out and you’re smiling, but your gut says your achievement is not necessarily you:
‘Am I good? Am I that good…? Perhaps I was just in the right place at the right time.’
I hear you. A majority of recruiters feel like an impostor at work at least once in their career.
Now the question is: can you handle the pressure without letting this feeling of uncertainty become part of your reality?
If your answer is NOT SURE, you might be suffering from imposter syndrome.
What is imposter syndrome?
Those who struggle with imposter syndrome feel that they are a fraud, and people will find this out eventually. They know exactly what they are doing, yet they think that they aren’t as competent as others might consider them to be. And they often attribute their success to external factors: they may have been just lucky until now, the timing was right, and so on. So, they don’t deserve their high status.
As they are unable to realistically assess their competence and skills, they sabotage their own success.
What causes imposter syndrome?
Personality traits and competitive environments are key factors in the occurrence of impostorism.
Studies have shown that people with perfectionism and neuroticism, or simply with high self-expectations, are more inclined to face this internal experience than those who don’t.
Also, intense pressure about academic and work achievements can trigger a high level of self-doubt.
Note: I must call your attention to that imposter syndrome has nothing to do with intelligence potential.
5 types of imposter syndrome
Imposter syndrome can show in various ways, and we can embody one or more of these below at the same time:
#1 The perfectionist: they are never satisfied and tend to fixate on mistakes. This often leads to severe anxiety.
#2 The superhero: as they feel inadequate, they always want to push themselves to work even harder.
#3 The natural genius: they set lofty goals for themselves, and then when they don’t succeed on their first try, they feel completely destroyed.
#4 The soloist: in their case, self-worth roots in their productivity, so they prefer to work and often look at asking for help as a sign of weakness.
#5 The expert: these people underrate their own expertise. Even though they are always trying to learn more, they are never happy with their level of understanding.
Do you have imposter syndrome?
The signs and symptoms of imposter syndrome cover a fairly wide spectrum, but if you experience any of these below, you may be having it:
- You’re feeling unmotivated and low.
- Errors and mistakes are bothering you more than ever.
- You’re berating your performance.
- Many times, you feel that you’d rather run away but you have no idea where to go.
- Suddenly, kind words don’t have gravity and encouragement from your colleagues and clients doesn’t cheer you up as it used to.
- Maintaining your routine is a huge challenge and you feel that you’re stalling.
- You’re easily distracted and you find it extremely hard to focus.
- You’re experiencing forgetfulness and brain fog.
What does it mean for attracting talent?
To excel at candidate attraction and retention, you need to think out of the box; especially now as masses are quitting and the recruitment industry is going through a transformation. And when you’re stressed, anxious, and uninspired, and all your self-confidence vanishes, you might place emphasis on things that block your creativity and problem-solving capability.
Impostorism makes you believe that you’re lost in a maze and that you won’t be able to find them no matter how hard you try. But it’s a lie!
How to deal with imposter syndrome
You need to break the cycle of negative thoughts. For that, you have to examine what’s triggering your imposter syndrome and knock it out with positive affirmations. And the sooner you do that, the sooner you’ll feel better.
Now I want you to listen carefully because this is important:
It’s all – in – your – thoughts
You’ve gotten so far for a reason.
You got great results because you put in the hard work.
You have the talent.
Some of you may be having a hard time and you feel that every roadblock you encounter gets you a little further away, but remember that this is temporary.
So, get some rest and when you’re ready, start to rewire your brain. Write a list of “things I am good at” or start gratitude journaling and find out how to shift your mindset to prove to yourself that you’re an incredibly valuable asset. Because you are.
