Have you ever been in a situation where you feel as if you don’t belong? Even if you have prepared as best you can? You’re not alone.
Impostor syndrome is very real, and it is more common than you might assume. Studies vary, but the numbers have shown that a majority of people will experience this phenomenon at least once in their life.
Throughout this article, I hope to share some relief from the anxiety that Impostor syndrome produces during the daunting process that is applying for your first post-college job. I am right there with you and I hope some of these tips that I have learned will help you out as well.
experiences
The best first step when dealing with these feelings is to assess what exactly you have learned over the course of your academic journey. Don’t get caught up with defining exactly what your major is, while this is important, the skills and experiences you collected along with the knowledge from your major-centric classes are just as valuable. For example, pay attention to the jobs, greek life, student organizations, and any other activities or work that you participated in over the years and dissect everything those experiences taught you.
Search Terms
Secondly, alter the terms that you are searching for when hunting for job listings. It is easy to fall into using the key words from your major: “Interpersonal Communication,” “Journalism,” etc. While this is helpful, finding keywords that relate to the experience knowledge you collected in the first step will help you find listings that you never would have even considered in the first place! And this is really where the Impostor Syndrome tends to set in for people. If they can’t find jobs that have their exact degree in the description that they otherwise qualify for, it can feel like a lost cause. Widening your search net will help you find the perfect fit for you!
Qualifications
On the topic of qualifications, it can be really easy to fall into a trap of assuming you can’t apply for a job if you don’t fit or exceed the listing’s qualifications verbatim. Everyone has different experiences, so don’t take these laundry lists of requirements too literally. For example, if you fit within 3 out of 5 of the criteria, but the remaining two are skills that you can learn on the job, you can demonstrate your willingness to learn during your application process and/or interview(s). Not only will this show your prospective employer that you are enthusiastic about their organization, also no one would learn anything new if they never obtained new skills during a job! This is a fantastic outlet for you to continue developing your experiences and knowledge after school.
You got this!
Above all, just know that so many people are in the same boat as you. Your entire class of fellow students are all graduating at the same time as you with their own degree. This being said, don’t settle for what you think you “deserve” because you assume other people will be more qualified than you. Go for the positions that you’re excited about! The worst thing that can happen is they say no. Of course, don’t put all your eggs into one basket and only apply to one job. But don’t completely ignore your passions and preferences when picking out jobs to apply to. The world is full of so many options, it can be intimidating, but that’s the fun of it! You can do anything you set your mind (and send your resume) to!
