When I started working at Google when I was 19, I was tasked with projects that were way beyond my capabilities. Most people at the company didn’t know how young I was, and that resulted in me being put on tight deadlines for projects that were over my head.
Related:3 Career Development Tips That Will Get You Ahead Of The Competition
When I was put in charge of figuring out Google’s entrance strategy into Africa and Eastern Europe, I was so focused on rising to the challenge that I didn’t have time to reflect. I was delivering results.
After my first performance review, a strange thing happened: I began to wonder whether I was good enough. I’d done very well on my review. Instead of focusing on the many positives uncovered during Google’s in-depth review process, however, I found myself obsessing over the areas in which I needed to improve. I dwelled on my weaknesses and minimized my strengths.
Looking back, it’s easy to see the signs: I had impostor syndrome.
The Silent Epidemic Of Self-Doubt
Impostor syndrome is a phenomenon marked by chronic self-doubt and feelings of intellectual fraud. It often affects bright up-and-comers, but it can also affect highly successful people in leadership positions.
Women business leaders are particularly susceptible to these feelings because they already tend to underestimate or “round down” their achievements. For instance, if a woman wants to go for a big promotion but only meets six out of eight requirements, she’s much less likely to apply for the position than a man with the same qualifications.
Impostor syndrome isn’t the same as being modest. Rather, it’s the nagging feeling that affects your performance and your perception of your capabilities. It’s the voice in the back of your mind that says, “I’m not enough.”
If left unchecked, these beliefs can seriously impact your career and prevent you from realizing your potential.
After my performance review, I started becoming more of a perfectionist. I fixated on the smallest details and was determined to exceed expectations in the areas in which I needed to improve. No matter how hard I worked, I wondered whether people had caught on — if they knew I was a fraud.
These thoughts consumed me. “How did I get here? Do I really deserve to be here?” Google is a terrible place to have these feelings because it’s full of amazing talent. Each day, I felt like I was waiting for that next blow of self-doubt to punch me in the face.
How To Break The Pattern
As these thoughts and feelings began to wear me down, I realized that I needed to do something. I sought out mentors within Google and asked for feedback from my team. I found out there was no quick fix for impostor syndrome. The key is to realize that you will always have these feelings, and you need to develop tools to manage them.
It’s not easy being a woman leading a company in the male-dominated tech industry. These thoughts of being a fraud remain with me to this day, but I’m much better prepared to handle them than I was in my early 20s.
To give me a more realistic perspective of my capabilities:
I did a 360-degree assessment.
I surveyed my investors, advisors, and team members about my leadership, and I did a self-assessment. By comparing the responses, I saw that my self-perception differed greatly from how other people saw me, and I realized that my self-criticisms were off-base.
I built a strong network of trusted confidants.
These advisors help me stop the snowball effect of self-doubt, and I have a very supportive partner who talks me out of this line of thinking.
I actively work to develop strategies to help me be the best leader for my business.
I’ve learned to employ meditation techniques before stressful meeting days, enabling me to walk in front of 20 investors with the confidence that I will perform to my fullest potential.
If you find yourself mired in self-doubt and constantly internalizing criticism, you’re not only damaging your career and personal well-being, but you’re also affecting those around you unintentionally. A leader has to lead, which means managing your feelings of insecurity to gain control and do what’s in the best interest of your company.
It all starts by recognizing your own thought processes, building a support system, and being a little bit kinder to yourself.
This is a guest post by Falon Fatemi, founder and CEO of Node, a stealth startup of ex-Googlers. Falon consults for startups and VCs on everything from infrastructure to drones.
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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