PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING PLATFORMS LIKE LinkedIn can provoke feelings of negative comparison or come with pressure to create the ‘perfect’ page. This pressure may be why THE IMPOSTER PHENOMENON tends to play out when it comes time to JOIN, POST, OR UPDATE.

LinkedIn is a vulnerable experience for many people. It can provoke feelings of negative comparison – Will people in my network view me as credible? How might a recruiter or employer interpret my profile? – or come with pressure to create the ‘perfect’ post or page. This pressure to perform well may be why the imposter phenomenon tends to play out when it comes time to create, post, or share.

Searching for jobs, updating your profile, or reacting to a colleague’s post can come with feelings of negative comparison or anxiety about doing well. Even being labeled as a LinkedIn subject matter expert can be uncomfortable, as impostorism can show up by feeling like the more you succeed, the more you’re expected to know. Often, the tension between what you want to share on LinkedIn (maybe nothing!) and what you believe you should share in order to do well (like expert analysis, devoid of a single flaw) only leads to more fear. In the end, many people are able to talk themselves out of making the profile, post, or comment at all. 

Despite the challenges you might feel when putting yourself out there, research suggests the effort is worthwhile. The authors of a 2020 study from the Journal of Vocational Behaviour suggest that even passively using LinkedIn can have real benefits, including assistance for your job search and direction in your career. 

What is “imposterism” and how can it appear? 

Imposterism is the phenomenon of outwardly accomplished or successful people who describe “feeling like a fraud” in their job or career. More than just feeling scared to try something new, those with imposter syndrome believe they’re “fooling” others into thinking they’re competent enough to do their job. Since they fear this incompetence will eventually be revealed, these individuals tend to be perfectionists, overwork themselves, or fall into patterns of self sabotage. 

Imposter syndrome isn’t a diagnostic classification but a group of behaviors, thought patterns, or feelings that come together to create the imposter phenomenon. Feeling like an imposter and not allowing yourself to enjoy accomplishments for long (if at all) then feeds feelings of depression or anxiety. 

More than 70% of professionals across a variety of settings struggle with feeling like an imposter. Many people struggle with these feelings throughout their lives, while others may find the phenomenon crops up when taking on a new role or changing careers. If unchecked, imposter syndrome can become a cycle: individuals worry that they are incompetent or feel like a fraud. They work harder to make up for these feelings, and are temporarily reassured when they get a promotion or good grade. Then, they worry about living up to the praise – which worsens anxiety, and starts the cycle over. 

Dr. Lisa Orbé-Austin is a licensed psychologist and executive coach whose research focuses on the imposter phenomenon.  I often refer my clients with imposter syndrome to her book, “Own Your Greatness.” Dr. Orbe-Austin suggests that when people with imposter syndrome believe they are deceiving others into thinking they’re competent, they make “tiny choices influenced by anxiety” to manage the anxious feelings that manifest.

Some of these “tiny choices” might be more familiar than you would expect. For example, have you ever procrastinated on making a LinkedIn post because you’re worried about offending others or doing it perfectly? With a few minutes to spare, you rush through the editing stage and miss a typo. Putting off the task due to fear may have felt subtle at the time, especially if the final post receives plenty of praise. However, you still feel uneasy about celebrating the success, since the post did not go as planned. You might even avoid posting or sharing in the future!

Some examples of imposter syndrome at work may include:

• Taking on tasks you might otherwise have delegated to feel more in control of the outcome, which results in the team being in a rush to finish on time

• Overworking over the course of a project, leaving yourself burned out and not at your best when the deliverable is due

• Saying yes to additional job duties that are not part of your role 

• Refusing to push back or amend timelines

• Avoiding time off

Some examples of imposter syndrome when communicating may include:

• Having trouble asking for accepting help

• Avoiding leadership roles or questions from the audience 

• Over-apologizing

• Avoiding chances to promote yourself or speak

• Using filler words when speaking

The 5 types of imposter syndrome

Psychologist Jill Stoddard suggests that there are 5 different types of “imposterist” behavior often demonstrated by those experiencing the phenomenon. These include:

The Perfectionist: this archetypal “imposter” sets excessively high standards for themselves. Since their standards are so high, they find it difficult or impossible to meet them, and feel a constant sense of failure when these standards are not met. 

The Perfectionist’s LinkedIn:  Is not ready yet - they’re still choosing their header photo, and they’re thinking of totally redoing the copy, and maybe they should wait to go live. Give them a few more days, please!

The Superhero: this model of imposterist feels the need to be exceptional and excels in all areas of their life. They are guilty of pushing past natural stopping points and overworking, often to the point of burnout.

The Superhero’s LinkedIn:  A little skimpy on the details. They’ve been meaning to get to it, but they really haven’t had a spare second…oh, you need it today? Let them throw something together. Oh, geez…

The Expert: the expert feels like they should have all the answers. This archetype of the imposter phenomenon feels that they must know everything and have all the answers before they can contribute to the conversation. 

The Expert’s LinkedIn: A long list of credentials after their name, set to private. Lots of skills, but they haven’t found a single job to apply for. It seems none are a perfect match. The Expert remains post-less. Perhaps the strong and silent type…

THE Natural Genius: the natural genius believes that success should come easily and effortlessly. If it does not, they feel like they’ve failed. 

The Natural Genius’ LinkedIn: Registered, but hasn’t been updated since college. LinkedIn is not really their “thing,” so they suspect they’re no good at it. So, they’re going to pass on it for now… 

THE Soloist: the soloist prefers to work alone and struggles to delegate tasks, driven by the fear that asking for help will reveal their perceived inadequacies

The Soloist’s LinkedIn: Performer of the year. They take on three roles at the same time, but…they’re on leave right now. Oh, it was nothing, just a bit of stress…

Interrupting the imposter cycle

Find out your imposter archetype

Use this online quiz to identify how your self-doubt is manifesting and showing up at work. You can use this online quiz, developed by Dr. Valerie Young, to understand if you have an imposterism type. When I did the quiz, I wasn’t surprised that I identified most as The Expert archetype!

Ask these three questions

As with any skill, practice is key. The 2020 research mentioned earlier suggests that browsing LinkedIn has career benefits, even if you don’t post, like, or share. So what would be the best possible outcome for you? If you’re not sure whether it’s a value fit or you’re just reluctant to try, Dr. Jill Stoddard, imposterism author and expert, recommends 3 questions:

• What do I want to do

• What happens if I do

• What happens if I don’t

Try fear-setting instead of goal-setting

Similarly, author Tim Ferris recommends “fear setting” – a method of challenging our fears rather than just setting goals. He suggests that if there is something you want to do (like create a LinkedIn profile to launch your career pivot), ask yourself: what is the absolute, worst possible thing that can happen if the fear comes true? Write it in a journal or just think it through:

If I create a profile, my old boss might see I’m trying out a new field. He might even call me. I could, well, I could just not take that call. Or he might just be calling to congratulate me. We left on pretty good terms, actually, so that might not be so bad.

Giving your inner imposter a name

If you’re a Soloist or Perfectionist with a loud inner critic, you might consider giving the inner critic a name, like “Karen” or “Jason” to give yourself some distance from self-criticism. This is an age-old strategy in psychology that is about naming feelings to tame them.

Group psychotherapy

Group based therapy sessions are also a fantastic way to learn, especially since the group setting offers participants the chance to get ‘hands on’ experience with skills. Our 10 week imposter group psychotherapy is now offered online and has been designed by our in-house imposterism expert, Dr. Meagan Yarmey. Dr. Yarmey is a registered social worker and has a PhD in Social Psychology, and has created the program to be science-backed and practical for groups. Book a free consultation if you’d like to learn more!

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