{"id":8842,"date":"2026-05-20T12:58:28","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T11:58:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/?p=8842"},"modified":"2026-05-20T13:08:41","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T12:08:41","slug":"imposter-syndrome-why-it-happens-and-what-you-can-do-about-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/?p=8842","title":{"rendered":"Imposter syndrome \u2013 why it happens and what you can do about it"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Lego<\/a>Imposter syndrome is the internal experience of believing that you aren\u2019t as competent as others perceive you to be. It often comes with the fear of being exposed as a fraud, and a tendency to downplay personal achievements. It can affect anybody, regardless of background, skill level, or degree of expertise. If that sounds like you, check out Build your career confidence<\/a> and try our practical activities.<\/p>\n

Employers know that talented people still need support<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018In early-career roles we regularly see talented people questioning whether they truly belong, particularly when taking that non-linear route into their desired industry. The reality is that growth comes through learning on the job, and employers have a responsibility to create opportunities and environments where people feel supported while they build that confidence.\u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

Rachel McMahon, Academy Ops & People Lead, Corecom Tech Academy<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

You’re in good company<\/strong><\/p>\n

Imposter syndrome doesn’t discriminate. Maya Angelou, despite writing eleven books, admitted she constantly feared being “found out.” Albert Einstein described himself as an “involuntary swindler.” If high achievers at the very top of their fields felt this way, it’s worth questioning how reliable that inner critic really is. Get inspired by the stories of other OU students<\/a>, and know that if they can do it, so can you.<\/p>\n

Change is often the catalyst<\/strong><\/p>\n

Imposter syndrome often surfaces during periods of transition- starting a new course, entering a new industry, or taking on more responsibility. These are precisely the moments when we’re comparing our internal experience (the self-doubt, the uncertainty) with other people’s external appearance (their confidence, their polish). It’s an unfair comparison, and it rarely reflects reality<\/p>\n

What you can do<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \u00a0Record your successes<\/em>.<\/em> Start a running document of achievements, positive feedback, and moments where you handled something well. When doubt creeps in, this becomes evidence to push back with. Try using these tools to recognise your skills<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  2. \u00a0Name it.<\/em> Talking about imposter syndrome, with a friend, mentor, or careers consultant, takes away some of its power. You may find the person you tell has felt exactly the same way.<\/li>\n
  3. \u00a0Separate feelings from facts.<\/em> Feeling out of your depth is not the same as being out of your depth. Discomfort in a new role is normal; it means you’re learning, not failing.<\/li>\n
  4. \u00a0Reframe the learning curve.<\/em> As the employer above notes, growth comes through learning on the job. Not knowing everything on day one isn’t a flaw in you- it’s a feature of the process.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Remember<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Careers and Employability Services is here to help you navigate those moments of self-doubt- whether that’s preparing for an application, reflecting on your skills, or building your career confidence. Book a consultation<\/a> to talk it over with us.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    \"Photo<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n
    Penny Beecroft is an OU Careers and Employability Consultant specialising in supporting students in Wales. Penny helps students navigate their futures, figure out their goals and build their confidence through one-to-one careers consultations and by designing career learning events and resources for the OU. Explore the rest of the Careers Stories page for more articles from the Careers and Employability Services team.<\/em><\/div>\n
    <\/div>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Imposter syndrome is the internal experience of believing that you aren\u2019t as competent as others perceive you to be. It often comes with the fear of being exposed as a fraud, and a tendency to downplay personal achievements. It can affect anybody, regardless of background, skill level, or degree of expertise. If that sounds like […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[94,100],"class_list":["post-8842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-career-planning","tag-career-confidence","tag-skills"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/50"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8842"}],"version-history":[{"count":27,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8842\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8872,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8842\/revisions\/8872"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8842"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}