"I don't know why I got the job," I heard myself saying. "I'm pretty sure someone else bowed out last minute."
Many years ago, that's how I decided I got a gig at a high end wine shop in New York City. I was underqualified; surely someone out there had to be a better fit. The only possible explanation is that their preferred candidate didn't take it.
But is that really what happened?
I have no idea but since then, my perspective has changed a lot. I've heard myself and loads of friends undersell themselves professionally (and personally but that's a different post). When we interview, we say our desired salaries are on the low end of the posted range. When we see help wanted ads, we come up with the reasons we won't be hired before we even apply. And, on the odd chance we do land a dream gig, we chalk it up to someone else not wanting it.
This is classic Imposter Syndrome. In a world that is dominated by a very specific demographic, many of those who don't fall in it feel like frauds when they find success. Woman in particular notoriously crack jokes about how they have no idea what they're doing day to day and that the boss will figure that out eventually.
My perspective on this changed about 7 years ago when I was interviewing for an important job. My late husband Bill asked me what the salary range was and I told him, noting "But I can't imagine asking more than the lower end." He was incredulous. "Why would you lower your own value out of the gate?" he asked. "If they're interviewing you, they already think you're worth the range they told you."
I was stunned. I'd truly had never even considered that. I thought that asking for more would be pushy, obnoxious, and off-putting. What I never considered was that I *was* qualified enough to ask for my worth. I was knee-deep in Imposter Syndrome.
What can we do to change this mindset? While I'm not suggesting this blog post will eliminate Imposter Syndrome for anyone reading, there are a few things that can help. To start, think about the concept of deserving, and specifically who deserves what. Why should anyone innately deserve more or less than anyone else? Work, education, experience are what bring professional worth, along with personality. Those are all gained through life, not what we simply come into this world with. In other words, we don't deserve less than anyone just because of who we are.
Understanding that, what do we bring to the table? It doesn't have to be limited to specific professional experience - think about how those skills can transfer. If you have experience as a teacher, for example, you certainly know what it's like to manage loads of different personalities at the same time. (Speaking from experience here!) We can use transferable skills to level up.
And, this is probably the biggest: When we look at a prospective job and immediately think "They probably won't hire me - someone else is a better fit" - why? Let the hiring team decide that. They know the culture of the company and what kind of skills are needed. Don't cut yourself out of the running before you even enter the race.
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