Rookie Jitters
If it’s your first time here my name is Jack Wang, I’m a scientist and Professor from Australia. In many ways I am the embodiment of the impostor syndrome - I have multiple qualifications in Science, Information Technology, did a PhD, received senior teaching and microbiology fellowships, worked in academia for 10+ years, and in 2020 I was named the Australian University Teacher of the year. This should be in some ways an unimpeachable resume but I have been (or at least felt like) an impostor every step of the way. I don’t view this as a bad thing at all, and long story short I now know that I am doing the right kind of work and asking the right questions when those feelings of insecurity start creeping in.
This is a very different story for students, new graduates, and early career researchers, who don’t yet have the perspective to see uncertainty and fear for what it really is - a catalyst for learning and growth. This is the main reason that I wanted to talk about the Impostor Syndrome over the next few weeks, to try and demystify the all too common sense of alienation and isolation experienced by professionals throughout their career.
When we talk about careers though, students are often excluded from the conversation. Younger students are vulnerable to feelings of inadequacy and anxiety as well, probably more than anyone, but the perception is that students haven’t accomplished anything yet so it’s only normal to feel like an impostor?
Whether you’re a first year undergraduate student, or a grizzled third (fourth, fifth?) year PhD student, we chalk up insecurities at this level to the fact that you’re just getting started or to pre-existing mental health conditions. Now anxiety and depression are serious issues that need proper medical treatment - something I’m not qualified to talk about as a mere microbiologist - but as of 2023 the impostor syndrome is pretty loosely defined clinically speaking. There are a range of surveys used to measure self esteem, confidence, and burnout, but no gold standard on the diagnostic front. Because of this, there’s not a long track record of evidence on the effectiveness of any treatment strategy.
There are studies on the impostor syndrome amongst students, but the most cited studies seem to focus on medical students - a study in 2016 looked at over 2500 medical students, and as you might suspect - impostor syndrome, exhaustion, cynicism, depersonalisation - all elements of burnout - lit up across the board. I don’t think this is necessarily a universal experience for all students, because medical students are a special demographic - high-achieving, self-motivated, usually onto their second or third qualification before med school. This seems to more closely mirror the impostor experience of graduates out of their first degree rather than first year university or college students feeling out of place amongst their peers. If you fall into the latter category, I think it’s best to directly address the underlying causes of anxiety or depression, ideally with a mental health professional, rather than come up with a professional development strategy like the one I’m about to discuss.
In the last blog post we talked about the 3-step uncertainty framework:
The Googleables - background research you should be constantly doing in your own time in online discussion forums, Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn. The more you understand about the parameters of the problems you’re facing at work, the more intentional you can be with how you spend your time at work.
The Mentionables - “inside baseball” questions that are contingent on the unwritten rules of social etiquette specific to your immediate professional environment. You should learn to become comfortable mentioning these topics with your peers over coffee or a drink to try and learn the ropes in semi-casual situations.
The Untouchables - strategic questions surrounding leadership and vision that affect your whole organisation. These are typically questions that can only be answered by your senior managers, but you should constantly be reflecting on how they align with your current role and your professional values overall.
None of the 3 steps to this uncertainty framework are easy to execute and will fluctuate wildly throughout the early stages of your career, especially if you don’t have a good foundation of professionalism. For many young professionals it’s your first full-time job after graduation and we’ve all spent the last few years stuck at home in isolation.
Last year I interviewed many students who seem great on paper - terrific GPA, lots of different study and work experiences, but are underwhelming in person because they just don’t know how to respond in different scenarios. If you’re getting interviewed for jobs but always coming in second or third, that’s a sign that your resume or CV is OK but something’s off with how you present yourself in person. I can’t predict the exact culture or customs of your workplace, city, or country, but I’ll be the one to say the quiet part out aloud for new graduates going through rookie jitters:
Be energetic! Come into work alert, eager to listen, and ask follow-up questions when appropriate. If you’re tired at work and it’s obvious, something in your private life needs to change or go.
Be positive! Don’t build a reputation of being a complainer, or if you’re an Aussie - a whinger - even when making small talk that’s not work related. Think about what solutions you can bring to the table, as opposed to reasons something can’t be done or problems that can’t be fixed. Yes it feels good to complain and get things off your chest, but as the new employee it’s safer to do this in your own time.
Be curious but not pushy. Sure you have a lot of questions, especially when following stage 2 of the framework - the Mentionables - but shouldn’t you be figuring things out on your own by now? That will be the subtext of any professional interaction you may have after a certain period of time - could be weeks, or months if you’re lucky, but if that’s the case it probably means you didn’t spend enough time on stage 1 - the Googleables - doing your own background research to seem like you know what you’re doing. Fake it until you make it.
Be respectful of boundaries. If you do need to ask someone questions, try and schedule a regular catch-up as opposed to firing random questions at them every time they’re on their lunch-break. Avoid commenting on other people’s appearance - haircuts, clothing, if they looked tired today… It doesn’t matter their age or gender, you never know what other people’s triggers may be. Unless you’re really confident in your personal charisma (a red flag already?) you’re probably making them feel uncomfortable
Be self-aware. This is really the hardest part of all of this, but try to ready yourself and ask one of your friends for some honest feedback.
Is there anything I do that makes you feel uncomfortable?
Am I bad at reading social cues?
Do you feel at ease talking to me about your problems?
This feedback is only helpful if it’s coming from the right person. If it’s your parents or siblings? Too much history and potential for family drama. Probably can’t be anyone in your current workplace, but could be someone you used to work with, if not a friend you still keep in touch with regularly? They’re clearly still your friend for a reason, so hopefully they’ll give you some insight.
Let’s continue the conversation next week. Talk soon.
Jack.
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If you’re interested in this topic I dive deeper into the weeds in this week’s video. Let’s keep this conversation going about impostors over the coming weeks.
