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If you think you somehow tricked your way into your career and you’re not really qualified, I have a secret to tell you: Many of your colleagues feel the exact same way. An estimated 70 percent of people deal with impostor syndrome, the sneaking suspicion that everyone overestimated you and you don’t actually deserve your success.
Impostor syndrome isn’t unique to women, but women do respond in a unique way to feeling like a fraud. Instead of giving up, women work twice as hard to prove themselves. However, that doesn’t necessarily lead to career advancement. If you’re working your tail off just to tread water, you end up burning out, not moving up.
It’s time to get off the hamster wheel. Instead of letting self-doubt stagnate your career, put that energy toward these bold career moves and start achieving the things you really want.
Build a Strong Personal Brand
There’s something to be said about faking it until you make it. Nowhere is that more evident than in the rise of personal branding.
Personal branding is about creating an image of your best possible self and putting it out into the world. Authenticity is important in personal branding, but so is confidence. That doesn’t mean you can’t second-guess yourself off-screen, but the image you present on your website, social media, and guest blogs should showcase your strengths.
Personal branding is a smart career move, too. You know potential employers are going to Google you, and what would you rather they see: A collection of social media profiles and outdated news blurbs, or a curated image of a driven professional woman?
Make the Case for a Promotion
If you ask for a promotion and you’re not convinced you deserve it, it’ll show and you won’t get the answer you want. Build your case for why you’ve earned a promotion, and you’ll head into the meeting with more confidence and a better shot at a “yes.”
Start by documenting your accomplishments so far at your job. With luck, you’ve been jotting them down since the beginning. If you’ve received positive feedback from bosses, colleagues, and clients, record that, too.
Don’t stop there. Ask for more responsibilities and volunteer for projects when they’re available. Stepping up to challenges shows your bosses that you can handle an increase in responsibility — and it’s also a great way to convince yourself.
Start Your Own Business
Unfortunately, we don’t all work in jobs with upward mobility and reasonable bosses. If you’ve exhausted opportunities in your current career or company culture is holding back, strike out on your own. Entrepreneurship is popular among women in particular because by working for themselves, women can achieve the pay, passion, and advancement that their old jobs lacked.
Starting a business isn’t something you can dive straight into. Before entertaining the idea of quitting your job, you need to research the market, calculate starting costs, find financing, and figure out where and how you’ll do business. Only once you’ve compiled this all into a business plan can you start the transition to small business ownership.
Many people looking to start a business these days begin their journey in e-commerce, dropshipping in particular. Dropshipping allows you to see various merchandise through your own website without having to keep an inventory; instead, your supplier will ship the goods to customers. There are many different products you can sell using the dropship model, including office supplies, bedding, backpacks, sneakers/shoes, and kids clothing.
Learn to Love Failure
Finally, learn to be okay with failing. When you take career risks, it’s inevitable that some won’t work out. You could land the promotion but not the raise, or your first business could fold after a few short months. Instead of letting a fear of failure stop you, ask yourself, “So what?” It’s better to chase your goals and fail than let fear and self-doubt hold you back — and as long as you keep moving forward, there’s always another shot.
