We’ve all been there. You’re scrolling through LinkedIn, a job description catches your eye, you get a little spark of excitement, and then you scan the responsibilities and requirements … then that voice pipes up.

The one that insists on perfection:

“You can’t do that. You don’t have enough experience and you don’t meet all the requirements.”

Or the one that downplays your achievements:

“Yeah but you’re not really a manager. You only had 4 people to manage.”, “That experience doesn’t count, it was a maternity cover/ contract job/ work you did for your family business”

If that sounds familiar, you’ve come to the right place.

I’m Dina, a life & career coach specialising in career change, and in the video below I present 3 steps you can take to tackle this kind of self-doubt.

Why LinkedIn Feels So Daunting

Before we dive into the solutions, it helps to know that what you’re feeling is completely normal. In fact, Dr Ben Marsden from University of Edinburgh has have found that “just browsing the newsfeed, or even posting an achievement on LinkedIn, can trigger reflection on your professional identity that can ignite imposter thoughts, which is associated with a fear of being found out as an imposter” (see research here)
So it’s not just you being dramatic. The platform itself is built in a way that invites comparison.

Now, when you’re having a good day, feeling happy with where you are, then it’s like you have a bullet-proof vest on. Comparison-itis can’t touch you. In fact, when you see that Kay from your old job has got a promotion, or Jay has got a job at a brand you admire, you are far more likely to cheer than jeer.

However, if you’re changing careers, let’s face it, you’re not always in a good mood. You may be panicking because you’ve just been made redundant, or feeling depleted because work has burnt you out. In which case, you’ll be extra sensitive to comparison. Kay’s promotion may make you feel like you’re not good enough, and Jay’s new job may make you feel threatened and fire up a sense of scarcity – like there aren’t enough jobs out there for everyone.

Knowing you’re not alone in how you’re feeling is the first step in getting a handle on your thoughts and feelings. And knowing that the CareerSphere that is LinkedIn is likely to make your Imposter Syndrome if you’re already feeling low or sensitive, will hopefully get you checking in on whether you should limit LinkedIn doom-scrolling that day or not. Now, here are 3 other steps you can take to help you.

1) Get Some Perspective on Job Descriptions

Here’s something that might instantly take the pressure off: a job description is basically a wish list.

Employers aren’t expecting you to tick every single box. Their job descriptions are the equivalent of manifestations. If you put out a wish into the universe, wouldn’t you try to make sure you mention EVERYTHING you want just in case you get it?

Image created via Banana AI

Well, that’s basically what the companies are doing.

But they are also grounded in reality – they fully expect that the right candidate will have room to grow. In fact, if you already knew how to do everything in the role, it would be a lateral move, not a step up, and the company might get suspicious about that. ‘Won’t you be bored?’ is what they’d be thinking. Room to grow = things to learn = motivation to stay.

Also, don’t fear questions like “Do you have experience with X?” when you don’t have the required experience.

Instead, welcome that question.

This is your chance to say, honestly and enthusiastically, “Not yet, but that’s exactly the kind of thing I’m excited to get stuck into.” Seriously, never hide where you are – own it. Because every stage of experience has its advantages, even the beginner’s stage…

If you’re starting out, you have something that more experienced people don’t: you’re hungry to learn, excited by doing the work, and, arguably, more creative because you don’t know the “rules” yet, so you try anything.

Lastly, don’t overlook your soft skills. Curiosity, enthusiasm, kindness, and a growth mindset are often what tips the scales in an interview.

I can personally vouch for this.

Years ago, when I was leaving my job, my manager asked me to help her out with recruiting my replacement. We both sifted through the applications and one lady’s stood out head and shoulders above the rest. She met all the requirements and sounded perfect for the role!

However, when we did the interviews, it wasn’t her who got the job. No, our golden candidate came off as completely disinterested in the role, the company or us. She didn’t even have any questions! Meanwhile this other candidate shone in her interview. She was less experienced and more nervous, but super excited about the role. She got hired almost entirely on her soft skills – her enthusiasm for the role was infectious. We wanted to spend more time with her! Plus, we saw her nerves as a good thing – it showed us she cared.

2) Address That Inner Critic, Don’t Just Ignore It

The inner critic doesn’t go away if you try to shove it down. It needs to be actively challenged. Left unchecked, what starts as a small whisper (“maybe you’re not quite ready”) can snowball into a full-blown impostor syndrome spiral, so that before you know it, you’re convinced you need to do an expensive masters degree before you’re “allowed” to apply for anything.

The antidote? Good old fashioned pen and paper journaling.

Not a laptop, not your phone. Actual pen and paper. Because writing slows down your thinking.

The University of Rochester Medical Center found that that writing down your thoughts and feelings can help you understand them more clearly, reduce stress and anxiety, and make room for more positive self-talk. Putting worries on paper can also help create a bit more distance from the thoughts that keep looping in your head.

💡 Here are 3 journaling approaches you can try 💡

1) Two-column challenge: Write out every negative thought the voice is throwing at you in one column. All the doubts, the comparisons – flush them all out by writing them down. Then, in the other, argue against yourself. Imagine you’re either a hot stuff lawyer and find evidence for the other (more positive) way of thinking. Or put yourself in your kind friend’s shoes and think about what they would say to those negative thoughts. How would they help you believe in a more positive way of looking at the situation?

2) Expressive writing: Write freely about how you feel in your current or last job and why you want to leave. This expressive writing may help you move on faster. A study of recently unemployed people found that those who wrote about their deepest thoughts and feelings regarding their job loss actually found new work faster than those who wrote about superficial topics or did not write at all. Getting those thoughts and feelings onto the page genuinely shifts your attitude.

3) Reframing (a CBT technique): When something feels like a setback or a dead end, write your way to a different perspective. What’s the lesson here? Where’s the hidden opportunity? What has this situation given you, even if it’s not obvious at first?

3) Actively Build Your Confidence

The final piece of the puzzle is taking positive action to remind yourself of what you actually bring to the table.

👉 Here are 2 things you can get started with 👈

1) Seeking out inspiring stories and role models

Career change stories, especially ones featuring people who made big leaps later in life, are genuinely energising and will help silence the doubt with hope.

2) Ask for feedback from people who know you well

Reach out to trusted friends, colleagues, or mentors and ask them what they see as your strengths. Tell them you’re considering a career change and you’d value an outside perspective. You might be surprised by what they say. People who know us well often see qualities in us that we’ve completely stopped noticing in ourselves. This exercise is super underrated but super powerful, which is why it’s one of the first tasks you do in the Strengths Module of my Career Clarity Course. Every time my clients do this exercise, they are moved by what they hear and emboldened in a genuine and lasting way that you just can’t get from doing personality quizzes or strengths tests or even from your AI buddy telling you how amazing you are. One of my clients was described as a natural leader by the people around her, a label she’s never used about herself. This opened up a whole new path for her to take and tapped into a side of her she was completely overlooking. That kind of insight can open up world’s of possibilities.

The Takeaway

Next time you’re on LinkedIn and you see “200 other applicants” on a job posting, remember: most of them are probably as uncertain as you are.

The person who gets the role isn’t necessarily the one with the most impressive CV, it’s often the one who walks into the room radiating genuine excitement for the position and the company, as well as curiosity for the people she’s meeting.

That person could absolutely be you.

Ready to take that first step? I’ve put together a free Career Change Resources Booklet with everything you need to start your career change with clarity and confidence – grab your copy here.