Why so many young professionals feel like impostors and how to build real confidence anyway

By Jasmine Escalera, PhD, Career Expert at MyPerfect Resume 

You got the job and should be celebrating. But there’s still that voice in your head saying things like:

What if I don’t actually belong here?
What if they realize I’m not as capable as they think?

If you’re early in your career, that voice can feel quite loud. And it’s so important for you to know that you’re not alone. According to new data from MyPerfectResume’s Impostor Syndrome Report, 43% of workers say they experience impostor feelings at work and 66% say they feel pressure to appear more confident or knowledgeable than they actually are.

So if you feel like you’re “faking it” sometimes, you’re not flawed. In fact, you are acting like most professionals who are trying to navigate a workworld that can often reward performance, not development. So let’s talk about this phenomenon and how you can navigate it best. 

What Impostor Syndrome Actually Is

Impostor syndrome is the persistent belief that your success is undeserved and at some point, someone is going to “find you out.”

It can commonly sound like:

• “I just got lucky.”
• “I shouldn’t be leading this.”
• “Everyone else knows more than I do.”

And these intrusive thoughts can push you to overprepare, overwork, and downplay your achievements. For early career professionals impostor syndrome can feel especially intense. Because you are in the stage of learning, building skills, and stretching into new responsibilities. That kind of growth can feel uncomfortable and even make you question whether you’re doing it “right.”

And shockingly, according to the same report, 65% of workers say leaders rarely or never talk openly about their own doubts or mistakes. So what happens? You assume confidence is natural for everyone else, and because you’re new, you start to believe your uncertainty means you don’t belong. But that assumption is false.

How Impostor Syndrome Quietly Impacts Your Career

Impostor syndrome doesn’t just sit in your thoughts. It changes your behavior. According to MyPerfectResume, 58% of workers say self-doubt has negatively affected their career growth. For young professionals, that can look like:

• Not applying for new roles or promotions unless you meet 100% of the qualifications.
• Staying quiet in meetings even when you have valuable insight.
• Avoiding stretch assignments that will help you build new skills. 
• Waiting to feel “ready” to go for great opportunities. 

But the major problem is if you wait until you feel fully confident before you take action, you will stay stuck. In fact, confidence does not come before growth. Growth precedes confidence. And the longer you let self-doubt dictate your decisions, the more it will negatively impact your overall career trajectory.

Why Your Feelings Aren’t Just “Insecurity”

This part matters. When people talk about impostor syndrome, it’s often framed as a personal problem or something you need to fix about yourself. But in many cases, what you’re feeling isn’t just insecurity. It’s a response to the environment you’re stepping into.

You might be entering workplaces or industries where success is highly visible, mistakes are rarely discussed, and certainty is treated as a baseline expectation. Everyone seems composed, confident, and like they know exactly what they’re doing. But appearances can be very misleading.

What’s often happening behind the scenes is something called “confidence theater,” where people perform certainty while privately they are just figuring things out on the fly. When leaders, managers, and more experienced professionals don’t talk openly about their own learning curves, mistakes, or doubts, it reinforces the idea that you’re the only one struggling. 

Hear me now…You’re not. You’re just seeing the polished version of everyone else’s story.

How to Build Real Confidence (Instead of Performing It)

If impostor syndrome is common, the goal isn’t to eliminate doubt entirely. Doubt will always show up, especially when you’re stretching yourself and learning something new. The goal is to move forward anyway. Here’s how.

1. Separate “New” From “Not Capable”

Not knowing something yet is not the same as being unqualified. Being an early career professional means you are in expansion mode and that can come with some uncertainty. Add the powerful word ‘yet’ to your thoughts: “I don’t know how to do this… yet.” That small shift can change everything.

2. Build an Evidence File

One key thing to do, especially at the start of your career, is to document:

• Positive feedback.
• Results you’ve driven.
• Projects completed.
• Problems solved.

Whenever doubt shows up you can review this file and come face-to-face with the facts, not the feelings. Your confidence grows from accumulating, and seeing, evidence.

3. Ask Questions Without Apology

Confidence is not about knowing everything. It’s about being secure enough to learn publicly. One powerful shift is replacing statements like “Sorry, this might be a dumb question…” with something like, “Can you walk me through your thinking here so I can learn how you approached it?” Doing this signals curiosity and a willingness to learn, which are two qualities that are highly valued in the workplace.

4. Take the Opportunity Before You Feel Ready

Truth time…You will not feel fully prepared before:

• Your first presentation.
• Your first leadership opportunity.
• Your first big leap.

No one does and that is OK. The point is always to apply, take your chance, raise your hand for news opportunities, and speak up when you have ideas. Action builds confidence. Avoidance builds doubt.

5. Redefine What Confidence Means

Confidence is not the absence of fear. It is actually the willingness to act while fear is present. You can feel nervous and still be capable. You can feel uncertain and still belong. You can feel like an impostor and still be qualified. So when in doubt just make a small move or ask for support. That will take you a long way in your career. 

Here is a last note for you. Your early career is not about proving that you’re perfect. It’s about learning, stretching, and building confidence through experience. Doubt will show up along the way. That’s normal. In fact, it’s often a sign that you’re growing and stepping into something new. The key is not waiting until the doubt disappears before you move forward. You build confidence by taking action, learning as you go, and allowing yourself to develop in real time.

You’re not an impostor. You’re a professional building your skills in real time. That’s exactly what you’re supposed to do. And that is exactly where every amazing career professional starts.