How to Navigate Imposter Syndrome When Applying for New Roles
Imagine it now: You are staring at a job posting on LinkedIn that sounds almost perfect. The company looks great. The culture aligns with what you believe. The benefits are solid. The responsibilities line up with everything you’ve been doing in previous roles. And yet, as you look back over the long list of “must-haves,” your stomach starts to drop and your confidence wavers. Words like “rockstar,” “guru,” and “expert” start to blur together, and suddenly you’re questioning everything.
Do I actually have enough experience to do this? What if I’m not as good as I think I am? Maybe I should wait until I’m more qualified before applying for this position or others like it? Surely TONS of other more qualified candidates have already applied, so what’s the point?
If any of this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Being the naturally curious individual that I am (and someone who is also navigating a recent career layoff), I wanted to learn more about why imposter syndrome rears its ugly head the most when we desperately need it to be in hiding. Do we really need to meet a full list of requirements on a job posting to apply? What are soft skills that I keep hearing about, and do they even matter?
That’s exactly why I reached out to the AMAZING Haley Scruggs, a former colleague and an AWS-certified tech recruiter turned career coach, to learn more and ask her some questions. Haley has navigated four layoffs herself and now helps folks in tech reignite their confidence and create careers they love.
I wanted to ask Haley why imposter syndrome hits so hard during the job search and what we can actually do about it.
Q: As a former AWS-certified technical recruiter, what advice can you give IT and security professionals who are battling imposter syndrome when applying for new roles?
A: First off, if you feel like an imposter, you are not alone, my friend.
Imposter syndrome is just severe self-doubt, the sneaky, pervasive fear that if people really knew the real you, they’d see you as a fraud. This is especially common after surviving a layoff, which is super common these days. I also see it a ton with folks who are newer to their industry, or have less representation within the IT space (like women and other underrepresented groups).
When I work with job seekers who feel stuck in that Imposter spiral, I walk them through what I call The Imposter Syndrome Reset, my 6-step framework for rebuilding confidence and clarity.
- Name it out loud. Say “I’m having imposter thoughts that are not facts.” Naming it separates you from it. Even better, visualize what your little imposter looks like. Mine is a gremlin-like, frazzled, red, spiky ball-like animal.
- Normalize newness. Feeling incompetent when you’re learning something new or exploring new spaces is part of the process. You don’t get good at interviewing without bombing a few first. You don’t get good at networking without talking to lots of people (including getting ghosted)! Incompetence is the price to pay to build up competence.
- Detach worth from work. Your worth as a human is not tied to having a job. After navigating four layoffs myself, I’ve learned layoffs are business decisions, not reflections of your talent or value. Ultimately, I help folks get jobs, but underneath all of that, I help folks re-activate their self-worth, confidence, and trust in themselves again.
- Act to collect no’s. Redefine success by focusing on your effort, not outcomes. Every no means you took action, learned something, and moved closer to the right yes. One of my clients came to me after ten months of job-search burnout after being laid off only three months into his last company. Within five weeks of working together, he rebuilt his confidence, turned down an unaligned offer, and created a freelance opportunity through intentional networking that paid more than the full-time role he almost settled for.
- Calibrate skills, then take action. Stop waiting to feel perfectly ready. You’ll be waiting forever. When I started in tech recruiting, I didn’t understand any of the technical jargon and felt like an idiot talking with software engineers. But I stayed curious, asked questions, and kept learning. Eight years later, I earned my AWS certification and recruited AI and ML engineers.
- Develop a growth mindset. A growth mindset means anything you want is something you can learn, practice, and grow into, instead of a fixed mindset like “I was born bad at math, so I’ll always be bad at math.” Seek feedback, learning, and evolution. Every mistake is data, not failure.
The antidote to imposter syndrome isn’t perfection (which doesn’t exist, by the way). It’s consistent, courageous, intentional action.
Q: From what you’ve seen, does an applicant need to meet all requirements listed in a job description?
A: Nope. Job descriptions are often wish lists, not checklists. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen the scope of a role change during the interview process as hiring teams got clearer on what they really needed and as they met candidates who brought things to the table they didn’t even know they valued.
If you meet around 60 to 70 percent of the “must-have” requirements and feel energized or excited after reading the description, apply.
I’ve seen too many candidates, especially women and other underrepresented groups in tech, talk themselves out of applying because they didn’t check every box and assume everyone else is more qualified, while others with confidence and curiosity applied and got the job. Confidence is magnetic, even more than credentials.
Companies hire humans who are teachable and adaptable. They don’t need perfection, they want potential.
Q: Can you explain how or why soft skills, and which ones, may play a deciding role when selecting one candidate over another?
A: Soft skills are often the deciding factor, especially in tech and startup environments where everything changes fast. And ultimately, people hire people they like and want to work with.
The number one soft skill my clients’ companies always look for is a growth mindset, the willingness to learn, make mistakes, and receive and learn from feedback without defensiveness.
In interviews, hiring managers test for it with questions like:
- “Tell me about a time you learned something new outside of work.”
- “What’s a tool or language you taught yourself recently?”
- “Describe a time you received tough feedback and what you did with it.”
And great candidates ask this back:
- “How does your team create a supportive environment for learning and feedback?”
- “What systems do you have in place for professional development?”
Growth mindset signals coachability, resilience, and humility, which are qualities that create long-term success far beyond technical skill.
Q: Is there any other advice or wisdom you’d share about battling imposter syndrome or applying for new roles?
A: My number one piece of advice before you start applying is to re-activate your community. Not just on LinkedIn. Reach out to former colleagues, mentors, friends, family members, and managers. Schedule virtual coffees. This is far more important than re-editing your resume for the tenth time.
Second, get clear on who you are, what you actually want, and where you add value. Especially in the age of AI, everyone’s resumes and “About Me” sections are starting to sound the same. You stand out by being authentically you, aware of your strengths, your superpowers, and how to communicate them.
If your mindset is “I’ll take anything,” you water yourself down and become a fit for nothing. But when you show up grounded in your strengths and energy, the right opportunities can actually see the real you.
And above all, remember: What’s meant for you will not pass you by. You can’t fail at something that isn’t meant for you.
I truly cannot say enough wonderful things about Haley. I find her answers incredibly helpful and insightful, offering a glimpse into what employers are truly seeking when hiring. I hope this helps ease some of the imposter syndrome you might be experiencing and provides you with some strategies to manage it if it ever resurfaces.
✨Schedule your free coaching call with Haley here!✨ | Connect with Haley Scruggs on LinkedIn