Overcoming Imposter Syndrome: The Interview Process

You’ve spent some time learning how to code. You’re able to build fully-fledged applications. You’re confident in your abilities. However, when it comes to the interviewing process, you find yourself at a standstill.

Your brain freezes. You can’t think…

You’re not alone.

Nearly every developer has experienced imposter syndrome at some stage during their career. Some still experience it even though they have years of experience.

Let’s explore this topic a bit more, and see if we might be able to overcome it.

Step into imposter syndrome

“Impostor syndrome” is persistent feeling that causes someone to constantly doubt themselves and their abilities.

Wikipedia defines imposter syndrome as a psychological occurrence in which an individual doubts their skills, talents, or accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a fraud.

No matter how well-accomplished you are, you still feel like a fraud.

You are not alone.

According to a 2018 survery from a company called Blind 58% of tech employees report experiencing imposter syndrome.

Imposter syndrome isn’t unique to tech workers. It can be found in every career field, from doctors, scientists, engineers, etc. It’s only those with heavily inflated egos that don’t have this problem. Most of us aren’t so sure of ourselves. What can we do, as tech workers, to overcome this burden while interviewing?

The interview process

Before you even get to the interview stage, you must first apply. That’s when the first dose of imposter syndrome sets in. Look at these requirements taken from a real job description:

• HTML & CSS
• 4+ years of experience in full stack development
• JavaScript (React, TypeScript)
• Experience with cloud services
• Experience creating RESTful APIs with Express
• Knowledge of testing, continuous integration, building, and deployment (CI/CD)
• Knowledge of Agile principles and ideologies

Yikes! You definitely don’t feel qualified already (protip: nobody does), but you hit apply anyway and hope for the best.

You get a phone call…

The first part of the interview process is simple. The phone call. Maybe afterward a video chat with the team. Not bad. Then comes the part that most of us dread – the technical interview.

You know what the employer wants to know:

• Does the candidate know their stuff, or are they useless?
• How well do they know their stuff?
• Is this potential employee an idiot?

At least that’s what you might tell yourself the employer wants to know. And you might be right.

At a $94,077 average base salary, software engineers are well-payed. Employers want to make sure you can get the job done, and that their money isn’t going to be wasted.

However, you’re not an idiot. You’ve spent countless hours learning how to develop software! You’ve read many articles, watched tons of courses, and explored many books. You can do it, for sure – you have the skill. Why then, are you so nervous about the technical interview?

Well, again, because you’ve spent countless hours learning how to develop software. You put in so much time, yet you’re unsure if you’ve actually accomplished anything during your studies. Maybe you don’t know as much as you think you do.

But that’s okay. If you get a call back (no, not a callback), don’t pass up the interview. Jump into it, and use it as a learning experience. You’ll learn from every interview you do.

Let’s look at some tips on getting over the fear of being exposed as an imposter.

The Path to Fearlessness

It turns out that adversity and failure are actually useful and even necessary for developing strong-minded and successful adults. ― Mark Manson, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck.

Read the quote above. Internalize it. Adversity and failure are good. Especially if you’ve just started applying in hopes to land your first job in tech. You’re truly in for a lot of heartaches. You might make it through 5 rounds of interviews, and then be turned down – for your technical abilities, or even your soft skills. It happens to so many people. Again, you’re not alone.

So the first piece of advice is to just get started interviewing. You’re going to learn from it, whether you pass the interview, or freeze up full of anxiety. As my Jiu-Jitsu coach would say, there’s no such thing as losing. You’re going to learn regardless of the outcome.

Tip: Your interview process is a learning process.

Epictetus on Stage Fright

He does not understand what a crowd is, or the applause of a crowd. He has learned, indeed, how to strike the lowest and highest strings; but what the applause of the multitude is, and what force it has in life, he neither understands, nor has studied. Hence he must necessarily tremble and turn pale. ― Epictetus

We attach a lot of value to other people’s opinions. We want their approval and fear their criticism. Epictetus would tell us that we should focus on our own intentions and judgments, rather than what others may think about us (in this case the interviewer). Instead, we demand that things are going to go our way (the interviewer will approve of us). But this is wrong. We should prefer that events happen according to plan, but we shouldn’t demand them to.

So, stop worrying about whether or not the interviewer is going to approve of you. Relax your nerves. Focus on yourself.

Tip: Stop worrying about what others think of you.

Visualize Failure

We all visualize our success. It’s in our nature. We want to succeed. The thought of failure must never enter our minds, we tell ourselves – it’s negative thinking!

Interestingly, the ancient Stoic philosophers tell us we should visualize failure and other bad events. Why? So if bad events happen, we’re mentally prepared to deal with them.

Let’s imagine two people. Person A, and person B. They’re both interviewing for the same position, but they have different mindsets.

Person A:

• Expects to get the job.
• Super excited to start their new career.
• Stops applying to other positions.
• Stops studying and working on projects.

Person B:

• Excited, but knows they may not get the job.
• Looking forward to starting a new position.
• Continuously applying to other jobs.
• Continues studying and working on projects.

Now, if neither of these candidates gets the job, who would you expect to be more depressed about it? Person A, of course. They stopped all of their endeavors and completely committed themselves to a position they haven’t started yet. Person B is excited, but they’re not completely set on the idea of working for the company. They’re still studying and sharpening their skills, so surely the next interview will be even easier.

Person B knows failure is possible. If it happens, oh well, they’re still looking. Person A has neglected their studies, and hasn’t applied to any other positions. They’ll have to start at stage one again.

Tip: Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

Conclusion

Everyone experiences imposter syndrome. It could cripple us, or make us stronger. We hope the tips in this article will help you overcome some of your anxieties during your next interview.

Some non-tech related books you might want to read are those inspired by the ancient Stoics, such as Ryan Holiday’s The Obstacle is the Way, or even Mark Manson’s The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck.