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Fake it till you make it!
…or break it.
You got the job which obviously shows that they think you are capable of doing it well! Once you start working nobody cares what school you went to or how you did in interviews. The people who stand out are the ones who have a good attitude and try to genuinely learn every day.
My two cents for things that made the job easier when starting:
-always ask clarifying questions when you’re given something to do (e.g., do you have any examples for me to look at, how long do you expect this to take me)
-feedback sessions are REALLY valuable so make sure to probe when you get feedback to understand it better as opposed to shutting down bc it’s uncomfortable
-if you have to do something more than three times, google a shortcut for it (especially true in excel and ppt - there’s shortcuts for everything but you won’t know unless you look)
-take the pressure off of yourself! Looking back new hires that were staffed on my teams literally had ZERO expectation. I wouldn’t even expect you to know how to send an email without getting feedback first. If you have a good attitude and you’re willing to learn/take whatever work is given to you then you are going to be successful
You’ll be okay! Hopefully you’re not in some shitty office like Detroit 🥝
@McKinsey 1– Thanks for advice, I really appreciate it. Hopefully you’re not in some crowded, overpriced city like New York City🥝 best of luck!
Second year into my job and I’m still questioning why did they hire me
If you got hired, it means you can be successful. Embrace that and the skills you bring.
Talk to your manager, try to find ways to get the knowledge.
Fake it till you make it. It’s all just people management (ie BS jargon and politics) plus problem solving. Both are learnable. Sit back and observe, ask a lot of questions, make sure you try to understand what’s going on in your project and why, and learn whatever you can. With enough reps it becomes second nature.
This makes me feel better honestly. Thank you!!!
i was in your exact same shoes. now I'm into 7 months in my new job, I got an offer to become a senior associate on top of all these other colleagues that came out of recognized colleges. one thing i learned from dealing with this issue is that only the best people think they're not enough all the time bc they're always thinking of development. the only thing you have going for you now is to grow! always trust yourself and ask a lot of stupid questions when you can and you'll get there ! Good luck!!
Same feeling ... I guess we will know. I start in 2 weeks
Me too, starting my new role as a senior in two weeks
Nearly everyone else feels this way. However, you'll do much better (and take much better care of yourself) if you understood what's driving these worries and started addressing them before you start. Good luck!
Yeah I went through the same thing when I joined McK - I came in as a BA from a random state school (not one of the good ones). The sticker shock of working with all these Princeton, Harvard, etc. kids will wear off. Just be yourself and don’t be afraid to speak up.
I felt this way my entire journey up to Partner admission. Also went to a random state school. I spent so much wasted time and energy feeling like I had something to prove. People will treat you with a level of respect commensurate to how you project yourself — you are just as worthy of being there as everyone else. Focus on being the best version of you that you can be and let the rest go.
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Had the same thoughts when I started right out of college. From talking with peers, it doesn't really go away for a year or so (if you don't actively try to overcome it...which is difficult for some (me)). Someone else said this, but if they gave you the job, then you're qualified. You're at the same tier as everyone else and they believe in you (so believe in yourself, friend)! Good luck!
There is a good podcast called Do You Fucking Mind and on there she has an episode about dealing with Imposter syndrome and gives you proactive steps on how to overcome it. Everyone struggles with it, you are not alone but you are either going to sit in it and be okay with feeling not good enough or you identify the areas to better yourself in and you work on them. It doesn’t mean you will fix everything but that will get you in a habit of solving things as they come and bettering yourself, what good does it do to not do anything about it at all?