Even some of the most accomplished people secretly battle a nagging sense that they’re not really as capable as others think they are. Often referred to as imposter syndrome, this feeling can be an everyday struggle that shows up in subtle ways. It’s not always easy to spot from the outside, but for those who experience it, it can feel like a heavy weight. Here are 17 behaviors that might sound all too familiar if you’ve ever felt like a fraud at work, despite your success.
1. Constantly Seeking Reassurance
No matter how many times they’ve done something successfully, they still need to hear, “Yes, you did a great job,” or, “You’re on the right track.” It’s not like they’re craving praise—it’s that they want to calm that anxious voice in their head that keeps asking, “Are you sure you’re not messing this up?” They lean on validation from others to feel secure, but the relief is always temporary, and the doubts quickly creep back in.
2. Downplaying Their Achievements
When they get a compliment, they might respond with, “Oh, it wasn’t a big deal,” or, “I just got lucky.” They’re quick to dismiss their successes because they don’t feel like they truly earned them. The idea of taking credit feels uncomfortable, almost like they’re tricking people into believing they’re more competent than they are. It’s easier to pass it off as luck than to admit they’re actually good at what they do.
3. Over-Preparing for Every Task
They can’t just prepare for a meeting—they need to prepare twice as much as anyone else. Others call it thorough; these people see it as trying to compensate for an imaginary gap in their competence. They’ll triple-check everything, going over details that most people wouldn’t even think to question, because they fear that one tiny mistake could expose them as a fraud. The extra effort isn’t driven by ambition; it’s driven by total anxiety.
4. Avoiding High-Profile Projects
Even when they’re more than qualified, they might shy away from projects that would put them in the spotlight. The thought of having all eyes on them is terrifying, not because they don’t want the opportunity, but because they’re scared it’ll be the moment they finally get “found out.” It’s safer to stick to lower-profile work where there’s less risk of public failure—or at least, that’s how it feels to them.
5. Giving Credit to Others for Their Success
They’re quick to say, “It was really a team effort,” or, “I couldn’t have done it without my mentor,” even if they did most of the heavy lifting. Sharing credit is usually a sign of humility, but in their case, it’s a way of deflecting the spotlight because they don’t feel worthy of standing in it alone. They’re not being modest—they genuinely believe that other people played a bigger role than they did.
6. Feeling Anxious When Someone Reviews Their Work
No matter how much positive feedback they’ve received in the past, there’s always a pit in their stomach when their work is being reviewed. It’s more than just a fear of criticism—it’s a deep-seated worry that this will be the time they’re exposed as not good enough. They brace themselves, not because they expect feedback to help them improve, but because they’re secretly waiting for confirmation of their worst fears.
7. Struggling to Accept Compliments
Compliments don’t feel like recognition; they feel like a test that they’re bound to fail. When someone praises their work, their first instinct is to shrug it off with, “It wasn’t a big deal,” or, “Anyone could have done it.” Compliments create a kind of cognitive dissonance because they clash with their deep-seated internal belief that they’re not actually that talented. So, they try to gloss over the praise rather than let it sink in.
8. Always Comparing Themselves to Colleagues
Even if they’re succeeding by every objective measure, they’ll find someone else who’s doing “better” in some way. They’ll think, “Sure, I did a good job on this, but she’s been doing this longer,” or, “He’s naturally more talented than I am.” They’re always measuring themselves against others, and no matter how well they perform, they always seem to come up short in their own mind.
9. Brushing Off Promotions or New Roles as “Just Luck”
When they land a big promotion or get offered a new position, their first thought is often, “I was just in the right place at the right time,” or, “They didn’t have many other candidates.” They can’t seem to connect their hard work to the opportunity in front of them. Instead of embracing their success, they attribute it to circumstances outside their control because that feels safer than admitting they deserved it.
10. Overworking to “Earn” Their Success
They’re the ones staying late, coming in early, and volunteering for extra tasks—not because they’re ambitious, but because they feel like they have to constantly prove they belong. They might think, “If I work hard enough, maybe I’ll finally feel like I’m good enough.” They’re not necessarily perfectionists; they’re trying to keep the doubts at bay by never giving anyone a reason to question their dedication.
11. Mentally Preparing for the Worst-Case Scenario
When a new challenge comes up, they immediately start thinking about all the ways it could go wrong. It’s not just a cautious approach—it’s a way of bracing themselves for the moment they feel is inevitable, when everyone else realizes they’ve been overestimating their abilities. They’re always mentally preparing for failure that never actually comes.
12. Feeling Undeserving of Praise or Awards
When they get an award, it feels less like a victory and more like they’re walking on a stage they don’t belong on. They might even think, “Did they make a mistake?” or, “Surely, someone else deserved this more.” It’s not that they don’t appreciate the recognition—it’s that they don’t know how to internalize it without feeling like a fraud accepting something they didn’t truly earn.
13. Becoming Defensive When Given Constructive Criticism
Even if the feedback is constructive, it feels like a personal attack. It hits a little too close to that inner fear that they’re not as good as people think. So, instead of seeing criticism as an opportunity to grow, they go into a full-blown spiral or even overcompensate by doubling down on proving themselves. It’s not that they don’t want to improve—it’s that they can’t handle any suggestion that they’re not already good enough.
14. Over-Explaining Themselves in Meetings
They tend to go on and on, giving way more details than necessary when explaining something at work. It’s not about trying to show off—it’s about trying to leave no room for anyone to doubt their competence. They’re worried that if they don’t cover every single point, someone will poke holes in their knowledge or think they don’t really understand what they’re talking about.
15. Feeling Like Their Success Isn’t “Real”
No matter what they achieve, it doesn’t feel like a true win. They might tell themselves, “It wasn’t that difficult,” or, “It was just a small thing.” It’s like there’s always a mental barrier that keeps them from fully celebrating their accomplishments. There’s always a feeling that they’re not really living up to what people think, and the success never feels as solid as it looks on paper.
16. Avoiding Asking for Help
They don’t want anyone to see that they’re struggling, so they’d rather quietly figure things out on their own—even if it takes them twice as long. To them, asking for help feels like admitting that they’re in over their heads, and they worry that it’ll make others question their competence. So, they keep their head down and push through, even if it means burning themselves out.
17. Constantly Setting Higher and Higher Goals
They’re always pushing the bar up, thinking, “Maybe if I achieve this, I’ll finally feel like I’ve earned my place.” But no matter how much they accomplish, it never seems to be enough. The goal posts are always moving. Every success is followed by a new, more challenging goal because they think that one day, hitting a certain milestone will make the self-doubt disappear—but it never does.
