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Tackling impostor syndrome through LinkedIn journaling
- Ted Yip
- 13 minutes ago
- 4 min read
“I’m not good enough.”
This single phrase has been a silent companion for much of my existence. Now, as a student at the University of Cambridge, I have realised that ironically, many of my peers share this sentiment, despite having made it into one of the world's best universities. For many high-achieving students and young professionals, doubts about whether they truly belong or deserve their achievements often accompany them as they enter new, challenging environments.
Author: Ted Yip, Campus Ambassador 2024/25
Impostor syndrome diminishes your self-worth
This is impostor syndrome. It is a psychological phenomenon in which individuals consistently question their achievements and harbour a deep-seated fear of being revealed as a "fraud," despite having clear proof of their competence. Instead of acknowledging their successes as a function of their ability, individuals suffering from impostor syndrome attribute their achievements to luck or external factors. This results in them magnifying their failures and undervaluing their successes, ultimately leading to chronic self-doubt.
Yet, impostor syndrome often remains a silent struggle despite its prevalence. The reality is that high-achieving environments like Cambridge can intensify feelings of inadequacy. Scientific literature has revealed that individuals experiencing impostor syndrome often have a strong desire to excel among their peers. However, when surrounded by brilliant peers, every minor mistake may feel glaring, and the urge to dismiss personal accomplishments often grows stronger as they are overshadowed amidst a sea of other high achievers. Indeed, growing up in a competitive environment, I often find myself comparing my own achievements to those of others, and feeling defeated as I thought I was falling behind those who have won awards at prestigious competitions or achieved stellar grades in exams. Consequently, I shoved my efforts and achievements under the rug as I deemed myself incapable compared to my peers. It seemed as if I would never reach my goal of finally being as accomplished as I wanted myself to be.
As time went by, I slowly came to the realisation that I was never satisfied because the goalpost kept shifting. Whenever I accomplish something, I rush past the moment without truly acknowledging how much effort I put in or allowing myself to feel proud. Instead, I would set a new goal for myself and downplay, or even dismiss, my own hard work, constantly telling myself that it wasn’t enough. No matter what I achieve, the sense of satisfaction is fleeting, and I immediately feel pressured to move on to the next goal. While my friends have always advised me to lessen my burden and give myself breathing space, deep down, I carry this persistent belief that I’m not enough, so every milestone just becomes another box to tick, never a reason to celebrate. As a result, I became overworked and burnt out as I never knew when it was okay to take a break.
How being a Campus Ambassador taught me to celebrate my achievements
Things changed when I joined Ravenscroft & Schmierer as a Campus Ambassador. One of the first things I noticed that set the firm apart was its emphasis on LinkedIn marketing. I observed that nearly everyone, from the Managing Partner to Campus Ambassadors, maintains a professional LinkedIn profile, featuring clear profile pictures, crisp headlines, and a comprehensive ‘Experience’ section. Indeed, as Chris Tang, one of the most successful legal recruiters in Hong Kong, mentioned in one of his recent post, having a strong LinkedIn profile is indispensable to almost any successful job application in Hong Kong’s legal industry.
Aside from the professional, I recognised that LinkedIn has also served as a digital journal for me to reflect on and acknowledge my achievements. As noted by the Cambridge Judge Business School, celebrating your achievements on a daily basis helps you rebuild your confidence. In addition, when faced with moments of intense self-doubt, adopting an objective mindset and searching for evidence that exemplifies your excellence is greatly beneficial.
...there is no point comparing myself to others – because everyone is on a different path in life.
LinkedIn does exactly that. Before joining the firm, I thought that posting on LinkedIn was considered “cringe” or “flashy”, often worrying that being a “LinkedIn warrior” would mean socially ostracising myself. However, since joining the firm, I have realised that LinkedIn is just another social media platform to post about your daily life – except it allows for other like-minded aspiring professionals to celebrate your achievements for what they are. Scrolling on LinkedIn and reading other people’s achievements has made me realise that there is no point comparing myself to others – because everyone is on a different path in life. And to myself, I should celebrate my achievements for what they are, just as my friends and family would celebrate mine.
Boosting employability and confidence: why you should start using LinkedIn
So, if you are still reading this article up till this point, I am making an educated guess that you are either interested in career opportunities at our firm, or curious about how LinkedIn could be beneficial to your professional development. To clarify, I am not ignoring LinkedIn’s notoriety of toxicity; seeing other people’s achievements all the time when you are just starting your career exploration can feel defeating. Yet, to me, LinkedIn is a great platform for documenting the “small wins” as I progress through my career journey, and seeing how far I have come truly boosts my confidence. And if that doesn’t convince you, from a pragmatic point of view, having a presentable LinkedIn profile is a key attribute our firm looks for in candidates.
To conclude – no, this experience did not teach me about B2B sales. But more importantly, it allowed me to recuperate my confidence and prevent myself from irrationally diminishing my efforts and achievements. To me, it is the perfect place to document professional gains and reflect on them every now and then.
By the way, I put together a video about my time as the firm's Campus Ambassador at Cambridge, have a watch and if you like what you see, then do get in touch with me or my colleagues at the firm for more information. A date and time is set for the firm's annual Campus Ambassador Open House afternoon: Thursday 28 August at 5pm, register your interest here: https://forms.office.com/r/5rVuhatF1G
Ted is an incoming penultimate-year student reading Human, Social and Political Sciences at the University of Cambridge. He was a Campus Ambassador at Ravenscroft & Schmierer before transitioning into an internship.
Ted Yip
Campus Ambassador and Summer Intern
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