Three Ways to Fake It Till You Make It

Posted on Thursday, July 6th, 2017

We have talked before on this blog about “fake it till you make it”, the process of pretending to be confident to actually become confident. It’s a pretty common piece of advice, meant to help those who may be feeling shy or who are inexperienced in their area of work. It helps you stand out and project confidence in whatever situation you find yourself, until you become familiar with the situation and actually feel confident.

It’s also a great cure for the dreaded imposter syndrome, the (untrue) feeling that you’re not as smart or talented as everyone seems to think. Imposter syndrome is bad because it can hold you back from opportunities of which you are capable and deserving. Faking it till you make it is the answer.

You need to be careful, though. The danger of faking it till you make it is that some people take it too far, becoming inauthentic or even lying on their resume. This is never a good idea, and will hurt your long-term reputation.

Instead, use these following tips to start projecting confidence and beating imposter syndrome the right way.

Master Your Body Language

The quickest and easiest way to projecting confidence is to master your body language. Your body language says a lot about you. Sometimes, what it can say is that you’re nervous or uncomfortable.

There are some quick fixes to this. Smiling is a big one. Eye contact—holding someone’s gaze for around three seconds—is important. Standing up straight and widening your stance—taking up space, instead of making yourself smaller by crossing arms or hunching—is key.

Doing these things can feel surprisingly uncomfortable, which is a good thing if you’re faking it till you make it: these actions feel uncomfortable because they subconsciously tell those around you that you are present and confident in your abilities.

If changing your body language in such a way is unnatural to you, keep doing it—it’s having exactly the effect that it should.

Dress the Part

Of course, in the fake it till you make it mentality, there has to be an element of acting at first. You may not actually feel confident and able, but you can to act like you do.

One way of doing this is to dress the part. We’ve gone in depth about the importance of a good work wardrobe on the blog before. To set a good first impression, your wardrobe should be work-appropriate. This doesn’t mean you need to wear a suit everyday—it just means that you present yourself in a way consistent to your profession and company culture.

Doing this will make you feel awesome. When you dress like a pro, you’ll feel like a pro.

Shift Your Thinking

The very best way to fake it till you make it is to shift your thinking to build self-confidence. What does that mean?

It means to understand that you’re a work in progress. In a co-op position, you’re a student who is still very much in the learning process. Everyone started out where you are, so don’t panic. The employers chose you for this position, and they want to see you succeed.

So walk into your co-op position ready to learn and excited to get started with your new position. You’ll do awesome—and there’s nothing fake about that.

 

If you would like to learn more about the Algonquin College co-op program, please visit our website at https://www.algonquincollege.com/coop/, connect with us at coop@algonquincollege.com or call us at 613-727-4723 Ext.7623. You can also follow us on Twitter @AlgonquinCoop.


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