Self-Doubt After Getting a New Job: Why It Happens and How to Overcome It (Singapore Guide)

You got your first job after working very hard for it. You studied, interned, applied to way more companies than you thought you had to, interviewed and finally got the offer. You celebrated, felt elated and then you showed up.

It’s your first week; everyone is kind, professional and busy — and somehow already part of something you haven’t quite found your way into yet. You feel more like an observer than part of the team. Then comes the first meeting. Someone asks you what you think, or there’s a pause where you feel you can finally contribute something smart — so you do. You offer what you know, since you dove deep into this subject matter at uni. It felt solid back in those lecture halls and the assignments.

But to your horror, no one seems impressed. The conversation moves on. No one was rude, or dismissed it. It just didn’t quite fit.

And you spent the rest of the meeting in your head, listening to your critical voice ranting non-stop. Somewhere between agenda point three and the wrap-up, a question quietly took hold: maybe I’m not cut out for this.

So This Is Imposter Syndrome?

What you’re experiencing has a name: imposter syndrome. It’s not about being unqualified — you earned the job. It’s about that gap between where you are and where you feel you should be. The convincing sense that everyone around you is the real thing, and you’re still waiting to become it.

It was first identified by psychologist Pauline Clance in the late 1970s, and one of its most common triggers is arriving somewhere new and feeling like everyone else already knows something you don’t. Research suggests that around 62 per cent of people experience imposter syndrome at least once in their professional lives — and it tends to hit hardest at the beginning of something new.

The Part Nobody Prepares You For

While most dipped their toes into the high-pressure environment as interns, being an employee is a different ballgame. Nobody hands you a manual for this transition. You moved from a student who had to absorb knowledge and be assessed to an employee who is expected to contribute, deliver, and be accountable — and, on top of that, there is a salary attached. It’s an identity shift as much as a career shift.

You are no longer being evaluated on what you know and how you can reproduce it. Now you are evaluated on what you do, how you handle things you’ve never handled before, how you work with people, how you manage not having an answer, and how you cope with day-to-day work stress.

On top of that, the workplace has its own rhythm, its own way of doing things that may have nothing to do with what you studied. Processes that seem counterintuitive work surprisingly well. Everyone around you seems to know exactly what they are doing — they exude this ease and knowing. They write polished emails, reference projects that predate you by two years, and juggle different tasks without breaking a sweat.

You compare your internal messy experience with their external demeanour and get to the conclusion: “I am totally behind.” The issue is that you won’t see their insecurities, the years of training, the experience they gained from making mistakes. You see the gap and feel less than.

When the Doubt Takes Over

The insidious power of imposter syndrome causes you to change your behaviour, slowly but surely.

You start overthinking small interactions: stumbling over a question your manager asked, handing in your first project and getting a one-line response when you expected something more. Soon you keep rehashing those moments instead of focusing on what worked.

Worse, the inner critic points out a whole list of reasons why you won’t measure up. You have a degree; you should know this, for crying out loud. Instead of asking your colleague, you spend more time figuring it out by yourself, while other tasks pile up in the meantime. What would have taken 30 seconds now takes an hour or two — it doesn’t cross your mind that everyone was new once and they will understand.

You begin staying later than you need to and saying yes to more and more tasks. Not only because they are exciting and you can learn, but mainly because you feel you need to prove that you deserve to be there.

Sadly, all of this makes you invisible at exactly the moment you most need to be seen. You stay quiet in meetings to avoid being asked again and stumbling. You won’t ask for help, which means people don’t know how to support you in finding your groove. And worse, when someone gives you positive feedback, you dismiss it — it doesn’t match your own image of yourself, and you feel they are just trying to be nice.

Confidence has no chance to build.

You Are Not the Problem

Feeling inexperienced is not the same as being an imposter.

Everyone in the office started off new in some way. They also handed in work they weren’t sure about, they stayed late because they felt they had to compensate, they may have smiled through meetings while wondering if they were cut out for this. The difference is time. They had months or years to find their footing, become familiar with the processes, build their confidence. You’ve had weeks.

Naturally, you feel out of your comfort zone. This discomfort is normal when you begin to grow into something new.

Nobody becomes good at a job by pretending they already are. They become good at it by staying in the room long enough to learn and being honest enough to ask for what they need. So ask questions, orient yourself, find a buddy on the team, be okay with making mistakes — and be honest enough to ask for what you need.

What Actually Helps

When you feel like a fraud, it’s natural to resort to hiding. However, the strategy of working harder, saying less and hoping that nobody notices you doesn’t work. It keeps you invisible, keeps the doubt alive and does the opposite of what you need.

What would the opposite look like?

Start by normalising what you don’t know. There are things you don’t know yet. That’s not failing, that’s simply information. The question worth asking is not “why don’t I know this?” but “how do I find out?”

It helps to talk to people, not just about work tasks, but about the experience of being new. You may be surprised how many people will say “oh god, I remember that feeling.” Sometimes hearing that from someone else can do more for your confidence than another late night or an extra task.

Learn to sit with positive feedback. Rather than dismissing it straight away, pause, let it sit and see if you can find evidence rather than allowing your inner critic to explain it away. You don’t have to believe it fully, but you also don’t have to throw it out.

And if the doubt gets overwhelming, check whether talking to someone outside of work would be useful. This can be a friend, a mentor, or, if you prefer anonymity, a confidential chat service like OTR Listens. I learned that saying things out loud to someone who listens with presence and without judgment helps to create some clarity.

Expert Insight

“I am reminded of a German saying, ‘No master has ever fallen from the sky.’ When I work with clients navigating change, I see that those who handle it best don’t pretend to have all the answers. They are transparent about what they don’t know and at ease admitting it. Being ok with not knowing keeps you open-minded, and that’s where real learning happens.”

— Antoinette Biehlmeier, Inner Relationship Focusing Trainer, Coach and Wellbeing Facilitator | OTR Listens

Key Takeaways

Feeling inexperienced in your first job is not the same as being an imposter — it’s a normal part of one of the biggest transitions you’ll make.

Imposter syndrome changes your behaviour in ways that work against you: staying quiet, not asking, dismissing feedback. Recognising the pattern is the first step to breaking it.

Everyone around you was new once. The confidence you see in colleagues was built over time, through mistakes and questions — not delivered on arrival.

You don’t have to figure this out alone. Talking to someone — a colleague, a mentor, or a confidential service like OTR Listens — can help loosen the grip of self-doubt.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I feel like a fraud in my first job even though I worked hard to get it?

Because getting the job and feeling ready for it are two different things. Imposter syndrome doesn’t care about your qualifications — it thrives in new environments where everything is unfamiliar, and everyone else seems to already know what they’re doing. That feeling is not evidence that you don’t belong. It’s evidence that you’ve arrived somewhere real.

Is it normal to feel lost and overwhelmed in your first job?

Completely normal — and more common than you’d think. The transition from student to employee is one of the biggest identity shifts you’ll make. You’re not just learning a job; you’re learning how to be a professional person. That takes time, and the discomfort you feel is part of the process, not a sign that something is wrong with you.

How do I stop comparing myself to my more experienced colleagues?

See if you can remind yourself that what you see in them is the result of experience. You see their confidence and competence; you don’t see the years of mistakes, questions, and uncertainty that got them there. The comparison was never fair to begin with. Focus instead on what you’re learning each week — that’s a more honest measure of where you are.

What should I do if imposter syndrome is affecting my performance at work?

Talk to someone. It sounds simple, but imposter feelings thrive in isolation — the less you name them, the louder they get. Start with a trusted colleague, a friend outside of work, or a mentor. If you’d prefer a completely safe and anonymous space, OTR Listens offers free, confidential text-based chat for young people in Singapore.

Related Topics

• I Stopped Being My Worst Enemy
• What Matters More Than Your Credentials
• Imposter Syndrome in Singapore: Why Good Grades Don’t Always Build Confidence
• OTR Listens — talk to someone today

About OTR Listens

OTR Listens (Over The Rainbow) is a Singapore-based youth mental health organisation running Avie, a free, confidential, text-based chat service for young people. Whether you’re in a crisis or just carrying something you haven’t been able to say out loud yet, Avie is a space where you can talk at your own pace, without judgement.

OTR also runs OTR Academy, which provides wellbeing education and training for young people and the communities around them.

Our work is grounded in the belief that every young person deserves to be heard — and that being heard is often where things begin to change.

You Showed Up. That’s Where It Starts.

If any part of this article resonated — the meeting that didn’t go as planned, the doubt that followed you home, the exhausting effort of trying to prove you deserve to be there — we’d like you to know that support is available.

Avie, OTR’s text-based chat service, is free, confidential, and available to young people in Singapore. You don’t need to be in crisis to reach out. You just need to be going through something.

Chat with Avie — OTR Listens
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