8 ways Black women can overcome Imposter Syndrome when working abroad

I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t the only black woman in the room.

Actually, WAIT, at my last job we were 3, but here’s the catch the company had over 250 employees and we were based in London, one of the most culturally diverse hubs in the UK. I am bad at maths, but I can tell that the average isn’t great. You’d think that this would have made me immune to noticing this, but quite the opposite.

Moving to Spain initially made me hyper-aware of the lack of diversity in the workplace and really triggered my imposter syndrome. While Barcelona is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in Spain, there is still a lack of Black representation in the corporate world, and that can present a challenge to those of us navigating this space.

So what’s imposter syndrome at work?

When talking about imposter syndrome at work, it can be described as a constant feeling of inadequacy or not being deserving of your job. People suffering from imposter syndrome live with the fear of being eventually exposed for their shortcomings. The majority of people suffering from imposter syndrome at work tend to disregard their accomplishments or feel they don't deserve them. This also can come with low self-esteem or a need for external validation.

Now, before I jump right into today’s topic, allow me to make a disclaimer. This post is by no means representative of the “Black experience” in Spain. At the end of the day, depending on whether you hold a European, American, or African passport your experience and how you get treated will vary greatly.

In full disclosure, as a French citizen, I am aware that, to a certain extent, I’ve experienced preferential treatments. The simple fact that I’ve had to do close to zero paperwork to gain the right to work in Spain is a privilege on its own.

But the thing is, no matter where we come from, as Black people we all understand the “burden” that comes with being the only one in the room.

Now, of course, you can flip the argument on its head, and chose to see this situation as an opportunity rather than a challenge. But in many cases, some of us are still dealing with an internalized inferiority complex so it can be challenging to cope with this too. In my case, when I moved to Spain I didn’t speak any Spanish at the time so it made me feel even less legit.

Despite my previous work experiences in various countries, I had a hard time believing that my opinion mattered. Fast forward to the present time, I’ve now been working in Spain for over 2 years. I feel a lot more confident with myself and my legitimacy in the workplace. Now, I won’t lie, this takes a lot of proactive work on my side to try to consistently feel that way. There are still days better than others. But overall, I feel a lot more confident, so here are some of the steps I’ve taken to get to that point.

How to overcome imposter syndrome at work?

1. Be assertive

Shying away from expressing your opinion is by far one of the biggest things we do when dealing with impostor syndrome at work. One thing I have come to realize with time is that my opinion is as valid as anyone else’s. Yes, I may be wrong but so can anybody else. I am not inherently most likely to be more wrong than the average Joe. So once I do have an idea I push myself to share it. Not in a cocky way, but in an assertive manner, because after all if you don’t believe in your ideas, who will?

2. Don’t be scared to point out the elephant in the room

In the past, I used to shy away from conversations about race, or I would express how I felt about the lack of diversity. But now, in the right context, of course, I am very open to sharing my views on the matter. I think we should normalize conversations about race. In my case, I feel as though it’s important not to nip it in the bud and keep pointing out the elephant in the room.

The same applies if your colleagues make comments or do something that makes you feel uncomfortable. It´s important to address it, not in a confrontational way of course, but in a way that makes the other person understand how their actions made you feel.

3. Don’t sell yourself short

As someone dealing with imposter syndrome at work, I often like to attribute all the good things that achieved professionally to pure luck. And yes, though there’s an element of luck in everything -- being at the right place at the right time matters --- your skills are often what got you where you are.

If you are like me, keep reminding yourself of your previous achievements, maybe even create a hype book where you document all the great things you have achieved at work in the past years.

After all, many of you’d have probably worked in different countries, gained valuable work experiences, and probably mastered different languages. As women, we often struggle with this.

A report by the National Bureau of Economic research even found a large gender gap in self-promotion — with men rating their performance 33% higher than equally performing women. In many cases, we never want to look as though we are boasting, when all we are doing is acknowledging our successes, what’s wrong with that?

4. Stop second-guessing everyone’s opinion about you

You know how sometimes you’ve already made the whole scene in your head before something even happens. If so, then STOP RIGHT NOW. Making assumptions is the worse thing you can do. It prevents you from trusting people or even trying new things. Learning to trust the process has been very helpful for me. Of course, I am aware of some of the stereotypes associated with Black people. This can be more or less relevant depending on where you live, but they do exist.

Like every Black mum in the world, mine also told me that I’d have to work twice as hard as my white friends if I wanted to get anywhere. But the thing is, more and more I am less interested in “proving” myself to people or even trying to prove them wrong.

As naive as it may sound, I’d like to think my work can speak for itself without me staying in the office late to make a point.

5. Stop self-censoring yourself

One way of overcoming imposter syndrome at work is by not censoring yourself. This goes back to my first point. You know how sometimes you want to say something but you don’t. Or when people say “there’s no such thing as a stupid question” but you are still scared to sound stupid by asking your question.

Well again, don’t.

We all know, there IS actually such a thing as a stupid question, let’s be honest. However, if you are asking yourself the question in the first place, I am sure other people are too. Why not be the brave person asking. Why not be the person who raises her or his hands to make a point. At the end of the day, what have we got to lose?

6. Don’t let language be a barrier

So when I first moved to Spain I spoke ZERO Spanish. I mean, the basics and that’s all. Thankfully in the job that I got, I didn’t need to speak Spanish or Catalan, which was great to start off with. My plan was always to learn the language but I knew that it would take time. Though my company was very international most people spoke Spanish. Many times during meetings, people would have to switch to English, just for me, even though everyone in the room could speak Spanish.

This instantly triggered a sense of low self-esteem and inadequacy. It made me question my “right” to be here. Was I taking the job of someone who mastered both Spanish and English? Then it dawned on me, of course, there are other people out there who speak way better Spanish than I do but I wasn’t hired for my Spanish skills. I was hired for my experience in Marketing and if I had made it this far was because I had the skills required for the role. And as bad as it was, my level of Spanish had nothing to do with my legitimacy, quite the opposite.

7. Embrace your differences - don’t be afraid to be unapologetically you

One of the realities of dealing with imposter syndrome at work as a woman of color is that you also have to come to terms with the fact in most corporate spaces you might be the only Black person in the room.

As Black women, no matter how much we try to blend in, if everyone else is white you’ll stand out. So why hide?

For years, I avoided standing out.

This materialized in the way I dressed, expressed myself, or did my hair. I was basically code-switching without even realizing it.

Thinking of it, the media representation of top executive Black women with box braids or natural hair is virtually non-existent. Bozoma Saint John, the newly appointed CMO of Netflix and my all-time favorite girl crush is one of the few exceptions to the rule. Natural hair in the corporate world is not a thing.

But guess what, it is a thing for me. Actually, I realized that the minute I stopped caring, and the more I just did me I became more empowered. There’s nothing quite like a healthy dose of self-love to overcome imposter syndrome at work. Yes, the journey to get there is long, but it’s definitely worth it.

In my case, I have to keep reminding myself that there’s nothing wrong with the way I look. I am lucky to have one of the most versatile hair types in the world, why not make the most of it?

8. Keep learning

Now, this is a personal favorite. Over the years, I’ve started getting more and more into online trainings.

Keeping up with my industry’s latest trends has become an obsession of mine, and the best thing is, I am doing it for me. Not because I am trying to make a point or impress my colleagues. The reason why I do it is because I am truly passionate about my job and I always want to expand my skills. This has also had a positive impact on my self-confidence. For instance, because I constantly keep my finger on the pulse, I usually have something to bring to the table for internal meetings or brainstorming sessions.

Whilst my imposter syndrome might never really go away, this means I can better engage with my peers about certain topics in and outside of the workplace, which ultimately helps me become a better professional and more importantly a better version of myself.

If you are a Black woman who has dealt with imposter syndrome when moving abroad, I’d love to hear your thoughts & suggestions in the comments.