“Professional accreditation really raises the bar on standards”

When Adam McNall CMgr MCMI, accreditations manager at the University of Sunderland, applied for his current role, he didn’t think he had a “hope in hell” of getting the job – but he went ahead, and secured an interview anyway. 

“I stumbled over every sentence. I was convinced that nothing I said made sense,” he recalls. 

Forty-five minutes after the interview, Adam received a phone call from the interviewers. He assumed he was the weakest candidate and that they were calling to inform him he hadn’t been successful. Instead, they offered him the job.

That was three years ago. Adam says it’s an example of his imposter syndrome, which has sometimes held him back. In the past, Adam felt he had a “lack of confidence” and sometimes questioned his own abilities. 

Validation and self-worth

Imposter syndrome affects around half of UK adults according to the Executive Development Network. It’s characterised by feelings of self-doubt and inadequacy, regardless of an individual’s achievements and credentials. 

But Adam has found that gaining Chartered Manager status has provided him with validation, not just to demonstrate his competencies to others, but for his self-worth, too. 

He first became involved with CMI while studying for a degree in Business Leadership and Corporate Management at Northumbria University. The Dual Accredited degree meant he was eligible for the CMI fast-track to Chartered status, although he didn’t become Chartered until a few years later – since imposter syndrome and self-doubt were causing him to question himself.