By Jocelyn Flint, SCMP
I got my SCMP certification to get rid of Imposter Syndrome.
I was in my early 30s and managing a portfolio of China-based study abroad programs for US undergraduates. The company I worked for was small, and like most small organizations, it lacked an internal communications function.
During a period of rapid company growth, my instinct told me that I could do my job better if we had aligned messages from leadership, streamlined ways to share knowledge, and engaging ways for employees to get information and ask questions. Without realizing it, I had discovered the field of Internal Communications.
In true fake-it-till-you-make-it style, I submitted a proposal to the Senior Leadership team to first build and then manage an internal communications function. When, much to my surprise, that proposal was approved, I started to do the work, leaning into my uncertainty every step of the way. Lacking a seasoned internal comms vet as my manager, I found information on my own – I signed up for every newsletter, read every blog, and joined the IABC. I also went back to school to get a MS in Communications. I knew that I needed a foundation of knowledge that my MA in Chinese Language & Literature couldn’t provide.
Before I knew it I was directing internal communications for the entire company. Fast forward a decade and my work helped transform that company to an aligned, informed, remote-friendly organization. Jump ahead another two years and I’m now working in internal communications for a unicorn in the EdTech space.
But there was a catch: the fact that I lacked a linear career path, the fact that I had never worked in a large comms department where I could learn from people ahead of me, the fact that I had a BA and MA that were in no way applicable to anything I was currently doing – those facts continued to haunt me. My inner voice was on high volume: Can I really do this? Does my work measure up?
Enter the SCMP. I chose to pursue my SCMP because earning the certification meant demonstrating my skills and knowledge, not displaying a linear progression from coordinator to manager to director on my resume.
- The training requirement ensured that I continued learning about topics where I needed additional development.
- The letter of recommendation ensured that I had someone who had seen my strategic work in action and could vouch for its quality.
- The exam ensured that I could rely on my experience to guide me to correct answers.
And the SCMP is internationally recognized, so in case I feel like working overseas some day (the study abroad travel bug lives on!), my certification will travel with me.
It was an arduous process, but one I’m exceptionally proud of having come through. And while Imposter Syndrome is a demon that I, like many others, must continue to address internally, I can already feel that the certification has given my confidence a boost. Inner doubt be silenced: I am a Strategic Communication Management Professional.