Women: How we could be Accidentally Stunting our Career Growth

A fascinating study by Europe’s Institute of Leadership and Management examined the difference in confidence levels between working men and women. The study showed that men exhibit much higher levels of self-confidence across all age groups, with lower levels of self-doubt. These higher confidence levels could be contributing to more men being promoted, over women of the same skill. So how do we women figure out how to change this pattern? Women leadership experts Jill Flynn, Kathryn Heath, and Mary Davis Holt have classified the problem into 4 main areas:

1. “Being overly modest.” – Women tend to hope their achievements will show themselves, while men are often faster to publicly showcase their success.
2. “Not asking.” – If you don’t ask for the promotion, you won’t get it. Women often fail to show their interest and fight for why they’re the right fit.
3. “Blending in.” – Women often take action (or lack of action) to avoid standing out in the crowd. But if you just stand back, you’ll miss out on many opportunities.
4. “Remaining silent.” – Speak up in meetings, even if it’s overwhelming with three people talking at once. You won’t get anywhere by keeping your ideas to yourself.

Asking for Career Advice

You don’t have to do this job search alone. There are people and resources that can help you, whether it’s proofreading a cover letter, giving resume advice, writing recommendations, etc.  The tricky part is: those helpful resources are really busy too.  So how can you ask for career advice – and receive it – while making it easy (and enjoyable) for them to do? MarketMyCareer.com believes the key is to “be very specific”.  Sweet, short, and to the point is more likely to get you a response than something that takes them a while to read and figure out a reply.

• Be specific with them about what type of position you’re looking for: company size, geographical location, industry, etc.  More specifics will actually help them come up with a contact faster than being open-minded to any position.
• Ask very specific questions.  You’re more likely to get a fast email or phone call response if the questions you ask are succinct.
• Give them a time frame to respond.  If you need an answer immediately, tell them that so they can prioritize it.  If it can wait, let them know.

Ways to Get Online Recommendations

Want a way to boost your online credibility?  How can you make your Linkedin profile more impressive without adding content?  Ask for recommendations! If you want to, but don’t know how to request them, you’re in luck… John Sumser  gives us 10 tips for how to ask for and get great recommendations you’ll be proud to show on your profile.

Here are a few of my favorites:

• Ask people who truly know you – Preferably someone you’ve worked with; someone who knows you personally instead of only online.
• Write one for someone else first – Often, they will return the favor and post one for you (without you even having to ask).
• Offer a sample of the type of recommendation you would like – Especially when people are busy, they may gladly welcome the suggestion.
• If you don’t like it, don’t post it – You get to approve (or reject) it before it goes public, so feel free to ask for revisions from the writer.