Are you trapped in your job, wanting to progress but feeling unable to? What’s stopping you? I’ve identified 3 assumptions you may be making with accompanying suggestions to help you overcome them.
Assumption 1 – I don’t meet all the job criteria
We’re all guilty of making assumptions. Take, for example, the often-expressed sentiment that men will look at a job specification and if they can fulfil at least 60% of the criteria will give it a go. Why not? What’s to lose? Women are less likely to apply for a role unless they meet either all or most of the criteria.
You may assume that the role you’re interested in applying for will receive plenty of more applications from people with more experience than you. However, it’s currently a buyer’s market, with recruiters often struggling to fill posts with good people. I’ve been on recruiting panels in the past few months and received a range of applications for posts from applicants who have invested no time in looking at the job requirements at all. So even when numbers of applications may be higher, often the quality is frankly woeful. There is no excuse for poor quality applications and plenty of resources with advice on how to apply well.
Assumption 2 It’s not possible to leapfrog over a grade
Where I work, we have a series of grades and an assumption by many that staff progress through the grades. Staff on a grade 4, for example, feel they must progress from a 4 to a 5 rather than directly to a 6. However very few 5s exist and so many capable women get ‘stuck’ on a 4, not thinking they would be perfectly credible candidates for a 6. I challenged female staff on a Springboard programme a couple of years’ ago to ignore what they’d assumed about grades and encouraged them to apply anyway. A few months later almost 80% had successfully achieved promotion to grade 6.
Assumption 3 – I’m comfortable where I am.
Working with a team of great colleagues can hold many people back. You feel safe, appreciated and comfortable where you are. How many women may be missing out on opportunities to stretch and grow, as well as earn more money by not taking a risk?
My advice
If you really want the job, apply anyway. Do your homework so that your application is as good as it can be. Check out my tips on making a good application and how to prepare well.
If you apply but are then unsuccessful, ask for feedback. This can be very helpful when making future applications. One colleague I spoke to decided she would apply for a job she hadn’t thought was within her grasp. I challenged her and asked “how will you know unless you apply?” She applied, and while wasn’t successful on that occasion the hiring manager was impressed and actively encouraged her to apply for future roles. By applying you are signalling to your employer your keenness to progress and develop.
When you see a job that gives you butterflies in your tummy, follow the advice above. If it’s an internal job, you should be able to do your homework to establish what the team culture is like.
As a colleague said to me recently: “I just need to put my big girl’s knickers on and do it, don’t I?”
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. Wayne Gretzky
