I recently went on a maths school excursion with a group of 26 kids kids aged 8-10 years old. They were set a memory and logic challenge that had them competing against a clock. The host of the excursion asked the class enthusiastically, “who thinks they will be good at this task?”. To this question 10 hands quickly shot into the air – all were boys. Not one girl put her hand up. None of the kids had done the task before. They all had received the same instructions and explanation and to my knowledge had never done a similar activity before.
This experience parallels with my experience in business and working with women progressing or managing their careers. Women are less likely to put their hand up or go for a role that includes tasks they have not done before or are not yet qualified to do. Men are much more likely and comfortable to just “wing it”.
So, to encourage women to get out there more, I have these tips:
- Avoid waiting for someone to put your name forward for a job. Often I find women would be willing to “wing it” if someone else has put their name forward and is backing them. It’s nice when someone else spots your potential but in most cases it proves career savvy to be bold and put your hand up regardless.
- Take a calculated risk. We are not talking about tasks requiring solid qualifications like brain surgery! If you are concerned, skill up on it or at least have someone you can go to for advice or if you have questions or surround yourself with people who can help. At the very least put your application in and give yourself the chance to discuss the role/ tasks and find out what is really required and to what level of experience is expected or needed.
- Continue to push your boundaries. Be ambitious. Ensure you are growing and learning in your roles.
If I can sum it up in one word my advice to you it would be ‘confidence’. Playing by the rules and hard work is not always recognised (we know that unfortunately). Create opportunities for yourself and go after them, even if you don’t tick all the boxes on a job advert. And when you do, for example get that promotion or job opportunity, feel like you deserve it, be self-assured, predict your success and have confidence in your abilities – because isn’t that what your male counterpart is doing?
