The visibility challenge for women

At school, girls rule, and boys drool. Studies consistently show that girls outperform up to University level. The education system isn’t working as well as it should for boys (or non-binary and trans kids, for that matter). Gender gaps in all forms are a bad thing, and everyone deserves an equitable playing field.

But what about the girls? Is all this overachievement setting us up for success? Maybe not.

At school, we celebrate children who knuckle down and get their work done to a very high standard. Girls tend to leave with better grades and an ingrained idea of what it takes to be successful: heads down, bums up.

Then, we land in the workforce.

Hard work is only half the job

The schooling system leads us to believe that capability alone equals career success. In the classroom, our work truly does speak for itself. And ew. You don’t gloat about your exam results. Hashtag no rizz, skibidi, or whatever the word for ‘lame’ is today.

When we enter the workforce, we have to unlearn the approach that made us so successful at school. Because there are two equal sides to your career. Unless you focus on value and visibility, you will miss out on opportunities. 

Except no one tells us to. 

We speak to so many women – even years into their careers – who feel incredibly uncomfortable sharing their accomplishments. Yes, we know you hate the idea of self-promotion – so let’s address that limiting belief. 

Self-promotion and politics, oh my!

The next time you join a meeting, you have our permission to tune out for a minute.

Off the top of your head, answer this simple question for each participant: What are their career accomplishments? Mentally list every project, role and responsibility they’ve taken on.

Struggling?

Yup. Turns out, it’s not something you just know. And that’s understandable. You’re busy; you work with a lot of different people. It’s almost impossible to keep track of every specific skill, strength and achievement you come across.

We guarantee those people feel exactly the same about you. Unless you tell others the value you add, there’s very little chance they’ll know what it is. And that means the next time a past colleague/boss/client/connection is looking to hire someone with your skills, they probably won’t think of you.

That’s a real problem because we all know upwards of 70% of jobs are filled via networks. And that’s just the start. You’re also missing out on other opportunities, events, articles and podcast recommendations.

Share your strengths

No, it’s not showing off. We’re in the era of diversity – your differences make you valuable. In the fast-paced, high-change environment of the modern workplace, your unique superpowers and experiences give you an edge.

And you don’t need to go and rent a megaphone or steal the spotlight. These three simple tweaks will make a big difference to how you’re perceived:

Swap ‘we’ for ‘I’

We recently spoke to a Powrsuiter who was gutted to lose out on a role. The feedback she received? She had liberally sprinkled all her examples with the word ‘we’, making it impossible for the interview panel to identify her specific contribution. There is no ‘I’ in we, so when you are articulating your achievements, don’t use it.

Keep stakeholders updated

Your stakeholders aren’t limited to immediate colleagues. Identify key people to keep in the loop with informative updates. Very few of us are psychic (not even our dogs), so a quick message goes a long way to showcasing your value and top-notch communication skills.

Nail your introduction

All of us should spend 15 minutes intentionally crafting our elevator pitch. Yes, we know you don’t think it’ll make much difference. We’re excited to welcome you to the list of people who prove themselves wrong. 😉 You only get one chance to make a first impression, so skip the awkward shuffle and clearly, concisely articulate your value. Scared to test yours in public? Powrsuit members get plenty of opportunities to practice in a safe space.