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3 Tips for Women Who Want to Advance Their Career

Business Woman at Whiteboard
  • 11 Apr 2019
Alexandra Spiliakos Author Staff
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  • Business Essentials
  • Career Development

If someone were to ask you how much you thought a woman would be paid, on average, for the same work done by her male counterpart, how would you respond? Would you think the wages were identical?

The simple answer is: They aren’t. The female-to-male earnings gap is still present. In fact, 2017 US census data defined this ratio to be a shocking 80.5 percent. In other words, for every $100 a man makes, a woman will make $80.50. And at the rate the wage gap is narrowing, women won’t receive equal pay until 2059.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR WOMEN IN BUSINESS TODAY?

Women today face a huge hurdle when it comes to equality in the workplace. Below are three tips that can help women advance in their career and advocate for their work.

1. Take Pride in Advancing Your Career

Don’t be shy in communicating your dedication and drive to climb the corporate ladder. Whether in a large corporation, startup environment, or nonprofit, you are your own best advocate for getting the position you want, so treat your future with respect and give it your all.

A great first step to adopting a self-promoting attitude is learning how to communicate what drives you. Consider what makes you excited to show up to the office every day. If you love your job, show it.

Related: How to Reboot Your Career: Tips for Women Returning to Work

By channeling this energy in your work environment, you will not only inspire yourself to keep driving toward success, but inspire your team to advance the organization’s goals.

Here are some tips on how to do this:

  • Adopt language that explains the impact you believe your work is having on your clients, customers, or community. Explain how this directly aligns with your personal goals.
  • Own the mentality of, “I want to be here, I want to build my career here, so I will give this job my all.” Share this dedicated mentality with your peers and maximize on opportunities that come your way.

2. Demonstrate That You’re Up for the Challenge

Hewlett-Packard conducted a study to find out why higher numbers of women don’t hold more managerial positions. What they found was: Men will apply for a job promotion if they feel they’ve met 60 percent of the criteria, while women will doubt their credentials unless they’ve met 100 percent of the qualifications.

The key takeaway of the study is: Just apply!

Instead of thinking about missing qualifications as a weakness, adopt the mentality that this is an opportunity to sell your determination to succeed. Don’t be afraid to promote yourself. Consider framing employment gaps as opportunities to capitalize on your previous experience. Use phrases such as, “That’s an interesting task. I’ve done something related to it, so it will be no problem to learn this skill.” Or, “I’ve faced a challenge like this in the past and thought creatively and dynamically to acquire the necessary skills to lead my team to success.”

If there are systems or experiences you need to gain familiarity with before applying to a job or getting a promotion, seek additional learning or training materials to prepare yourself. If you’re not familiar with a particular system, but have the drive to learn the ins and outs, your dedication to find a way can get you noticed.

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3. Network, Network, Network

It’s important to network, network, network. Ask your colleagues and superiors to explain their roles, experience, and advice on how to advance. Be honest and open with them about your career aspirations and enthusiasm to learn. People enjoy describing their journey with others who are interested in following a similar path, and will be excited to share their knowledge with you when they can.

Consider a time you felt you had a superior understanding of a system or job. If someone eager to learn from your experience asked for help, you would be excited to share your knowledge, right? Consider yourself on the reverse side of this equation, and ask your peers to explain their roles or organizational perspectives with you. You never know what you’ll learn and what connection might end up playing a pivotal role in your next step by serving as your advocate.

When networking with individuals outside of your organization, it’s important to have a polished elevator pitch to explain your current position and future goals. Develop a 30-second, one-minute, and two-minute elevator pitch. Need help doing this? Start by completing the following sentences:

  • “In my current role, my responsibilities are to…”
  • “I’m so passionate about the work I’m doing because…”
  • “My ultimate business goal is to have more of an impact on…”
  • “My ideal role would allow me to leverage the qualities…”

Related: 4 Tips for Growing Your Professional Network

TAKING YOUR CAREER TO THE NEXT LEVEL

So there you have it: Take pride in advancing your career, demonstrate you’re up for a challenge, and continue to network. Keep in mind that your colleagues are a great source of knowledge. Connect and converse with them about your career goals, your organization, and their experience, and they will be likely to assist you in your journey. Above all, remember that you are your best advocate, and deserve to be treated equally, so show them you’ve got what it takes.

Do you want more career development advice? Check out our other articles, including "How to Reboot Your Career: Tips for Woman Returning to Work” and "Why Emotional Intelligence Is Important in Leadership."

About the Author

Alexandra is a former member of the Harvard Business School Online Course Delivery Team who worked on the Sustainable Business Strategy, Economics for Managers, Disruptive Strategy, and Negotiation Mastery courses.
 
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