{"id":4097,"date":"2014-10-01T06:48:58","date_gmt":"2014-10-01T10:48:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?p=4097"},"modified":"2014-10-01T06:51:03","modified_gmt":"2014-10-01T10:51:03","slug":"pbs-next-avenue-are-women-too-timid-when-they-job-search","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?p=4097","title":{"rendered":"PBS Next Avenue: Are Women Too Timid When They Job Search?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Playing<\/a>Have you applied for a job you weren\u2019t \u201ctechnically\u201d qualified for? Many women haven\u2019t.<\/div>\n


Are they depriving themselves from jobs they could actually get? Maybe so.
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In her recent Harvard Business Review (HBR)\u00a0blog post<\/a>, \u201cWhy Women Don\u2019t Apply for Jobs Unless They\u2019re 100% Qualified,\u201d women\u2019s leadership coach\u00a0Tara Sophia Mohr<\/a>\u00a0cited this compelling statistic from a Hewlett Packard internal report:<\/div>\n


\nMen apply for a job when they meet only 60 percent of the qualifications, but women apply only if they meet 100 percent of them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many experts attribute the difference to women\u2019s\u00a0lack of confidence<\/a>\u00a0in their abilities (and men\u2019s more cavalier approach to a prescribed job description as well as their greater sense of swagger about their capabilities).<\/p>\n

Why Women Really Don’t Apply for Jobs<\/strong><\/p>\n

But Mohr \u2014 who I just interviewed about this \u2014 was skeptical that the the decision to apply for a job is due to confidence.<\/p>\n

As she wrote in HBR, thinking back on the times in her life when she chose not to apply for a leadership job at a nonprofit because she didn\u2019t meet all the qualifications, \u201cfaith in myself wasn\u2019t exactly the issue.\u201d And, she added, \u201cI suspected I wasn\u2019t alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

So Mohr, author of the forthcoming\u00a0Playing Big: Find Your Voice, Your Mission, Your Message<\/em><\/a>, surveyed over 1,000 men and women, mostly U.S. professionals, and asked them: \u201cIf you decided not to apply for a job because you didn\u2019t meet all the qualifications, why didn\u2019t you apply?\u201d<\/p>\n

The results confirmed her suspicion that the impediment to applying for jobs (for women\u00a0and<\/em>\u00a0for men) wasn\u2019t a lack of confidence. In fact, only a tiny percentage of both sexes said \u201cI didn\u2019t think I could do the job well\u201d was why they didn\u2019t offer themselves up as a candidate.<\/p>\n

(MORE:\u00a0What Works for Women at Work Today<\/a>)<\/p>\n

At the top of the list for men and women: \u201cI didn\u2019t think they would hire me since I didn\u2019t meet the qualifications\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>I didn\u2019t want to waste my time and energy.\u201d<\/p>\n

2 \u00a0Gender Differences for Job Applicants<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

That said, Mohr found two compelling gender differences.<\/p>\n

For women, not wanting to\u00a0face failure<\/a>\u00a0was a big reason they didn\u2019t apply. Almost one in four surveyed said their top reason for not going after the job was: \u201cI didn\u2019t think they would hire me since I didn\u2019t meet the qualifications\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>I didn\u2019t want to put myself out there if I was likely to\u00a0fail<\/em>.\u201d Only 13 percent of men said this.<\/p>\n

My own informal survey of a handful of male friends in their 40s and 50s confirmed this male bravado.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I really thought I could do the job and wanted it, why would I quibble over semantics?\u201d one asked me. \u201cI look at the \u2018required\u2019 qualifications on any job posting as suggestions or a guideline and I know if I can get in the door for an interview, I can sell my ability to do the job without having every box checked.\u201d<\/p>\n

The other big gender difference Mohr found: In a job hunt, women are more likely than men to play by the rules. While 15 percent of women said the main reason they didn\u2019t apply was because \u201cI was following the guidelines,\u201d only 8 percent of men said so.<\/p>\n

(MORE:\u00a03 Ways Women Can Get Paid More at Work<\/a>)<\/p>\n

When to Apply If You Lack a ‘Requirement’<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mohr told me she believes women should apply for jobs even if they don\u2019t have all the qualifications \u2014 sometimes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the job is something they feel excited about, they should,\u201d she said. \u201cSometimes, listed qualifications are truly required. But often, they reflect more of \u2018wish list\u2019 or reflect the teams\u2019 initial thinking on desired qualifications. By the end of the interviewing process, that thinking may have evolved.\u201d<\/p>\n

But, I countered, wouldn\u2019t their\u00a0resum\u00e9s get trashed<\/a>\u00a0due to what’s missing? There are ways to work around this possibility, according to Mohr.<\/p>\n

\u201cTake whatever opportunities you have \u2014 the cover letter, a short phone call or the interview itself \u2014 to explain why your work experience is relevant to the job,” she told me.<\/p>\n

Mohr cited a female client with a strong marketing background who applied for a fundraising job that asked for at least 10 years development experience (which she didn\u2019t have). In her cover letter, she explained that the core skills for development work \u2014 relationship building, communications and sales skills \u2014 are the same ones she had honed. She got the job.<\/p>\n

And given Mohr\u2019s strong stance that confidence wasn\u2019t the root of the job-application problem, I couldn\u2019t help but ask for her thoughts on Katty Kay and Claire Shipman’s recent bestseller:\u00a0The Confidence Code<\/em>:\u00a0<\/a>The Science And Art of Self-Assurance\u2013What Women Should Know<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI agree with them that women\u2019s self-doubt is a problem, but I disagree that confidence is the antidote,\u201d she replied emphatically.<\/p>\n

(MORE:\u00a0The No. 1 Way Women Can Succeed More at Work<\/a>)<\/p>\n

My Favorite Tip From Her Book<\/strong><\/p>\n

I got a sneak peak at Mohr\u2019s\u00a0Playing Big<\/em>\u00a0and wanted to share my favorite tip from it which can help you decide whether to apply for a job: Find your \u201cinner mentor\u201d and learn how to listen to her instead of to your inner critic.<\/p>\n

The inner mentor, says Mohr, is an imagined version of your future self, an older, wiser you. She is your North Star. This is your antidote to the internal chatter that tells a woman she\u2019s not good enough. Your inner mentor lets you listen to the voice of calm and wisdom.<\/p>\n

My own advice for women (and men) who don’t have the prescribed qualifications on job postings they’re interested in: Pay attention.<\/p>\n

Is there one particular certification that all the postings seem to be asking for that you don\u2019t have in your wheelhouse? If so,\u00a0take a class<\/a>\u00a0to get up to speed. This is frequently a technology issue, and easy to solve with a little effort.<\/p>\n

And when you see an employer\u2019s posting with one or more qualifications you lack, try to find someone who works there who you can talk with candidly \u2014 maybe one of your\u00a0LinkedIn contacts<\/a>. You\u2019ll want to ask whether the \u201crequirements\u201d are\u00a0really<\/em>\u00a0required. If the answer is \u201cno,\u201d and you want the job, go for it.<\/p>\n

Read Post on PBS Next Avenue<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

posted by\u00a0Kerry Hannon<\/a>,\u00a0More by this author<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Woman<\/p>\n

Kerry Hannon has spent more than 25 years covering personal finance for Forbes, Money, U.S. News & World Report and USA Today. She is the author of\u00a0What’s Next? Follow Your Passion<\/em><\/a>and Find Your Dream Job in Your Forties, Fifties and Beyond<\/a>;<\/em>\u00a0Great Jobs for Everyone 50+<\/a>\u00a0andSuddenly Single: Money Skills for Divorcees and Widows<\/em><\/a>. Her website is\u00a0kerryhannon.com<\/a>. Follow her on Twitter\u00a0@kerryhannon<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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