A famous study advertised a senior management role at £55,000 a year. No women applied. Exactly the same position was re-advertised with a salary of £35,000 and there was a flood of female applicants. The lesson: don't undersell yourself.
Karen Mattison, co-founder
of the London-based recruitment agency Women Like Us
(www.womenlikeus.org.uk), says: "Women lacking in confidence
will look at a job description with 20 points and de-select themselves because they don't have experience of just two of them. Men will look at the same job description and say, well, I can do five of them, so I'll apply anyway.
"Focus on what you can do, and recognise how transferable your skills are. If you've spent time concentrating on your family and everyone else's needs, it doesn't come naturally to blow your own trumpet, but if you've done something good, make sure everyone knows about it," she adds. You may feel horribly uncomfortable telling a prospective employer how wonderful you are: but if you don't, who will?
Be prepared to edit your experience, too. The flower will definitely blush unseen if it's choked by too much honesty. Lying on your CV is clearly outrageous, but a little judicious pruning might focus attention on your more shining qualities. Good girls play by the rules. But good girls don't always get the job.