Conforming to gender norms

There’s a lot of discussion around gender in general and specifically gender in the workplace, as an ongoing debate about equality and fairness. In terms of parity, it’s important that any discrepancies between pay and opportunities are addressed, and we do seem to have come a long way in terms of redressing the balance somewhat.

One example I have encountered is highly-successful female clients who fear participating in interviews, if they know there are men on the shortlist as well. They become self-effacing and self-deprecating, to the point of being too humble about their achievements and experience. In fact, they become convinced that their own skills, experience and achievements will not win over the interviewer and secure the role. This is patently not true but persuading them otherwise can be problematic.

Never knowingly undersold

It’s very important not to undersell yourself when it comes to interviews – no matter what gender you are. By feeling inferior due to gender, you are immediately setting yourself up to fail. It’s a disadvantage from the off and we all know it’s difficult enough preparing for interviews, without added pressures such as psychological impacts to factor in. It’s also important to ensure that you are well prepared for your interview, so that your CV and interview answers accurately reflect your real personality, knowledge and skills. Don’t undersell your achievements and skills, in fact highlight areas you feel that are your particular strengths. 

Mental barriers

The sense of women feeling inferior in the workplace or of being unsuitable for a role may seem archaic in 2024, but in some women’s minds these mental barriers still exist. They feel as though they are conforming to gender norms, that if they are a women they shouldn’t be putting themselves forward for certain roles in specific professions. This is at a time when women’s participation in traditionally male-dominated sectors, such as construction or engineering for instance, are on the rise. If I am encountering this in my circle of clients, which I always deem to be a pretty representative cross-section, then it’s probably not an unusual occurrence across business and society in general.    

Engendering confidence

So much so, that it is not unusual for us to be approached by organisations to offer support to employees who are going for high level internal roles and need to perform in interview.  In my experience, even in this situation, some women immediately feel at a disadvantage.

Part of my role as a Consultant is to actively encourage positivity around identifying and finding new roles, and also to engender confidence prior to an interview situation. This can be done in a number of ways. It may sound like stating the obvious, but I find the more preparation candidates carry out, the stronger they become and the more confident they will be in their own persona and capabilities. This will come out in the interview and present them as a strong, convincing candidate. In this way, the best candidate will always secure the role they are best suited for – whatever their gender.