What advice would you give to a young woman about to take her first steps into her brand new job? Would it be to always know your worth? Or to always be confident in your talent and ability?
As part of our latest panel series, we ask some of the most influential women in the industry who know a thing or two about having a successful career to give us their best career tips, for women who want to advance as far and as high as possible within the working world.
Rebecca Fraser
Don’t underestimate your value and build confidence in who you want to be. A lot of times women naturally underestimate their value and take this through the interview process. To ensure you don’t underestimate your value, research what the market is paying for the role and experience; minus any of the gender influences. Use this information to estimate the value of your experience as information from salary surveys and salary research will be gender neutral. Additionally, build your confidence in talking to your experience that you can then use to demonstrate the skills that reflect your value in the market place.
Rebecca Fraser, National Executive Committee, Career Development Association of Australia.
Libby Herrmann
The best advice is to take a step back. This allows us to keep things in perspective and ensure we’re making the right decisions that keep us following our passions, believing in ourselves and giving it 100% each day. These elements provide peace in knowing that we’ve given it our all. Empower female candidates by affirming how their unique traits align with the position you’re hiring for and build their confidence as they approach the interview cycle. Credentials are good but they’re no longer the end-all-be-all to secure a role.
Libby Herrmann, Client Relationship Manager at WilsonHCG.
Liz Sebag-Montefiore
Confidence is key, women are inclined to be cautious in seeking advancement, claiming expertise and putting themselves forward. Aim high and have confidence in yourself. Don’t leave your career to chance, take control and seek out opportunities that fulfil your aspirations. I recommend finding a female mentor, a role model, tap into the experience of someone whom you can ask for insightful, reliable and relevant advice. Give back by being a mentor to someone else, trust me, you’ll learn a lot.
Liz Sebag-Montefiore, Director and Co-Founder of 10Eighty.
Amanda Bell
Women often attribute others’ work to the reason they’ve been successful. I remind women to refrain from talking down their accomplishments. Instead, I encourage them to state confidently what they owned, why they were successful, and what the broader impact of their success to the organization or team was. While almost all companies will want to see their employees as team players, it doesn’t help anyone when you don’t fully own your achievements. Speaking up is particularly helpful when women ask for a promotion, raise, or additional responsibilities. It allows leadership to have more insight into their success and as a result, it’s easier to make a case for a promotion or raise.
Amanda Bell, Director of Recruiting at Lever.
Angela Bortolussi
Find balance when you can, thrive off your strengths and weaknesses, and understand that failing is not a bad thing. If you aren’t passionate about what you do in life, including your career, it’s definitely harder to get back up when you get knocked down – I think it’s important to know that we can’t be perfect all the time, and we’re going to have difficult or challenging times at work – but if you really love what you do, the motivation and happiness you receive from your career will help you gain your strength to keep hustling.
Angela Bortolussi, Partner at Recruiting Social.
Ruth Penfold
Be yourself. But that’s my advice to everyone, but I would ask that people be prepared to do some self-analysis, and consider when they are and aren’t living, breathing and communicating as the fullest version of themselves. Once you can identify the areas where you keep yourself ‘small’, you can start to overcome those triggers and get the hell out of your own way. If your can afford to get a coach, I highly recommend it, but for those that can’t, it’s in your interest to keep learning as much as you can about yourself. Read books, share stories, re-assure yourself you aren’t alone.
Ruth Penfold, Director of Talent Acquisition at Shazam.
Lysha Holmes
Play to your own strengths. Focus in on what your personal goals are and do not allow your gender to define who you are nor limit what you can achieve. Surround yourself with supportive and positive people who will allow you to propel yourself to achieving each goal you set out to hit. Support other women in your company and your personal life.
Lysha Holmes, Owner and Recruiter of Qui Recruitment R2R.
Caroline Stokes
As a kid, I played with boys and saw myself as different to girls and didn’t fit in with girls. As a woman, I see myself as a person in a mans world that women struggle with. Start playing with men vs competing, is my motto.
Caroline Stokes, Founder of FORWARD and The Emotionally Intelligent Recruiter.
Poonam Mawani
Be yourself! There are so many women that feel that they need to behave in a certain way to progress in their careers. The reality is women do approach work tasks in a different way from men and actually just being themselves will achieve the same goal but in a more cohesive way and also act as a balanced view in any team.
Poonam Mawani, Director at Azuki Accounts.
