Ladies, Self-Promote: Closing the Gap

If you’ve ever found yourself Googling “how to be more confident at work”, this one’s for you. Confidence shows up in many forms, but one of the most powerful is the ability to speak about your own accomplishments. True confidence allows others to see the value you bring.

A Harvard study and research from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that even when men and women perform equally well, women promote themselves less often and less boldly. When asked to rate their performance on identical tasks, women consistently gave themselves lower scores.

It's not that women don’t achieve; it’s that they often understate what they’ve achieved. Self-promotion directly factors into how others perceive your value. If your contributions aren't visible, how often will they be rewarded? When great work goes unnoticed, key opportunities can slip away.

I know what you might be thinking. "I don't want to come off as arrogant". "I don't want to brag". "It's not a big deal". Let's put those ideas aside and consider the fact that self-promotion is not arrogance, but communication of value and impact. We often happily congratulate others on their successes, yet hesitate to share our own.

If that sounds familiar, here are a few ways to talk about your work effectively and naturally.

• Use “I” statements when describing what you led or created. You can still give credit where it is due. Try saying, “I led the project with support from so-and-so.”

• Use numbers, which help people understand impact. Instead of saying, “It went well,” say, “I improved response time by thirty percent.”

• Write down your accomplishments, feedback, and milestones as they happen. When review season comes around, you will have clear examples of your progress.

• Speak up as the work happens. Do not wait until your performance review to share what you have achieved. Mention wins in team meetings and one-on-ones.

• Support others by recognizing their achievements publicly. Visibility grows stronger when it is shared.

If these new communication habits feel uncomfortable, remember that confidence is not something you either have or lack. Fortunately, it can grow through repetition. Which means, the more you practice talking about your impact, the more comfortable it becomes. Over time, those efforts build a professional reputation grounded in clarity and consistency.

Your work deserves to be seen. You can be humble and visible, collaborative and confident. So, ladies, self-promote. Not because you need validation, but because you have earned recognition!

---

The Panaro Group LLC is a top recruiting agency in Milwaukee offering: 

• RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing) 

• Executive Recruiters 

• Recruiting Consultants 

• Wisconsin Recruiting 

• Milwaukee Recruiters 

• Madison Recruiter 

• Appleton Recruiter 

• IT Recruiter 

• Software Engineer Recruiter 

• Technology Recruiter 

• Engineering Recruiter 

• Manufacturing Recruiter 

• Technology Recruiter 

• Construction Recruiter 

• Accounting Recruiter 

• Finance Recruiter 

• Nationwide Recruiter 

• USA Recruiter