“But you haven’t yet proven to me that you are capable.”. I can’t tell you how many times I have volunteered myself to drive a project or task only to hear those words uttered to me. It creates a a rock in my stomach and makes me question whether or not I can actually be successful at said task. And do you want to know the answer that I usually come up with?

Screw that. I have watched countless male colleagues be offered up opportunities without ever having to prove for one second that they were capable. I’m here, I’m willing and if you tell me one more time that I can’t, I will show you that I can. Excuse me while I ask for forgiveness and not permission moving forward.

That, what I just described above (men offered opportunities vs. women having to prove themselves), is one of the main reasons we fall prey to Imposter Syndrome. The moment we get into the role we ask ourselves, “Should I really be here? Are these shoes too big to fill?”. So I ask you, dear Reader, “How are we, as women, supposed to move up within an organization or take on larger roles if we are at a disadvantage from the start?”. We can, we just need to learn a few tools to start betting on ourselves.

Capability study

McKinsey did a recent study that showed men are hired based on potential whereas women are hired based on their proven track record. Often times when someone says to me that I haven’t yet proven my capabilities, I respond (with confidence and professionalism!), “If you never give me the opportunity to show you then I will never be able to prove I am capable.” I stare them in the eyes while they reflect and, more often than not, they allow me to try.

If you never give me the opportunity to show you, then I will never be able to prove that I am capable.

Throughout my career I have not only read studies but also seen firsthand how much more confident men are than women in the workplace. This also holds true for myself. I drive myself bonkers questioning my capabilities for any and all applications I submit, if it even gets to that point. Studies show that men will apply to a position when they only meet 60% of the criteria, whereas women will only apply if they meet 100% of the criteria. It’s almost as if we, as women, need to successfully complete a CIA interrogation before we can consider actually moving forward with the application process. I’m here to tell you that you are capable.

You are capable

I want to walk you through a small exercise that helps me build confidence in myself to take on a new task or role: 

1. Identify the task and respective requirements.
2. Highlight all of the required criteria that you know you meet 80-100%.
3. Write down the other strengths that you bring to this particular position.
4. If it’s a job posting: Compare those two things to your resume. Does it tell the same story? If not, update your resume!
5. Write down the areas that you hope to grow in this role.

Should this exercise highlight that you meet all of the required criteria, please ask yourself how you plan to grow in this role. If there is no room for growth I would argue that you need to seek out something more challenging. Keep in mind that the goal of this exercise is to physically see on paper whether you are qualified enough to tackle this position (<– this will help give you the confidence you need). I then take this information and figure out how to get it in the hands of decision makers.

Demonstrate your capabilities

If you are applying within your department, then I would encourage you to be proactive and setup a meeting with your boss to let them know you are interested in the position (they can’t know you are truly interested if you don’t tell them. Use your voice!). Your boss may not know or remember all of your strengths, which is why it helps to show them the data!

Talk your boss through your achievements and how you hope to grow from this role, then ask them if, from their perspective, there is anything that would prevent you from being considered for the position. If they tell you that you are not ready, don’t just accept it – ask them what specifically you need to work on in order to improve your skillsets for when this position opens again in the future. Then work together with your boss to put a plan in place to improve upon these items.

If you are applying within the larger organization (i.e. a different department) or even outside of the company, it is best to talk to someone within those four walls. Check your LinkedIn network and see if you have a direct or secondary contact that works there. You can walk them through the same exercise to not only see if you would be a great technical fit, but also a cultural fit. Either way, this exercise is key to proving you are capable.

Bet on yourself