#2 Secret to Getting Ahead: Practice Promoting Yourself

Women who want to get ahead: This week is for you. To get ahead, you must promote yourself. We are here to help you do just that. Check in with us every day this week and we’ll not only tell you how, but also share valuable research, stories, cheer you on and more.

If there was just ONE thing we would want you to know, it is THIS:

The definitive 2011 Catalyst study, The Myth of the Ideal Worker: Does Doing All the Right Things Really Get Women Ahead? revealed that it is not enough for women to be good at what they do in order to get ahead. The biggest difference between men and women in the workplace is that men were better at communicating their accomplishments, or promoting themselves, for which they saw greater results.

The solution? 

“For women, making their achievements known and gaining access to powerful others had the greatest impact on career advancement. Only making their achievements known impacted women’s compensation growth.”

Promoting yourself is key to your growth, advancement, career satisfaction, increased compensation and success.

If promoting yourself sounds daunting and you’re not sure where to start, practice with us!

Practice promoting yourself this week:

  1. Tweet to @TheWayWomenWork – tell us in 140 characters one of the things you’ve accomplished in your career that you are most proud of.
  2. Write on our Facebook wall – post your resume, a link to your company site, an article you wrote, an article written about you, or anything else you can promote! Practice with us.
  3. Pin one of your favorite accomplishments to Pinterest. Let us know or mention us there too – we’d love to repin and promote your achievements!
  4. If you missed yesterday’s guest post #1 Secret to Getting Ahead: Communicate Your Achievements by Bonnie Marcus, be sure to check out her 3 suggestions for promoting yourself based off the same Catalyst study.

Don’t be shy! Practice makes perfect. The more comfortable you can get promoting yourself, the greater success you will create.

Learn more about Catalyst, the leading nonprofit member organization expanding opportunities for women in business.

Erin Risner

Director of Community Engagement

Writer. Creative. Brand Strategist. Content Curator. Social Media and Marketing Maven. Passionate about connecting with women around the world and telling their success stories.