It’s well-known that women have a glass ceiling. One of the biggest things that the glass ceiling inhibits is women from reaching managerial positions. Only 38% of women hold managerial positions according to a study by McKinsey.
If you are a woman and you want to put yourself in a good position for a promotion for clinical trial jobs, here are some of the top things you can do to effectively promote yourself more.
- Promote Yourself
One of the biggest misconceptions is that people will notice if you are doing a good job at a company. The fact is, no one is going to notice. No one is going to notice unless you make them notice. Because of this, women should promote themselves more often. A lot of women shy away from doing this because they are humble. Unfortunately, no one is going to know what work you are responsible for unless you make them aware of it. You want to speak about what you’ve contributed and what you’ve accomplished. It doesn’t make you conceited at all. It does make the right people aware of your importance to the organization. Stop waiting for the right people to “notice” what you are doing and make them aware of it by telling them.
- You Need More Than Experience
A lot of people think that experience is all they need to get promoted. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. While experience is certainly a requirement, you need much more than experience to gain a promotion. You need to make and foster professional relationships. This is the best way to get advocates in your corner for new promotions. Try to get some people in your corner. This is the single best way to ensure that you get considered for that next promotion at your company. Don’t wait till you’ve mastered all of the basics to start trying to land that promotion.
Within the study, women that reached out early were much more successful than those that waited to make connections. It’s always a good idea to establish connections as early as possible as it can help propel you forward in your career.
- Stop Saying Yes
One of the things that a lot of people have a misconception about is that saying “yes” is going to help. The truth is, saying “yes” to everything is going to get you in trouble. Women tend to have personality traits that make them more susceptible to saying “yes” to everything. They want to please others. Women tend to focus more on teamwork and collaboration and men are more likely to seek out personal achievements. When women don’t get into the habit of saying “no,” they end up over-committing. This isn’t something you want to do because it’s going to lead to you doing more and more busy work. This busy work can keep you from making real strides that can help you advance in your career. If someone asks you a favor, ask yourself whether or not it’s going to help you get where you want to go. If it doesn’t, say “no.”
- Learn To Delegate
A lot of women have a difficult time delegating. They want to do things themselves. Unfortunately, this puts them at a competitive disadvantage because they are spending more time doing busy work and less time being leaders. To be in a managerial position and to be effective, you need to be effective at delegating tasks. Try to focus on becoming the best leader and manager of people that you can be and demonstrate it as often as possible.
