In honor of Women’s History Month, the O’Neill School is using our March blogs as a platform to highlight the women of O’Neill, including students, faculty, and alumni, and their work to make a difference in our communities.
Written by: Sara Johnson, Director of Executive Education; Clinical Assistant Professor
It has been said that women will only apply for a job if they feel 100 percent qualified while men will apply if they feel 60 percent qualified. Many have attributed this to the belief that women lack confidence and therefore do not apply if not fully qualified.
But research by Tara Mohr, published in the Harvard Business Review in 2014, reveals the real reason women don’t apply isn’t because of a lack of confidence that they could do the job, but rather they don’t believe they would be interviewed because they don’t meet the qualifications. This, Mohr reports, is because women are socialized to be rule followers.
I have a long history of breaking the rules and it’s important that women in leadership not be afraid to do the same.
The rule I break most often is waiting to be asked. I hear young women say, “I don’t think I’m ready for that position” or, “I don’t have the experience.” Perhaps that’s true, but you can’t let it stop you from trying to move into a position for which you may not be fully prepared. The truth is that we are rarely fully prepared for what’s next. But, we can figure it out.