“Studies show that women don’t give themselves enough credit — they undervalue their ability and intellect while men overstate them. You can see why that culture can be off-putting for women.”

That is a quote from this article:  http://www.cnet.com/news/women-arent-the-problem-in-tech-land/.

It’s a compelling article and a thought-provoking quote.  For me especially, because it is something I’ve experienced first-hand as a career coach and resume writer. I’ve spent much of my time coaching women simply challenging them to own their accomplishments and contributions – which is KEY when you are writing an accomplishment-driven document like a resume.

There’s so much to work on in terms of self-marketing when you are in a job search, but none of that work (the refining, the crafting, the targeting) can happen if you can’t first claim your career and achievements as your own.

You worked as part of a team on your latest project.  Unless you are in some sort of industry or organization that is organized differently than the rest of the planet, one universal truth is that all accomplishments happen in conjunction with the work of other people.  I admire people who understand this and use this knowledge to get amazing things done.  However, when you are writing a resume, you have to claim your work.  Even if you occasionally want to reference your team and collaboration (which is good in moderation) – if you can’t mention something you worked on without giving all the credit away in the same breath, maybe there’s something else going on.  Maybe you are selling yourself short.  Your resume, your job search, the conversation where you ask for a raise or a promotion (yes, ASK), these are the times to sell YOU.

Are you giving yourself credit?