An amazing thing happened this weekend for a client. She got offered a job, with a 50% salary increase from her current position, by an employer whose initial call she didn’t think worth taking. She’s the
second woman I’ve worked with in as many weeks with a similar story. These are not outlier situations.

This particular client received a seemingly random direct message on LinkedIn requesting an informational interview with a potential employer. She told me about it during a coaching session offhandedly, explaining she was planning to decline the call.

“Take the call.” I urged her.

She went on to explain that the posted position didn’t seem in line with her interests or background.

“Take the call.” I urged her again.

She said that she didn’t think she would get the job anyway.

“Take the call.”

Finally, she did. And in one weekend, she found herself juggling two offers. Both for far more money than she ever imagined, Plus, by virtue of having two simultaneous job offers, she gained the ability to negotiate for even more pay by leveraging the two opportunities against each other.

Her hesitancy to take the call may seem odd, but it’s extremely common. There are several common reasons people—and especially high-achieving women—are hesitant to explore these kinds of
opportunities.

Perceived misalignment 

Perceived misalignment with their skill set and career goals: This is the most commonly stated reason for
declining an informational call. The concern usually does not hold water. Job descriptions are often
hastily crafted and speaking directly with an employer is a far better way to get a clear idea of what the
opportunity entails. More often than not, after taking the call, the person realizes there was good
reason the employer wanted to speak with her and that this position may indeed be a dream
opportunity.

Impostor syndrome in high achieving women

Imposter Syndrome or generalized anxiety: This is the most common actual reason for declining an
informational call, but one that people rarely state or are even able to admit to themselves. Getting on
the phone with a stranger to talk about an unknown opportunity is anxiety inducing for many. And it’s
easy to find excuses why not. I challenge my clients to flip the script. Try to find a reason to do
something rather than finding an excuse not to do something. The surest way to ensure you don’t have
option afforded you is to not put yourself in the running. Even if you think there’s a 99% chance you’ll
be rejected, those are still better odds than you give yourself by not taking the call.

Pending job application

For me and many of the women I work with as a career coach, there’s a different answer. This year has caused us, as a generation, to redefine stability. Stability for us is no longer synonymous with a predictable, bi-weekly, direct deposit check. This last year, with the systems we rely on for support, stress relief, child care, and community suddenly gone, many of us threw ourselves into working from home, often late into the night. This was particularly true for those of us who found ourselves caring for young children while simultaneously trying to meet demanding deliverables at our day jobs. The emotional and physical toll of that workload was untenable, and has caused a massive re-evaluating of what we want out of our careers and we’re pivoting fast.

In a way, pivoting is in our generation’s collective DNA. Older millennials like myself exited high school in a post-9/11 world of insecurity, entered the workforce in the midst of the Great Recession, and parented young children in the midst of a pandemic. Each of these historic events has been punctuated by severe weather events caused by climate change. While we’ve adapted to survive and thrive in an unpredictable world, in many cases, our employers have not.