women’s month might be in march but as a woman of color working at a college prep high school full of young ladies, i find that i am more often than not thinking about topics that directly impact women.

 

many of our girls are applying to colleges, jobs and internships for the very first time.  and i have noticed this hesitation, even amongst some of the most confident girls in the senior class.  it is as if they shut down if they do not check off every single box that a college or job is saying they are looking for.  the fear of facing rejection (some for the first time ever) seems to trump all else.  as someone that used to work in college admissions, i encourage them to apply anyway, especially if they are applying to a private school that will look at applicants holistically.  then, i started to think about how this could evolve as these young ladies become grown women.

 

twitter never disappoints.

 

 

“apply for the job.  ‘but i’m not qualified for it.’ neither is the person who is going to get the job…” –sahil lavingia

“a cornell university study found that men overestimate their abilities and performance, while women underestimate both.  a hewlett packard report also suggests men apply for jobs when they meet 60% of the qualifications but women apply if they meet 100%.  APPLY FOR THE JOBS LADIES.” – toni tone

 

like, woah.

 

in sharing this information with some of my seniors, they were blown away.  in sharing this information with some of my female friends ranging from ages 28 to 35, they were floored.  then, there was this question: how many opportunities had we as women missed out on because we were selling ourselves short?

 

so ladies, don’t just apply for the job – do whatever it is you have been hesitating on doing because chances are, you are more ready than you think you are and more qualified than you realize.

 

xoxo,

k. tap