Career Coaching: Do Men See It Differently Than Women?

You know what I've noticed lately? Most of my career-coaching clients are men. Out of the last 26 career coaching/interview coaching/job search advice sessions I've conducted, 19 clients were male, and 7 were female. I know that doesn't represent the gender ratio within the medical sales field, so what gives?

Do females invest in their careers less than males? Do females prefer to seek help from male advisors rather than female ones? Do men have less of an issue than most people would believe about accepting career help from a female advisor?

There's a marked lack of females in medical sales management, and I think that's partially because women are less likely (for various reasons) to play politics and participate in the networking necessary for climbing the ladder, and that women don’t support each other in the workplace all that well—yet. But maybe another reason is that they aren’t investing in their careers by seeking mentors, sharpening skill sets, or hiring a career coach in order to put themselves in the best possible position for advancement.

Does the stereotypical image of a female candidate accepting a lower salary or unwilling to ask for a raise extend to the idea that she won’t invest in herself as a candidate? Are women simply less competitive than men—which means they don’t go after every advantage they can get?

Is it that women rely more on conventional methods of skill-building (classes, certifications, etc.) instead of slightly out-of-the-box ideas like interview coaching? Does it seem riskier to them? Men are notorious for being more willing to take risks in all areas of their lives, so maybe that explains their seemingly increased willingness to try something new.

Here’s what I think: If women really are less confident in the workplace, it makes sense that they should seek out someone to interact with to build their candidate skill set and confidence. If women can’t find a mentor the “traditional” way, hiring a career coach who climbed the medical sales corporate ladder as a female and can speak from personal experience in the trenches sounds like just the ticket. And if women value their careers, they should be willing to invest in themselves, sharpen their skills, take a few risks, and step on up to success.

Career coaching works to eliminate any flaws you’re unwittingly bringing to the hiring process, and polishes your job searching and interviewing skills to a shine. If you’re a better candidate, you’re going to get a better job, and you’re going to do it much faster…which translates into a better work environment, a better paycheck, and a better life.