5 Signs You Have Career Blindspots

Hello Hello and welcome to this week’s episode of the podcast!

Today we are going to dig into a topic that is going to be so helpful for you if you are looking to advance your career and aren’t sure how or what you have tried isn’t working.

When I work with my clients it’s not that they aren’t qualified for the job they want, it’s that they have a skill gap or a blind spot they are missing.

It’s not often that I work with someone who ends up wanting a career that is sooooo different that they can’t make the leap or pivot. 

It’s just that there is something missing in their approach. You can move into a new department without having to work in that department or in a new therapy area without having to work in that therapy area.

Even if your boss or the job description is saying you need that experience, I have found it is typically negotiable.

When women in Pharma/Biotech come to me they will often feel like they want something more. They either don’t know what their next career move should be – or they know exactly what they want but feel stuck or unclear on how to get it.

From my own experience and the experience of working with women like you the last several years, there are 5 main blindspots that I see that hold you back from having the career you want.

These blindspots keep so many women overworked, underpaid, and stuck in roles that don’t help them stand out at their company and advance their careers. 

Today I want to share with you what these blindspots are so you can identify if this is a blindspot you might have and move past it so you can have the career you want and deserve.

Ready? Let’s get to it.

You think you’ve done everything you can to get to a new job…I know you might have literally done everything you can think of and nothing has worked and that feels so frustrating.  In this case your blindspot is that you don’t realize just how many OPTIONS you have – I promise there is something else you could do but you haven’t thought of it, don’t know the hidden doors and strategies to get the new job or the way you’re implementing is off. If you were doing everything you would have the job. It’s not impossible. There are so many hidden doors available to you to be able to move your career forward, that don’t involve LinkedIn or waiting for your boss to help you.

Now let’s talk about the 2nd blindspot.

You don’t think you should have to ask for help to get a better job…I know how this one feels too. You have worked hard for where you are and are very talented, you should be able to figure this out. You should be able to do this on your own without having to ask for a referral, work with a Coach, or anything else. 

But this is a blindspot too. your blindspot is that asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness – it’s actually one of the best ways to build your network, increase your influence, and get your dream career created for you.

Let’s just take you out of it for a minute. Think of Simone Biles or Caitlin Clark or some athlete you admire. Do you think they are great because they figured out how to win championships all by themselves? Of course not. They have Coaches, Mentors, people elevating them and sharing their stories, they have teams, they have therapists, they have a lot of help and support.

Are they any less amazing because they have support? Of course not.

They are able to be as great as they are and be as visible as they are and have their talent known to the world BECAUSE of their support.

When you do everything on your own or expect to be too good to ask for help, you only prevent yourself from being as great as you could be.

When you look at support and help as a bad thing, as a performance improvement thing, it keeps you small.

It keeps you in your head overthinking and overworking.

Instead of working with an expert or having someone with insider knowledge or short cuts to help you.

Another way to think about this, is just like Simone Biles and Caitlin Clark, they have support BUT they wouldn’t be who they are if they didn’t already have the talent and qualifications they do.

These things work together.

If you reach out to connect with someone or ask for a referral, it doesn’t take away from your expertise and greatness, you are just being effective and using all your tools. People won’t help you if you aren’t already great right?

Same with Coaching, it gives you a competitive edge, I don’t help poor performers who aren’t qualified advance their career. I work with exceptionally talented women to overcome their blind spots, build their skills, and get the insider information and development to advance them so that they won’t get taught in a book or a classroom or at work.

Women deserve to have luxurious amounts of support to get their greatness into the world.

Don’t let support mean that you aren’t good enough on your own because that is only hindering your greatness from yourself and the world around you.

You think your work should speak for itself…Oh I wish this was true. I wish that you could just work hard and be good at your job and have promotions handed to you without even asking but unfortunately that is not how career advancement works beyond entry-level positions. Your blindspot is that this advice is outdated and means you may wait months (or years!) for others to recognize you instead of getting in the driver’s seat and making moves to advance your career now.

There are employers who will count on you not asking, not pushing back, not getting creative in getting the promotion you deserve. It saves them money. So instead you have to speak their language and make your promotion necessary. You have to advocate for yourself strongly in a way that the decision makers understand.  This is a skill that once you learn it, you will always have it and be able to be in control of your career growth and potential.

You think good things come to those who wait…Oof. Listen, my wife tells me this. I can be impatient and she says good things come to those who wait, and yes, sometimes a little patience can be helpful, but if this is a belief you have about driving your career forward, it is a blindspot holding you back. Your blindspot is that this is a belief that keeps you passively waiting rather than going after what you want. It is a lie that’s fed to women specifically to keep us in our place, but not the place we belong, which is leading the conversation at the leadership table. Demonstrating our thought leadership and making an impact on the world with our work. The time is now.

Time is our most precious resource. It’s the thing we cannot get more of. When it’s gone it’s gone and we don’t know how much we have. Don’t wait to figure out your career, to know what you want, to figure out your unique way of impacting this world, to get that next job or promotion so you can start making a more meaningful difference for yourself and your career. 

Finally the 5th blindspot.

You think the market controls your job opportunities…I know, the market is a pain point for people right now, they see layoffs and restructuring and site closings and yes, it’s a real thing, it is happening but this will always be a part of the Pharma/Biotech industry. I think sometimes companies also use other companies as a catalyst for changes they have been wanting to make so they are 1 of 10 companies having layoffs and not the only one. But listen, this is the market of the industry and knowing how to navigate this is going to put you in the driver seat of your career for the rest of your career. Imagine never having to worry about layoffs because you always know what to do and how to get a job. Your blindspot is that you control your opportunities – not the market. Don’t put the power in something or someone external to you.

Alright these are 5 main blindspots I see women in industry face. If you resonate with one or more of these blind spots, don’t worry. They are super common!

If you want to dig deeper into this topic and get the strategies that I use with my clients to design their unique career path, get a new job, get promoted, or upgrade and reshape their current role, then join me on July 23rd for my new training.

The strategies I’m going to share are proven to work in industry and work even with layoffs and re-orgs.

You won’t want to miss it. Get the details and register at www.yourworthycareer.com/hidden training. After the training, I’m also going to talk about how you can work with me inside Beyond the Ceiling, my 4 month group coaching program for women in Pharma/Biotech.

I can’t wait to see you there.  Have an amazing week!