In today’s fast-paced world, career advancement, and global career movements have become the norm. As a career coach for freelancers and borderless professionals, one of the many challenges most of my clients faced in their career journey over the years is usually with global career movements, especially for women who face gender biases and stereotypes. Knowing how demoralising this can be for ambitious and driven career women and based on my experience helping my clients mitigate these issues, Here are three powerful tools that can help you succeed in the global workforce. I call it the 3R methodology, which includes recommendations, references, and referrals.
Recommendations: These are testimonials or endorsements of a person’s skills and abilities. However, research has shown that women are less likely to receive recommendations than their male counterparts, and when they do, the recommendations are often less powerful and persuasive than those given to men, largely because women do not ask for it. To overcome this challenge, you as a woman must take an active approach to seek out recommendations from people who are familiar with your work and can provide a strong endorsement of your skills and achievements. You can also leverage online platforms like LinkedIn to showcase your skills and expertise and ask for recommendations from your professional network. You must unmute your mic.
References: These are individuals who can provide insight into a person’s character, work ethic, and professionalism. Employers in different countries and cultures may place different values on certain skills and qualities, and having strong references can help women navigate these differences and demonstrate their suitability for the position. To build strong references, you should cultivate professional relationships with people who are familiar with your work and can provide insight into your character and work ethic. This can include previous employers, colleagues, clients, and mentors. That is why you should not burn bridges, you just might need to cross again.
Referrals: These are introductions or recommendations made by someone who knows both the job seeker and the potential employer. Referrals are often highly valued by employers as they provide a personal connection and endorsement of the candidate. Women may face additional challenges when applying for jobs in male-dominated fields or in cultures where gender roles are more traditional. Referrals can help women break through these barriers and demonstrate their suitability for the position. To leverage referrals, we as women must begin to unmute our mics and cultivate professional relationships with people who have connections in our target field or industry.
In essence, recommendations, references, and referrals can be powerful tools for women to advance their careers and succeed in the global workforce. To overcome the challenges that come with accessing these tools, you must take an active approach to seek out recommendations, cultivate professional relationships, and leverage online platforms and industry events. By doing so, you can demonstrate your skills and capabilities, breakthrough gender biases and stereotypes, and achieve success in the global workforce.
Now go forth and go global!
Temitope Olukunle is a Forbes Coach, Global Talent Consultant, and an Expert Vetted Upwork Freelancer (Top 1%) which is the largest Global Freelance Platform in the world. With a Multidimensional background and a mission to help African talents, young visionaries, upwardly mobile entrepreneurs, and innovators achieve their professional goals faster and easier, Temi has established herself as a thought leader in the global career space and a leading voice in the HR-Tech industry.
She is the founder of Outnovately Africa, an HR-Tech startup focused on global talent recruitment, human capacity development, and school of freelancing. As a career coach, she has trained over two thousands young professionals on how to position themselves in the global economy, earn in foreign currencies from home, level up their finance, and create full-time digital career portfolios. Temi is also the convener of the annual ‘BORDERLESS SUMMIT’ and the weekly ‘OUTNOVATE’ series, where she leads conversations that shape culture and define narratives for African talents, giving clarity on the 5Ms of money, mission, mastery, meaning, and mega moves.