Go ahead and brag about your abilities, writes Judy Giordan, managing principal at the venture development and investment firm ecosVC, at the Huffington Post. Women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics-related fields, she adds, are positioned to take on leadership roles in academia, industry, and government, and a little push from women themselves to sell their skills could go a long way.
"There is the assumption that bragging without REAMS of data to back it up is unheard of. You wouldn't talk about your research without substantiated data. Right? Isn't it better for women to be modest about our accomplishments and just 'let the work speak for itself' — or even better, let others brag about us? I say, NO," Giordan writes. "Bragging is not the problem. Not being comfortable doing it is the challenge."
Still, she suggests finding a way to brag that fits your personal style, and also offers examples of selling your abilities based on what you've done. (See, there is some data.)
When someone is asked if she could take on a certain project, "she could shout, 'I have every confidence that I can achieve that goal!' Or — she could pause, make eye contact with the interviewer, and say quietly and confidently, 'I'd be completely comfortable with that ... and here is why,'" Giordan adds.