How important is it that others recognize your credentials?

19 Comments

1. AnonymousSeptember 21,2023 at 2:42PM UTC

   It sounds like sexism from how you present it here. For the administrative tasks that need to be done, would it be convenient, if not more cost-effective, to hire a temp agency for the administrative details or have an admin pool to pull from? Unfortunately for us ( I'm just a couple of months away from my doctorate), people who are not medical doctors but hold doctorates (especially women) are not regarded with that credential (just ask Dr. Jill Biden, EdD).

   It doesn't do you or your company any good to have someone with your credentials doing things that they would give to someone with a high school diploma (my apologies if I come off sounding snobby here). I know the work needs to get done, but there are better (and cheaper) ways to do it. It also frees you up to do the things you were hired to do that people without the credentials cannot.

2. PamelaSeptember 21,2023 at 2:59PM UTC

   Have you read the book, The No Club: Putting a Stop to Women's Dead-End Work? Highly recommend - it's an exploration of identifying 'non-promotable tasks' and why women are most often tasked with these, often at the expense of career progression. Many of the examples are ground in research or academic roles, but not all.

   You sound trapped in this cycle. The audio book is excellent - seriously, go buy it today!

3. AnonymousSeptember 22,2023 at 3:11PM UTC

   Thanks for the suggestion. I've never heard of this one but sounds like I should grab it ASAP.

4. Barb HansenSeptember 21,2023 at 7:32PM UTC

   I have been in a similar situation (as I think most women have), and I have always dealt with these mistaken identity incidences with direct, sometimes humorous statements

   "Hey Barb, can you schedule the next meeting for the team"

   Me: "Let me check my calendar to see if I have an open 5 minutes to schedule your meetings. Oh look, I don't have time. If you have any questions on how to schedule meetings, Google can help you.

   "Barb, can you order lunch for the team"

   "I'm sorry, but ordering food wasn't covered in my PhD dissertation" (I don't have a PhD but if I did, this is what I would say)

   "Barb, can you order supplies for the kitchen"

   "No, that's not my job. My role is VP of Product. Your mistake is understandable because everyone around here helps out b/c of all of the staff changeovers. It's actually Brian Jones over in operations that manages ordering for the kitchen, I'll let you talk to him and I encourage you to pitch in where you can."

5. AnonymousSeptember 21,2023 at 7:55PM UTC

   I have made this mistake of one of the Directors at my new company.
   We have two Directors and one pitches in, covers and facilitates everything. The other EQUAL Director sticks to her job and supporting only those above her. She would never ever "pitch in" for duties below her. Everyone loves the Director who pitches in on everything.

   But we all respect the 2nd Director. We listen to her thoughts, respond quickly with support and model our future professional selves on her behavior.

   The other Director is not necessarily disrespected but is not held in the same regard. I thought she worked as a direct report to her counterpart. I never realized they were equal in status. I love working with both but I would like to report to the more strategic Director who does not pitch in.

6. AnonymousSeptember 22,2023 at 3:10PM UTC

   This is exactly what I am worried about, and I feel like I am in that dangerous well-liked but less respected category. Thanks for sharing your perspective.

7. AnonymousSeptember 22,2023 at 6:33PM UTC

   I get it. It's a subtle but important distinction in perception. I would step away from being too hands-on in the "helper" category. I always ask myself......would the CEO be "helping" like this?

8. AnonymousSeptember 22,2023 at 7:19PM UTC

   I had the opportunity to work this summer with many marketing / communications/ creatives so I just wanted to respond to your comment "many of the colleagues on my team come from more communications or event planning backgrounds" The people I worked with for this public facing employer were a lot more clothing, make-up and hair savvy than coworkers I had worked with previously, and they all work in the NY metropolitan area the rest of the year round. I don't want to imply that you aren't dressing the part-- particularly as business casual is on trend right now, but is it possible that the co-worker who made the remark, just expect their director to be more "dressed up?"

9. AnonymousSeptember 23,2023 at 12:48PM UTC

   I am in the Healthcare industry. Traditional roles are all men are doctors and all women are nurses. Being non-traditional gets me wrongly identified sometimes.

10. AnonymousSeptember 23,2023 at 12:52PM UTC

    Set proper boundaries and stick to your main job responsibilities. If you are doing the admin work due to staff chang over, then they will not have the urgency to hire and train the staff that should be doing that work.

    It feels like you are doing this to please your coworkers but your job is to inspire them and influence senior management. You will get more respect if you stick to what you are being hired for.

11. Monette AndersonSeptember 23,2023 at 3:04PM UTC

    I think it’s great to contribute in any way you can and it’s part of being a good team member. I think no one is above any job. If you have the staff in those positions who should be covering those tasks more then working with their supervisors to offload some of that work may be appropriate. This may have been a micro aggression related to gender and you may be reading too much into it. If you are the only person being asked to do these gendered tasks, then I would approach it differently and start subtly pointing out things “hey, I took the meeting notes last time. Can someone else chip in” etc.

12. AnonymousSeptember 23,2023 at 3:25PM UTC

    Do you also get carded in stores still? When I was teaching in my 20s I was often mistaken for a teenager. When I was a school principal I was often on the loading dock in my suit unboxing books, etc along with maintenance. The job you do determines your career outcomes. However, if you find that other people on your level are expecting you to do the “female” and “service-level” roles in the office - getting coffee, taking notes, making copies, etc. then that is an issue that you need to address by stopping accepting those tasks.

13. Karen PatwaSeptember 23,2023 at 4:41PM UTC

    if you do those tasks make sure you're definedly doing it for the teamwork aspect and not because it's your job. it's absolutely important to take credit for your work, and be clear about your job description. You can do this in subtle ways through your communications. As far as workload, humility is great, and offering to do things to help with overflow is a nice gesture, but has not been shown to benefit women in the workplace over the long term. In fact, only being the problem-solver-slash workhorse, could often actuallly keep someone (especially women) from being recognized and/or promoted.

14. misskelleypSeptember 23,2023 at 6:53PM UTC

    And, you'll notice that you never see the men picking up the little extra things that need to be done, right?

15. AnonymousSeptember 23,2023 at 5:41PM UTC

    If your goal is to be a leader and strategic then allow others to do the small stuff the tactical work. If you do it consistently it will automatically become part of your job.

16. misskelleypSeptember 23,2023 at 6:52PM UTC

    My grandmother told me a million years ago, at work, never let them know that you can type or make coffee. If you do, you'll be a secretary forever. Now, times have changed and we all type and make coffee now, but her point is still valid IMO. Stop doing the admin type work or you will be seen as an admin. Of course, after an event helping to clean up (and asking the MEN to help also) is very seriously appreciated. But otherwise, don't do anything "admin flavored". My opinion, YMMV.

17. Annetta MosesSeptember 25,2023 at 4:54AM UTC

    Question: Besides your perception that you are doing "get it done task", are there other items that may have led a new co-worker think you were an admin.

    1) When the new worker started what information if any was the person given about the company's org structure, and your role

    2) Does your appearance make you look like and associate director or an admin? I have worked at company's where associate directors wear suits and blazers and administrative wear sweaters and blouses.

18. AnonymousSeptember 25,2023 at 2:09PM UTC

    Yes, you are hurting your reputation by doing other people's job duties. Your own job duties are probably less visible, and being that go-to person -- and a woman -- puts you in the "admin" category in their minds.

    Ask your supervisor for help to keep the wheels turning in other parts of the organization so that you can keep your focus on your job.

    What you've been doing is similar to the unpaid "emotional labor" that women are expected to do in the workplace. If others aren't stepping up equally, then you need to step back. There's a difference between being a team player and a doormat / mommy.

19. AnonymousSeptember 25,2023 at 9:17PM UTC

    First, laugh off the comment

    I think asking about the response is a good one. Think of it this way, does the company pay you to do those "get it done" activities or someone else? I had a boss once get annoyed at me for planning a lunch. They said, "we pay you what we do to be strategic and pay others what we do to plan lunch. You are basically stealing from the company when you do things others can handle." New perspective