Women and Confidence in Job Searching
Why So Many Brilliant Candidates Undersell Themselves (And How to Change That in 2026)
In recruitment, we often talk about skills shortages, candidate shortages and hiring challenges. But there’s another issue we see every day at C&C Search that doesn’t get enough airtime: confidence gaps.
Not the kind that show up as a lack of ability, but the kind that shows up in how people describe themselves, position their experience and speak about their impact. And while this affects many candidates across the market, it disproportionately affects women, particularly in EA, PA, Business Support, HR and Operations roles.
In 2026, businesses need to understand this better. Candidates need support to navigate it. And hiring processes need to evolve so we don’t lose exceptional talent simply because they’re not the loudest voice in the room.
The Confidence Gap Isn’t a Competence Gap
Let’s start with what this blog is not saying: women are not less capable.
In fact, in many of the roles we recruit for, women are often the most operationally brilliant, emotionally intelligent, organised and commercially aware professionals in the market. But what we consistently see is that many women don’t naturally self-promote in the way hiring processes tend to reward.
They will describe what they do in modest, team-focused language. They will minimise achievements. They will refer to their impact as “just doing my job”. They will focus on what they haven’t done rather than what they have.
This becomes a problem in job interviews, CV writing and salary conversations because the recruitment process is often designed to reward confident self-presentation, not quiet capability.
How Women Undersell Themselves in Interviews (What We See Weekly)
As specialist recruiters in London, working across corporate and private EAs, PAs, Office Managers, Operations and HR, we see the same patterns repeatedly.
Here are some of the most common ways women undersell themselves in job seeking:
1. They talk about tasks or responsibilities, not outcomes
A candidate might say, “I manage diaries and travel,” when what they actually do is run the rhythm of a leadership team, coordinate international stakeholders and protect strategic time.
2. They avoid strong language
Instead of saying, “I led,” they say, “I helped with.” Instead of “I delivered,” they say, “I supported.”
3. They over-index on being ‘nice’
They worry that being direct will come across as arrogant, difficult or demanding.
4. They assume their work is invisible by default
Many women in support roles are trained to be behind the scenes. But in interviews, invisibility is not a strength. You have to translate your impact.
5. They wait until they feel 100% ready
Women are more likely to wait until they meet every requirement before applying, rather than applying with 70–80% of the criteria and learning the rest.
None of this is a character flaw. It’s often a learned response to workplace culture, gender bias and what has historically been rewarded.
Why This Matters More Than Ever in 2026 Hiring
In 2026, the market is demanding more from support hires than ever.
Businesses want:
Strategic EAs, not traditional admin
HR professionals who can influence, not just deliver policy
Operations professionals who can scale processes
Office Managers who can build culture
PAs who can protect leadership time and drive productivity
The issue is that many of the candidates who can do this brilliantly don’t always sell it in the way the market expects.
And when hiring managers don’t know what to look for, they can accidentally choose candidates who interview well rather than candidates who will deliver long-term.
This is one of the most overlooked drivers of mis-hires and churn.
The Hidden Impact on Career Progression and Pay
Confidence gaps don’t just affect interviews. They affect promotions, salary negotiations and long-term career trajectories.
This matters especially in roles like EA, PA and Business Support, where women dominate the profession but are often underpaid relative to the value they deliver.
It also impacts seniority. We often see women with 10–15 years’ experience applying for roles below their level because they believe they need to “prove themselves” before stepping up.
The result is that businesses miss out on high-level capability and women miss out on career acceleration.
How Employers Can Stop Losing Great Female Talent
This isn’t just on candidates. Employers play a massive role in shaping whether women feel confident enough to show up fully.
Here are key shifts organisations can make in 2026:
1. Hire for outcomes, not self-promotion
Interview processes should assess real-world impact, not confidence performance. Ask questions that force outcomes:
What did you improve?
What did you change?
What did you deliver?
What did you influence?
2. Structure interviews properly
Unstructured interviews often reward charisma. Structured interviews reward evidence.
3. Create onboarding that builds confidence early
Many women leave roles early not because they can’t do the job, but because they feel unsupported, unclear or under-valued. Strong onboarding builds trust, clarity and belonging from day one.
4. Invest in development
Training is not a perk. It’s a retention strategy. Confidence grows when people have frameworks, tools and a community.
How C&C Search Supports Candidates and Clients
At C&C Search, we are a boutique recruitment firm with specialist consultants across:
Executive Assistant and Personal Assistant recruitment
Business Support and Office Support
Operations and Office Management
HR, People and Talent
Front of House and Client Support
Temporary, contract and interim hiring
Because we work closely with both candidates and clients, we see the full picture: what the market demands, what candidates fear and what actually drives long-term success in a hire.
We support candidates to articulate their value clearly, particularly in interviews, and we support clients to hire in a way that reduces churn and improves retention.
We also go beyond the hire. Every candidate placed through C&C Search receives 12 months access to C&C Academy, our award-winning CPD platform and development community. This supports onboarding, confidence, performance and long-term career growth.
Final Thought: The Market Needs More Quiet Confidence, Not Louder Noise
The goal isn’t to turn every candidate into the loudest voice in the room. The goal is to ensure the recruitment process recognises and rewards the people who consistently deliver: the calm, capable, strategic professionals who create structure, solve problems and elevate leadership.
If you’re hiring and want support building a process that attracts and retains exceptional talent, we’d love to help.
