Why Women Have a Harder Job Search

A few weeks ago, a reader wrote to me that she’d applied to over sixty jobs and barely heard back. I answered her personally, but I wanted to broaden the advice to everyone, because new research shows women’s job searches are often harder than men’s. In 2026, only 48% of women who got hired had multiple job offers to choose from, compared with 65% of men. Here’s why, and it certainly isn’t about women being less qualified:

The referral gap

Women network as often as men but get fewer introductions and referrals. Women are also 26% less likely to ask for a referral.

Competency bias

Hiring managers and AI tools continue to rate equally accomplished women as weaker than men.

Likeability bias

When women claim credit for their accomplishments, they tend to be liked less.

But none of these issues should derail your job search. Here’s how to fight each one:

Refresh your approach to networking

Looser connections — or acquaintances — help land you a job more often than close friends, and men tend to foster more of these looser contacts. Make a list of your loose connections at companies or in roles that interest you, and set up informational calls. Aim for several calls each week, and do not hesitate to ask for referrals.

On resumes and cover letters, use strong, active language

Compared to men, women use more words like “collaborated” and “helped” in their application materials. But in these written contexts, research shows that communal language doesn’t help women overcome likeability bias as it does in person, and it can read as less capable. If you co-led something, don’t say you “helped lead.” Instead, describe the exact part you owned, and the direct impact you had. Add data to every claim you can.

In interviews, address likeability and competency in the same breath

In your answers, stay warm in tone but offer hard evidence: “I rebuilt our onboarding process and turnover on my team dropped by a third” is better than “I’m proud of myself for leading our team.”

Don’t give hiring managers room for doubt

If you’re missing a job requirement, emphasize transferable skills and say plainly that you learn new domains quickly, backed by a specific example. This is critical for women, since hiring managers are less likely to believe women have “high potential” compared to men.

And one more step for the 2026 job market: narrow your search and tailor everything to fit the job you’re applying for. Hiring in 2026 is more selective than it’s been in years, while employers complain they can’t find candidates with the right skills.

Good luck out there,

— Dr. Mary Noble-Tolla

Head of Education, LeanIn.Org