New research from MyPerfectResume's Resume Rhythm Indicator tracked 11 million resumes and found that Americans update them during work hours, not weekends. Resume activity peaks midweek but drops 41% on Saturdays. Translation? Workers are updating resumes at their desks, often triggered by workplace frustrations or missed opportunities.
For women, this matters even more. According to McKinsey's 2025 Women in the Workplace report, only 31% of entry-level women have sponsors compared to 45% of men. When women don't receive career support, that midweek resume update becomes inevitable.
And, fewer women now want promotions, 69% of early-career women versus 80% of men. But this isn't about motivation. When women receive the same sponsorship and advocacy as men, the ambition gap disappears. The problem? Only 54% of companies prioritize women's advancement.
After a decade of progress, advancement for women stalled in 2025. For every 100 men promoted to manager, only 93 women advance, and just 82 Asian women and Latinas, and 60 Black women.
Career experts emphasize that equitable sponsorship and clear promotion pathways make the difference. Women looking to advance should focus on seeking sponsors (not just mentors), building leadership skills through stretch assignments, and negotiating proactively for opportunities.
When women update their resumes during work hours, it's because they've recognized what the data confirms: they're not getting equal support. Companies that want to retain talented women need tangible investment, sponsorship programs, equitable promotions, and manager training on advocacy.
The question isn't whether women want to succeed. It's whether organizations will give them the same runway to do so.
Explore female-friendly career platforms connecting women with employers who prioritize equity.
I don't know what's in the water, but networking done right is on everyone's lips at the moment.
And for good reason. A 2023 study reveals that 79% of professionals consider networking essential to their career success, with 70% hired within companies where they already had a connection. The difference between success and obscurity? Authentic relationship building.
Networking is no longer about collecting business cards. It's about blending digital tools with traditional face-to-face interactions in ways that actually create meaningful connections. The best professional relationships are built on sincerity, not pitch decks, and authenticity beats volume every time.
Embrace the hybrid approach. Digital platforms like LinkedIn, Slack communities, and even the metaverse are expanding our reach, but in-person interactions remain irreplaceable for creating deeper, more memorable connections.
The bottom line: networking done right means building relationships over transactions, offering value before asking for favors, and showing up authentically. Because at the end of the day, people don't work with contact lists, they work with people they trust.
I choose you, my friend.
Ann Packer's novel, Some Bright Nowhere, taps into a growing truth: women's most defining relationships are often with one another, manifesting in everything from midlife women choosing friendships over dating to the rise of platonic life partnerships where friends formalize their commitment like married couples. Friends are often the ones who move us into new homes, out of bad relationships, through births and illnesses, yet there aren't ceremonies to make this official. Maybe it's time there were.
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Financial advice, compliments of Reese Witherspoon.
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