Well, we’ve got a bad news, good news story. Actually, we have a bad news, bad news, not great news, surprised ending story.

The bad news. LinkedIn has begun to mine its own data and in their Gender Insights Report they have found women have some disadvantages when searching for work. For instance, when doing a LinkedIn search, recruiters are 13% less likely to click on a woman’s profile than a man’s profile. Further, if they do open the profile, recruiters are 3% less likely to send the woman an InMail message. Consequently, while we’re unsure how many men or women are contacted outside of the LinkedIn site, we know that within it, women’s chances of being seen are, again, limited when compared to their male counterparts.

And yet, there is more. Women are more selective when they are looking for work. As we have heard repeatedly, women, often, will not apply for a job unless they meet 100% of the job’s stated requirements. Men, on the other hand, will usually apply for a job if they meet 60% of the criteria. Because of this tendency, women are 20% less likely than men to apply for open positions.

The data also show that women are 26% less likely than men to ask for referrals – even if they know someone at the organization. Men, on the other hand seem quite comfortable asking someone they know to speak up on their behalf.

Yet, while women may have fewer views then men, fewer follow up calls, and may be reticent about asking for referrals, they are also 18% more likely than a man to be hired. This fact may be because women are more selective than men in approaching new opportunities.

Yes, we often tell women about all that’s going wrong and what they should do better – and improving ourselves is always good – yet sometimes we need to take a moment to savor the surprise ending and the skills that got us there.