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Utilising a biographical methodological research methodology, this paper examines the career development of men and women managers within the retail environment. The findings utilising this research methodology revealed the relative importance of self promotion and other informal policies as opportunities or threats to individuals’ career development. This article explores how such informal processes manifest themselves in the career development of managers and reveals how men are more likely than women, albeit unconsciously, to report such informal processes as helping in their career development. The paper demonstrates how a biographical story telling approach can uncover rich qualitative data that would not otherwise be revealed by adopting a more quantitative methodological approach.