Women have been perceived as the homemaker, the childminder, the wife – and have been expected to place their careers on the back burner. Thankfully, these outworn modes of thinking are falling by the wayside. More and more, women are achieving their professional goals, and making vital contributions the successes of individual businesses and the overall economy. Still, the playing field is still not completely level between women and men. Here are a few tips for overcoming the challenges facing aspiring female professionals.
Upon entering the workplace, you should be thinking in terms of a career, not merely a job. Before you attend your first interview, you should have established a sense of what career best suits your abilities, your ambitions and—importantly—your tastes. There's no point in rising to the top of a business that brings you no joy.
Your professional goals should be set out according to a timeline—year-one, year-three and year-five, for instance. Aim high, but be realistic about what you can achieve and when. No matter how hard-working and talented you prove yourself to be, success will not come overnight. It's important to remain persistent and optimistic when pursuing your goals, and to have the flexibility to adjust them when necessary.
Negotiation begins the moment you sit down in the interview setting. The first step will be to set your starting salary and other perks, but the process does not end here. Throughout your professional life, you will need to re-negotiate salary increases, opportunities for advancement and the provision of education and training—a fact complicated by the gender imbalances that still exist in the workplace.
Self-belief is vital. When entering into negotiations, clearly and forcefully present the skills you posses, the good work you have done and your future potential. Express a willingness to take on more responsibility, and map out the benefits you will continue to bring to the organisation. Always present yourself as positive, confident, assertive and—above all—able.
Women, in particular, need workplace allies upon whom they can rely—the "old-boys" mentality may be on the wane, but it hasn't vanished entirely.
Share ideas and experiences with co-workers. Foster an environment of loyalty and mutual assistance. Be reliable and supportive, a team player. As much as you may have a desire to get ahead, you should never appear to be overly-competitive or devious. Never assign blame for your own mistakes—this will only hurt you in the long term.
Along with peers, you should build good relationships with your superiors, all the way up to your boss. Find yourself a mentor—someone with experience, wisdom and contacts. Such relationships can prove invaluable in securing promotion within a company, and in finding alternative employment should the need arise. Finally, when the time seems right, you should become a mentor to someone who needs it.
Even today, the reality is that women still need to balance their work and domestic responsibilities to a far higher degree than men. This requires that the ability to manage time and set priorities be even more developed.
First, be proactive at work and at home—plan doctors' appointments for your kids well in advance, maintain a long-term schedule of work that needs to get done, and make sure the two don't clash. You should, however, be aware that unforeseen circumstances may arise, and so allow for flexibility in your schedules.
Be goal-oriented—know what you want to achieve, when you want to achieve it and what exactly this will entail. Delegate tasks that will be an unnecessary drain on your time and talents, but know that responsibility ultimately falls on your shoulders.
It is not enough to be good at what you do, to be passionate and dynamic in your work, to be a font of innovation and vision. In order to achieve professional success, you must be seen to possess all of these attributes, and more. Perception matters in the professioonal world.
People's first impression, needless to say, will often carry a lot of weight in determining their perception of you. Dressing professionally will help to mark you as a professional. How you carry yourself is also important—slouching and shuffling your feet will not project the image you need to get ahead.
Finally, how you speak will carry a great deal of weight with your peers and superiors. In meetings, you should never present your opinions apologetically or uncertainly. Try not to raise your voice or let it rise in pitch. Instead, speak clearly, calmly and with conviction.
Traditionally, women have been conditioned since childhood to think of themselves as care-givers and people-pleasers. While the willingness to put others' interests ahead of your own can be a valuable asset in the workplace, it can also be abused.
For instance, there has long been a tendency for female employees to be seen as Girl Fridays, secretaries and assistants to male bosses. Also, female employees are often expected to put in more hours than their male counterparts, or to take on menial and meaningless tasks.
Women in the workplace, then, can find themselves facing a dilemma: How to be a dedicated and hardworking employee without becoming a doormat. Of course, professional advancement requires that you put in extra time and effort, but if you find yourself regularly working holidays and weekends when your male counterparts aren't, then you are within your rights to say "no."
Women have made great strides in recent decades, but there is still a long way to go until parity is reached with males. Indeed, there will be times when you are passed up for a promotion, or when an expected salary increase doesn't materialise.
The only way to respond to such setbacks is to keep on pushing. Bear in mind that many women have faced similar obstacles and made it to the top. Take pleasure in the work you do. Have belief in your own abilities. Keep on improving, keep on learning. And don't expect rewards to fall into your lap—ask for them, and ask for them again.
Finally, remember that there is a whole world out there crying out for devoted and talented employees. If you continue to be frustrated and underappreciated as an employee, then find work somewhere else.
