Are you a young female professional? Check this out!
This blog is for all the young women professionals out there, trying to succeed, working hard and making changes in their workplaces and communities. Sometimes careers are rolling along smoothly, and other times there are unsuspecting roadblocks.
Unfortunately, even though it’s 2014, undeniably some of those career challenges can be attributed to your gender. Reputable data outlines continuing pay inequity, low percentage of women leaders in powerful positions and continuing workplace discrimination. However, this isn’t a blog about the larger societal structures that contribute to these occurrences and phenomena. Rather, I’m going to share behaviors to self-reflect on and share advice that fantastic women leaders have shared with me.
Young women professionals- do you do this…
- End all your sentences as questions:
- Ask a trusted colleague to pay particular attention to your speech when you’re in the office. Some women in a professional context have the tendency to turn their statements into questions. They may do so for a variety of reasons and it might be happening without you even noticing it. Always talking like you’re asking a question makes it seem like you are unsure, uninformed or confused. If you’re not asking a question, then say it like it’s a statement. You have a right to be heard, if you’re speaking up you likely have something important to say, so say it!
- Stay quiet in meetings:
- Alternatively, you might not be speaking at all during meetings. I’m not saying talk just to talk, we all know who those people are. But don’t hesitate to ask questions, to ask for clarification or to state your insight. It shows that you’re engaged, interested and capable of contributing to the discussion. Too often young female professionals stay quiet and let everyone else around the table contribute, direct and ultimately decide the direction moving forward. If you have trouble with this, make sure you take the time to carefully review whatever topics are being addressed and prepare a few questions or comments in advance. As you move along and gain confidence speaking up will become easier. You have a lot to offer, speaking up benefits everyone!
- Be overly nice so as not to be perceived unpleasant:
- Yup, this is still an issue. As unfair as it is, this double standard of women’s and men’s behavior can still be a problem in the workplace (and other places). No one is saying you need to bark orders, however, you also don’t need to be meek and mild. Take stock of how you respond to contrary opinions, conflict or criticism. If you think you’ve been repeatedly backing down or quieting down in order to seem nicer, think about the consequences of those actions. Does it have an impact on your work? If yes, it’s time to start taking steps to becoming more assertive. Like all things that help us grow, it may be uncomfortable at first and require adjustment for those around you, but ultimately when you stand up for yourself and your work it’s not being unpleasant- it’s being a great employee, colleague and person.
- Hang back from traditionally male dominated networking opportunities, like golf tournaments:
- If it’s an open networking event then the onus is on you to step up and register and attend these type of networking events. If it feels really overwhelming at first, think about inviting a friend of colleague to attend with you. Having someone with you can make the whole thing a lot more fun and less intimidating. If it’s an activity you’ve never done before (for example, golf) use that to your advantage as an icebreaker with people around you. If it’s a networking event your organization attends, make it clear to your boss that you’re interested in representing your company and explain why you’d be a great fit. It simply may not have occurred to your boss that you are interested. Finally, take a look at what type of events happen most often in your professional context or city. In my case it seemed to be golf tournaments all summer (thus, the golf example) and take some time to try to learn that activity. If you hate it, obviously don’t continue or spend your time on it. However, you may be surprised. I took golf lessons, and although I never improved (I’m fairly terrible), I did learn that I like golf and love the excuse to be outside.
While it’s true that gendered challenges in the workplace are part of larger societal influences, there are still small actions you can take to help you succeed professionally. Start by observing your own work context and then make plans for small steps and evaluate as you go along. Let us know if you have anything to add to this advice! Or share your positive experiences of taking control of your professional experience.
Have a great day all you fantastic young female professionals out there!
Meaghan Huet,
Contributing Writer
