Succeeding in professional fields is hard for anyone, but ask any woman and you’ll find that they face some gender-specific challenges as well. While a great deal of progress has been made over the last few decades, there is still much to overcome. Fortunately, great strife often leads to even greater solutions. There are more tips now than ever on how to thrive as a woman in professional services.
1. Seeking and Finding Support
Professional women are exceedingly better trained and educated than ever before, so why is it still so difficult for young women to find the right support in the workplace? There is a lack of women getting in the door and an even more noticeable gender gap in higher leadership positions. Part of finding the proper support to advance in your career starts at making sure you are being heard in the first place.
Unfortunately, this problem is unlikely to fix itself. This is why it is crucial to be proactive and to actively seek out this invaluable support. This means:
Asking for help. This can be especially beneficial if you are able to find female superiors who can best understand the specific challenges you are facing.
Directly asking for what you want. This means raises, promotions, opportunities, and networking to ensure that you are reaching your full potential.
Seek out peer support. While superiors can offer solid advice, it is important to make sure you and your colleagues are on the same page to enact sustainable change in office attitude.
2. Maintaining Confidence and Understanding Your Value
It is nothing shy of impossible to get everything you deserve and ensure that others recognize your value if you aren’t able to first see it in yourself. Confidence and pride in your work will not only show your employers all you have to offer but also push you to do the best work you are capable of doing.
Women are notorious for questioning themselves and presenting as less assertive than their male colleagues. Attacking this at the root and putting yourself first will help to level the playing field.
3. Finding the Right Role Models
The most challenging part about finding the right role models is that there can be a disheartening lack of women in power to look up to. When the culture surrounding the workplace is male-dominated, it is easy to believe that that is how it will always be.
That said, there are more role models than you may think. Networking is a vital way to find these women, as is researching successful women in your field and hearing what they have to say about their own journeys.
Contacting the right business advisors is the first step toward overcoming the challenges ahead of you in your professional career. At DesCPA Business Advisory, we recognize the potential power that women offer the workforce. Founded and headed by a female CPA, we recognize not only the standard concerns of a business but also the specific challenges that women face.
By working with teams like DesCPA, you will have access to the tools that only years of education and experience can provide, including Business Advisory, Strategic Planning, and more. Contact us today for a free consultation.