Here’s How Women Can Get Ahead In Male-Dominated Industries

Unfortunately, even today in the 21st century there are still some professional industries and sectors that are still very much dominated by men. These are usually the most prestigious industries too, such as law, IT and tech, and finance. Even though most businesses within these industries have put certain steps in place to make it easier for women to enter the sectors and perform very well, there are still very few females in the top positions.

But that’s no reason for women to try and enter these male-dominated industries. In actual fact, it should be enough to inspire women to get out there and to try to make a difference to improve things for the next generation of talented business women. It’s still possible to rise to the top of male-dominated sectors and industries, you might just need to put in an extra bit of effort. These tips should also help you get to the top too.

Grow Your Self-Confidence

Firstly, it will be necessary to work on your confidence. If you come across as shy and nervous all the time, there is just no way you will get ahead in business, even in industries in which females traditionally do well in. One way to give your self-confidence a bit of a boost is to focus on your success stories. What had gone well for you in the workplace? If you focus on these, you’ll be able to see where your strengths lie and all of the great skills and knowledge that you have to offer everyone.

Place Yourself In A Leadership Role

You will find that it is really beneficial to try to place yourself in a leadership role. Whether you get promoted to management or start running your own business, you’ll still be leading those under you and will be able to inspire any women who are on your team. You might think that getting into these roles can be quite difficult in industries that are dominated by so many men, but you’ll actually find lots of tips for women to advance as leaders if you take a look online. It might also be worth having a discreet chat with a woman in your industry who has also managed this. I’m sure she’ll be more than willing to offer you plenty of support and advice.

Support Other Women

There are so many benefits of supporting other women in the same male-dominated industry as you, so you should always help those who ever need any help and advice. That way, you are increasing the chance of more women being able to find their way up to the top of the industry, just like you. There are various ways you can support other women, but one really good tip is to take on a mentee if you have the time. If you run your own business, it’s important that you diversify your workforce as much as possible and hire lots of female staff.

Focus On Your Education And Training

It will always pay off to concentrate on your education and training within the working world, but this is especially the case if you work in a male-dominated industry. If you have the time, it’s worth starting a course which will help you expand your skills and expertise within your industry. But even just regularly reading can help you pick up important knowledge. Once you have greatly improved your knowledge and skills, you’ll be able to place yourself as a leading individual and thought leader within your industry, which should help you get one step ahead of some of the men in it.

Be Sociable

It will also be highly beneficial to be sociable. You might be surprised to hear it, but a lot of important decisions and deals are usually made in bars after office hours. In fact, this is usually one reason why so many companies now offer Friday evening drinks to their employees. So, you need to start socializing with your colleagues and other important individuals in your industry. You never know who you might meet who could open up new opportunities to you. You might even be there when a big deal is made, and might be able to take some of the credit for it.

Don’t Just Be A “Yes” Woman

It will help if you are open to certain requests of you, but you shouldn’t just say yes to everything. If you do, you’ll end up becoming a “yes” woman and, believe me, that won’t be a good look! If you do become a “yes” woman, you will only start to be given menial tasks,like getting everyone coffee, because people know that you will agree to whatever they ask of you. Instead, grow a backbone and don’t just do anything that people ask of you.

Get A Mentor

If you don’t already have a mentor, you might want to think about getting one. This should be a woman who is in the same industry as you but in a higher position than you. They will certainly have a lot to teach you, including how to get ahead in an industry that is saturated by men. Your mentor should also be able to put you in touch with other individuals who will be able to help you advance your own career.

Always Play To Your Strengths

In business, one of the best ways to get ahead is to always play to your strengths. When you do this, you should always come out on top. When you know what your strengths are and try to use them as much as possible, you should find that you always have the upper hand. By honing your strengths even further, you’ll find that you end up being successful in most walks of business, no matter what the industry is.

As you can see then, it is still completely possible for women to get ahead in male-dominated industries. You should find that following all of these tips will certainly help you get to a top spot!