Women, it’s time to gain control of your careers

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Q: “I have recently taken on a leadership role at my company. That was the first time that I realized how few women were my peers. At that moment, I experienced an odd feeling like I had to represent women. I became quite ineffective in my work as I felt this heavy pressure on my shoulders to fight for women’s equality. What are your thoughts on this?”

– Won’t-Give-Up

A: Dear Won’t-Give-Up, you cannot help everyone and taking personal responsibility for your life must be your first priority. When you do this, you can impact the world. Here are research findings and strategies to release the talents inside of you.

The Barnard Center for Research on Women found that “women continue to face gender discrimination but it does not operate through the kinds of overt barriers to participation that mobilized activists in the 1960s. It is embedded in the everyday interaction.”

On the other hand, a Time magazine cover story sourced a workplace study by catalyst which studied 353 Fortune 500 companies and found that those with the most women in senior management had a higher return on equity by more than one-third!

I set out to learn strategies women can apply to their lives to realize their potential. I invited three successful women on my radio show, Career FastTrack, to share the following strategies to stacking the odds in your favour.

Believe in yourself: One of the surprising pieces of data that came out of my interview was not competency but confidence. Denise Baker, assistant dean for the Sauder School of Business Career Centre, highlighted the importance of trusting yourself and believing that you have every right to sit at the decision-making table. She went on to say that you have valuable contributions to make, and are smart and equally capable.
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Mentoring: “Mentoring can be very powerful for women who are struggling to reach their full potential” says Diane Akelaitis, a tax partner for Price Waterhouse-Coopers who is also involved with the firms Women in Leadership and Retention initiatives. Tips she highlights are the importance of networking in certain male-dominated industries. Women who are successful cite their mentors as being critical to their growth.

Celebrate: Akelaitis went on to say that women must learn to celebrate their own achievements. Women are naturally pre-wired to be modest about what they have accomplished and this harms women in the long run. Being recognized is important in advancing your career.

Networking: Women are more likely than a man to find their next job through an ad in the classifieds. In other words, they do not rely as heavily on networking to build their career as men. Woman are also more likely to be egalitarian while men more based on power and influence. According to Norm-Jean Thompson, founder of Canada’s Young Women in Business Network, this is the old way of networking. “I believe women are more effective at networking. They are focused on relationships and finding common ground with people and this is at the core of business success.”

Listen to the complete Career FastTrack podcast entitled Women: Empowering to Take Control of Their Career at www.citr.ca.

E-mail your question to: info@Dr-Career.com. Visit www.Dr-Career.com for a free download. Listen to Career FastTrack “Live” Mondays at 5:30pm on CiTR 101.9 FM or online at citr.ca.

A study of 353 Fortune 500 companies found that those with the most women in senior management had a higher return of equity by more than one-third!

Three ways women can make more money

ACN Home Business It's for people who aim for excellence in life. If you want to work with someone who has a system in place to build a large thriving organization of people, this blog will show you how. Start getting paid working for yourself. ACN Video Phone.

Feel like your career is on life support? You are not alone. There is a cure.

“I worked in the advertising industry for 11 years and rose in the ranks. I was very good at my job and got promoted to a role where I was surrounded by all men.

I recently was let go and I am convinced it is because I am a woman.

Do you have any advice for women in the workforce?”

In 190, men made up 80% of the workforce and women 20%. As of March 2009 in the United States, women made up 49.7%.

Women are working more, but they are making less.

You’re only going to see this announcement once (ever), so please read every word very very carefully. It’s really that important. To all women, I want to invite you to something really special. Click here.

According to the Canadian Labour Congress, “the gender wage gap in Canada has remained stuck since the mid 1990s at one of the highest levels in the advanced industrial world.”

Most recent figures show that women make 7.5% of what men make in comparable roles. These are the facts.

However, I wish to share three anecdotal lessons I learned from three women and how women can make more money:

- Ask for more money:
A human resources manager I had on my radio show told me that about 90% of people do not negotiate their salary or ask for a raise.

What was even more shocking to learn was that she expected most people to ask for more money.

Women in her experience, were less likely to do so. This could explain par of the reason why women make less money then men.

Managers have greater respect for employees who stand up for their monetary worth.

Both men and women are qualified to ask for more money.

- Strut your stuff:
You do not have to be a man to succeed. n 2007 I met a very powerful and successful real estate broker, an industry dominated by men. She told me that many women she meets try to ignore their feminine side. She said this is a mistake.

Women have an innate ability to relate to people and a keen sense of intuition.

She went on to say that ambition and drive are normal human traits for both men and women.

- Network
A partner at a large accounting firm successfully rose through the ranks of her company. She was talking to me about the greatest barrier women face in reaching her position: Networking.

She said women are less likely than men to attend evening company networking sessions due to family obligations.

These networking develop the relationships with senior management and be on the promotion track.

If you are a woman and experiencing a gender wage gap, we would be very interested in hearing your story. Please email us.

Email your question to: info@Dr-Career.com. Visit www.1daydreamjobchallenge.org for a free download.Listen to Career FastTrack “Live” Mondays at 5:30pm on CiTR 101.9 FM or online at citr.ca.