How women can get ahead in a ‘man's world’

Interview with a Consultant on Career for Women

Skill still counts when it comes to climbing the business ladder, but `the ambitious woman has to stick her neck out`, and be more shrewd and determined than her male counterparts.

Q. Is it getting easier for women to move ahead in business careers?

A. In some respects, yes—though a woman still has to work harder and smarter than most of her male contemporaries. And if she wants to really make it, she has to be more alert, shrewd and determined than they are.

Q. Are more and better jobs opening up for women?

A. Yes, There's no question that the opportunities are more plentiful than ever before. That's true in sales, accounting, finance, technical and professional fields, as well as in the less traditional, blue-collar occupations.

Q. Is inflation one reason more women are working—the need for wives to help bringing in money to keep the household going?

A. That's certainly a factor, though the number of working wives has been rising steadily for a long time.

With today's high costs, it's certainly true that many families need two incomes to maintain a satisfactory standard of living. But there are other reasons why more women are working. The divorce rate is going up, and many ex-wives need jobs to support themselves and their children. Women are marrying later, having babies later. They can work a few years before they decide to start having a family.

Q, Is that necessarily bad in the business world—being passive and polite?

A. It's not the way to get on the fast track for job advancement The ambitious woman has to stick her neck out. If she's given a chance to take a job never before held by a woman, she grabs it. If she has too little responsibility in her present job, she asks for more. If she finds she is being consistently shot down or harassed by someone in her department, she takes steps to change the situation.

Q. Can a woman get ahead in her job without becoming so aggressive that she antagonizes people?

A. Absolutely. She doesn't have to lose her feminine qualities.

Q. What suggestions do you have for the woman embarking on a business career?

A. It's important that she learn to create the right impression, just as aspiring men do. But she has fewer role models from whom to learn about these things:

1. Her appearance—how attractive she looks, her posture and bearing, whether her wardrobe is appropriate and her hair style and makeup are becoming.

2. Her voice—how pleasant it sounds, the degree to which reflects interest and enthusiasm, how well she can communicate what she means to say.

3. Her personality—how well she projects the type of person she is, in her behavior and expression of attitudes and feelings toward others.

A woman who wants to get ahead in business has to look smart if she doesn't look like a manager, she's never going to become a manager. She also has to learn the language of business, by reading business magazines. She should get some knowledge of the management function so she can communicate with her boss and with others in the managerial ranks.

Q. What fields do you see as offering special promise for women?

A. The whole computer field is an exciting one, because it is still a relatively nontraditional area for women. Sales jobs can be marvelous for women. I was surprised to learn recently that many women are doing well selling industrial equipment. Accounting and other financial services arc a promising area, since they require skills that are easily transferable from one industry to another,

Q. What about the young woman high school or college graduate who doesn't really want a career or even a job— she just wants to marry and raise a family. Is that bad?

A. I'd say it's bad in the sense that she needs to develop skills that will enable her to go out and earn a living if she has to. Her husband may leave her, divorce her, die of a heart attack, or become handicapped so that he can't work. She no longer can take it for granted that she's going to be cared for all her life.

15. A.Complete the table, then mark the stress.

VERB	NOUN	ADJECTIVE
1 to compete (with)	________________	________________
2 ________________	confrontation	________________
3 to collaborate	________________	________________
4 ________________	________________	Controlling
5________________	________________	Encouraging
6 to achieve	________________	________________

B. Complete the following sentences using one of the words from the table.

1. It was a great … to win the company's prize for excellence. 2. This is a really difficult job at times. I'd like a bit of … from my boss occasionally. 3. I hate having meetings with Alan. He's always aggressive and… . 4. I don't like working on my own, I need other people to … with. 5. It's impossible … to events, but you can influence them.

16. In each set of words, cross out the word that does not have a similar meaning to the first. Compare your answers with another student. Discuss why the words are similar.

1. aggressive	angry	energetic	Forceful
2. coax	compel	persuade	Urge
3. conventional	agreeable	customary	widely accepted
4. deplete	decrease	empty	Leave
5. discard	dismiss	retain	throw out
6. dominate	control	house	Master
7. exploit	destroy	promote	Utilize
8. incessantly	constantly	illegally	without end
9. liability	disadvantage	obligation	Promise
10. minimize	cancel	discount	Reduce
11. offensive	attacking	courageous	Insulting
12. patron	client	rival	User
13. revamp	patch up	reveal	Revise
14. shuffle	change	confuse	Intermix
15. skepticism	assistance	doubt	Questioning
1 6. speculative	risky	settled	Uncertain
17. stimulate	arouse	criticize	Encourage
18. visionary	dreamer	guardian	Prophet