Strategies That Women Should Consider For Advancement In Careers

According to Katherine Hansen, the general impression is that women are now becoming incrementally more successful in the workforce. Women are represented in the workforce in greater numbers than ever and holding a higher percentage of managerial and executive jobs than in the past. Women-owned businesses have doubled in the last dozen or so years.

“There are five strategies that women should consider for advancing their careers,” Hansen said.

The first strategy revolves around getting as much education and training as you can.

“Women are in the majority, not only in most realms of higher education, but also in Internet use, comprising at least 52 percent of Internet users, according to Nielsen/Net Ratings. Women are also more efficient in their Internet use; they spend less time surfing because they know what they’re looking for,” Hansen said.

The second strategy revolves around leveraging communication and interpersonal skills.

Numerous recent studies have noted differences in the way men and women communicate and relate interpersonally. Planning your career ahead of time consists of the third strategy for advancing a career.

“Career planning is important for everyone, but especially for women because they generally have more twists and turns to negotiate along the road to career success than do men. If you have a road map, you’ll be less likely to become derailed if you should, for example, decide to relocate to be with a significant other, have a baby, or suddenly need to care for an elderly parent,” Hansen said.

Last, but not least, is networking. Who are the more successful networkers, men or women? You might guess women because women seem like the natural talkers, while we tend to think of men as holding back. The number of all-women networking groups is increasing to create the same kind of networks that are already entrenched for men. An all-woman networking group can be enormously beneficial to women seeking mentors and contacts they’ve already succeeded in breaking through the glass ceiling.