Jobs for the Girls: Surviving in a Man's World
by Jenny Ungless, Career Life Coach 
Think of a male-dominated work environment and you probably conjure up the image of the trading floor in the City. While that’s one good example of an environment that is heavily populated by blokes, there are other working scenarios where women are very much in the minority. These include everything from banking and business through to the police service and Parliament. So if you are a woman working mainly with men, how do you handle the situation?
Here are our top tips:
- Be yourself. You don’t have to be more manly than the men, and nor should you make too much of a play of your feminine side. Think about the key qualities that you bring to the job and concentrate on using these to develop your personal “brand”, which isn’t about gender.
- That said, don’t be afraid to recognise that women and men do tend to approach tasks in different ways. Women are often better at the “softer” skills such as people management. Acknowledge your strengths and find ways of doing more of what you are good at.
- Give your best when you’re at work – and go home on time. Don’t allow yourself to get dragged into a macho long-hours culture. This is much more easily said than done, but many colleagues will welcome someone taking a stand. Your job is not your life.
- Don’t allow people to put you into traditional female roles. In meetings, for example, if you are the only woman there, don’t let others assume that you will pour the coffee. More generally, make sure you have clear boundaries. Be helpful, but don’t cross the line from helpful to “doormat”.
- Don’t make excuses for bad behaviour. If male colleagues are acting inappropriately, don’t look for excuses for them, such as “he didn’t really mean it”. Be assertive and confront the offender in a professional and non-aggressive way.
- Find yourself a role model or mentor. Look at women who are successful in your company or organisation and work out how they’ve done it. If possible, get them to mentor or coach you.
- Join a network. It doesn’t need to be a women-only one: the opportunity to meet with like-minded people outside your own workplace, whether they’re male or female, will give you a chance to learn from other people’s experiences and discuss issues that you might not want to raise in your own working environment.
If you’re a woman trying to succeed in a male environment – or if you’re a bloke or a woman trying to succeed in a challenging environment - and would like some support, City Life Coaching can help. We’re offering Monster readers a 2-hour career management session for the special rate of £200 (normally £275). This includes pre-session questionnaires, and a month’s follow-up by email to help keep you on track. Simply email jenny@citylifecoaching.com quoting “Monster offer”.
