A Career Guide For You, Ladies...

Have you ever wondered why every interviewer or manager shown in an advertisement is a male? Take for instance this ad that played on TV about a young chap who did not meet any of the criteria for the job, but yet got hired. In that ad the interviewer was male.Or for instance the classic Hari Sadu ad. In that ad there is a woman's voice  playing in the background suggesting that she is an Assistant. Why is it that the female in every ad that has a professional setting is either a secretary or someone in the background who can be easily forgotten? It’s time we did something about it, haina? So here are some strategies that could help you get ahead in that race with those guys and hopefully break that “glass ceiling”.

The smartest way to get ahead is to get a decent education. And by decent we mean not just a vanilla graduation. We are talking about good professional qualifications such as MBA, CA, CS,  Engineering or even a PhD. If you are knowledgeable and educated, then it shows and it would be very tough for your manager to deny you that promotion, considering your qualifications.

The next thing to do is to take advantage of being a woman. Now, that may sound cheeky, but it is not meant in that way. What we are talking about is that women are known to be naturally sensitive, caring and kind while at the same time they can be tough and hard when required. All these qualities are what make a good manager. So if you have a natural flair for being a manager why not make use of that?

The third thing is to play by the rules of the game. By this we mean, that nobody ever got ahead by having a tiff with their boss. So why should you? Your boss may be this mean, shoddy SOB. But still he is your boss. As long as you are in your present company and he is your boss it is better if you align yourself to his way of thinking. That way you do not have to deal with your ego if and when he reprimands you. If you think you cannot take his insults then you should not be working for him at all.

Make contacts and friends in your present company. Make an effort to go to other departments and chat up with people. Try to get to know as many people as possible in your present company and the nature of their work. Today most of the jobs are gotten by networking. That way the company gets a trusted resource and they have to relatively spend less on hiring.

Keep away from office politics. Water cooler conversations are a strict no-no. If you must converse, make sure that your current boss is not around. At no point of time should it be construed that you are whiling away or whining away your time.

Understand your company’s business. Know what is the revenue model. What impacts the profitability? What are the operating costs of your company etc? Such questions will sensitize you to the importance of the role of other people and will also help you understand your company’s business.

With this, we hope the next ad having a corporate setting will see a woman boss. Three Cheers to that!!!