Brought to you by San Joaquin Valley College:
The construction industry offers the perfect opportunity to people with different levels of experience, training, and education. Whether you have a trade certification or a technical or vocational degree, you can easily get a job that is both fulfilling and challenging.
The construction industry offers excellent on-the-job training to its workers. However, the male-dominated environment of the construction field often makes it difficult for women to compete. Following are some tips for women who want to build a career in the construction sector:
Be Confident
To succeed in the construction industry, women need to be confident above everything else. Developing confidence is more of a journey than a destination. You can strengthen the belief that you have the capability of bringing value to the table through hard work and experience.
Whenever you come up with an idea, don’t hesitate to present it to your team. It might serve as the missing puzzle piece to solving their problem. Getting a degree in construction management can add to your confidence significantly.
Develop Strategies to Deal with Stereotypes
Construction, being a male-dominated field, it is very easy for people to fall back on the implicit stereotypes of society. While it’s okay for men to be bold and aggressive, women displaying similar characteristics are often called out using ‘not-so-nice’ adjectives. Women need to be realistic about the double standards of the construction industry and develop strategies to deal with stereotypes.
Be Proactive
Rather than waiting for an opportunity to come knocking on your door, you can visit a local construction company and submit your resume. You might be asked to fill out an application form and introduce yourself. Since a large number of construction companies in the US are hiring, the industry is extremely competitive in terms of pay and benefits.
Be Flexible
The construction sector might be very demanding in terms of work hours. During seasonal pushes, it might require you to work overtime which might be a deterrent factor for some people. These challenges should be recognized before you join the construction industry.
Do Your Research
While progressive construction companies welcome women, this is not the case in every company. Thus, it’s essential to understand the organization you’re applying to and its work culture. It’s also a good idea to ask about the number of women working in operational positions.
Find a Mentor
A woman construction employee may see things differently than her male colleagues. Having a mentor can help because it enables you to seek their advice when needed. Your mentor should offer constructive criticism on your ideas and performance to guide you towards improvement. It’s not necessary to have a female mentor. You can choose among both genders for on-the-job guidance.
Empower Other Women
Last but not the least, every woman should empower other women trying to build careers in the construction industry. Only in this way can women come together to build new roads in the construction industry together.
Conclusion
Women are joining the construction industry for a variety of reasons. For example, it’s a career that will present them with unique challenges that keep work interesting while offering an attractive salary. The construction industry has lower gender pay gaps compared to other fields of work and the demand in this field has been going strong. There will always be old homes to remodel and new ones to build making the demand for construction workers an everlasting one.
