Finding a Position

Let's say you have no formal education in business and no work experience. Where do you start? Suppose you apply to a company and say nothing about what you want, or you make obscure comments about yourself: "I like people," or "I'm good at detail." As a woman, you might be placed in an administrative job, with a PC on your desk, and a list of tasks to perform.

Where would a man start if he applied at the same company with no experience and obscure career goals? He might well begin in the mail room. Maybe administration jobs pay more money or you have better working conditions than the mail clerk, so you think you have the better deal. The big difference, however, is that he is beginning a male career path, while you are now on the first step of a female career path. You are in two entirely different lanes.

In deciding what we want, women usually have two disadvantages. First, our positions in the corporate world typically keep us from being exposed to the overall picture and prevent us from seeing other opportunities. We often have no idea of what most other people in our company do for a living, so finding a position is more difficult. Second, we are guilty of limiting our focus to what we know or, worse, what interests us. We assume that unless we already have knowledge or interest in a field, then we cannot learn to do the work or love the job. Yet most successful men and women in this country happened upon their field almost by accident. They began and continued a career without necessarily planning each step, but they looked for and grabbed at the opportunities around them.

Maybe you know what you don't want, but not what you do want. You can recite all the reasons you couldn't possibly perform one of those high-profile, risk-oriented jobs. It's time to wake up and realize that you're an adult now. Open your eyes and mind to new possibilities. People all around you are trying things they are unsure of, fumbling and making mistakes, and getting paid quite well. Don't wait around for some golden opportunity to slap you in the face. Quit making a list of what you don't want to do. Start to dig up what's out there and find a position.