1 Career-Changing Question Every Woman Should Ask in Interviews

TLDR: Use your smart search capabilities to discover where a woman can go in the company you're interviewing for. Also ask questions to discover what the hiring manger thinks about where women can go.

A Lesson for the Ages

As a college graduate, I had the opportunity to interview for two positions, both with insurance companies in the Hartford area. Now, this was the dark ages, so bear with me.

The first position was an opportunity to be a technical writer. I had majored in English and minored in economics, and this felt like a job that was right up my alley. But as the hiring manager escorted me to his office for the interview, I walked through a sea of men. We talked about whatever questions he asked me - none of which I remember, but I do remember the one question I asked him. But I do remember one of the questions I asked him, and that was, "Where can a woman go around here?"

His answer was, "Hmm, I really don't know."

The second job I interviewed for was to be secretary to a director.

When I asked him the same question, where can a woman go around here? He pointed outside of the glass walls of his office and said, "Well, over there is Joan Hurwitz. She's a director. And at that desk over there is Betty Cole. She's a manager. And over at that desk is Annette Civitolo. We just brought her in from the field to be a supervisor."

Any rational person would think that I took the technical writing job. It was up my alley. It tapped my skills. But I took the secretary position because the man who would be my boss, Dave Chichester, could answer my question about where a woman could go around there.

And I had a really rapid rise at that company, primarily because I was such an awful secretary. Dave kicked me out of that role after three months and into a role where I was leading an IT project. Which is a whole other story full of lessons.

What it Means for You

Why am I telling you this?

Because in the age of LinkedIn and corporate websites, you don't have to ask a hiring manager, "Where can a woman go around here?" You can find that out very easily by using smart search skills.

So my advice is to be sure that you do a diligent search to discover what you can about the career trajectories of women who are on the organization's executive team:

Were they all hired from the outside?
Do any of them have a track record inside the company?
Are they only in staff functions?

And what can you find by searching LinkedIn for other women in leadership roles in the company? Especially in whatever function you're interviewing for.

The Question to Get Answered

BUT it would be important to know the hiring manager's perspectives on career growth and mindset about his or her role in developing team members.

So, you can ask questions such as:

Who on your team has advanced in their career and what role did you play in that?
In what ways have you actively supported the leadership development of members of your team?
Or who has been instrumental in your career progression and how do you, how have you paid that forward? to people who work for you.

What you're looking for is someone who's conscious of his or her role in developing team members. And also, subtly, you're looking for parity in whether they are talking about the women who report to them and/or the men.

Be Pioneering

Now let's say it's a position you really want. You know that you are 100% well suited. That you are aligned with its mission or it's a company whose products or services excite you. And they don't have such a great track record for women in management.

Am I saying that if you're offered the position, you should turn it down?

Absolutely not.

But if you go in, but if you go into that position, go in with eyes wide open.

Every industry has had its women pioneers. Women who started their careers when they were young and the expectations at the time were that women wouldn't go anywhere. Yet these women rose to become CEOs or other senior executives.

One characteristic many of them share is that they were uncomfortable being allies for women or speaking on behalf of women.

Because they had to prove their operational chops first. (Illustrating my point about the importance of Business Savvy.)

As pioneers, they also had to work to fit in. And I can tell you, many of them have stories about how uncomfortable it was. About jokes they had to put up with, events at private country clubs where women couldn't go in the front door, and about adjusting their communication styles to be more easily heard.

Some of these adjustments are deeply offensive. Others have to do with expanding your ideas of your capabilities. But if you go into a role in a company where you're going to be a pioneer, it's important to understand what you will be facing.

And I actually want to encourage you to do that. If it's a dream job, and, or, a company that you've been eager to work with, go for it. We need women, especially in STEM industry companies, who will be the pioneers and open the doors for the next generation.

if you do go for it, find allies outside of the company - trustworthy women, with whom you can discuss your successes and the challenges you face.

Let's Recap

When you are interviewing for new opportunities,

You want to know what the environment is like for women and women, women's advancement. You can find that out by smart searches within the company's website and through LinkedIn.
Importantly, you also want to know the mindset of the hiring manager when it comes to his or her responsibilities for developing and actions to enhance the careers of her/his direct reports.
If you take a position where, if you take a position where you're going to be the pioneer, go in with eyes open.

What's A Woman To Do?

1. Make sure you do the preliminary research about the environment for women.

2. Craft an interview question you feel comfortable asking to help Illuminate the hiring manager's mindset about career advancement and development of his or her direct reports.

A caveat. You want to ask questions in a way that signals that you're interested in continuous improvement, continuous learning, and greater contributions to the corporation; without appearing overly ambitious. Sad to say it's a double standard that we as women face and we have to walk that very fine line.

That said, a manager who wouldn't hire you because you're ambitious isn't really a manager you would want to work for.

3. If you go in as a pioneer, be sure, be sure that you are able to tap a support system outside of the company. And stay attuned to ways you can maximize your communication style to enhance your effectiveness.

Catch you next time.

Susan

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