Ruth Cawdron
Marketing Manager, ProvenWorks
📍London, UK
Do you give back to the community with your team and work? If so, what does this look like?
I'm privileged to be able to go into schools and universities to deliver career guidance sessions on what it's like to work in Marketing and in the B2B software industry. Having worked in the education industry previously, it's incredibly satisfying to make the most of these opportunities to demystify the world of work and share actionable tips for young people thinking about their next steps.
This year’s International Women’s Day themes are focused on investing in women and inspiring inclusion. What can we do to make today’s workplaces more equitable and inclusive for women?
One thing I've been reflecting on a lot recently is meetings.
Studies show that with the rise of hybrid working, we're spending more of our work day in meetings - virtual or in-person. Yet the majority of us never receive any formal training on how to run or participate in successful meetings that facilitate contribution from a representative cross-section of the attendees.
A World Economic Forum article called out that almost half (45%) of US women business leaders surveyed in June said it was difficult for women to speak up in virtual meetings on platforms like Zoom, while one-in-five women felt they’d actually been ignored on such calls. The answer suggested in the article is changing the environment in the (online) room - rather than changing women's behaviour. Steps for progress here could look like:
1. Paying attention to who is speaking in your meetings - who is interrupting / who is being interrupted, who is answering questions first, who never speaks at all? These could also be open-ended questions you share with your team outside of your meetings.
2. Implement quick validations - researchers say positive interjections can be really valuable to encouraging people to speak up, and signaling their value to the rest of the group e.g. "That's an interesting point", "Thanks for pointing that out".
3. If appropriate, acknowledge a lack of representation in a constructive way: “I’d be really interested to hear additional perspectives” - you’re not directly asking someone to speak, but you’re conveying that we all benefit from what more people have to say.
What advice do you have for women who are just starting their career?
My advice is to apply for the job.
There are plenty of studies that show women are less likely to apply for a job unless they match an incredibly high percentage of a job's qualifications. In a job advertisement, the required qualifications and specifications are important and indicative of a level of experience, but they are often not as black and white as they appear.
Just as important in the hiring process is self-advocacy, relationships, and a creative approach to demonstrating expertise and experience that make you a good fit for the role.
All of this can overcome not having the skills and experiences outlined in the job qualifications. I'm not promising that it will, but it can.
So apply for the job.
What are you looking forward to this year? Are there any goals (personal or professional), activities, or experiences you are excited about?
At work, I'm excited that ProvenWorks has partnered with Berkshire Community Foundation and I can't wait to get involved with local volunteer opportunities. I'm also looking forward to travelling to the US for some Salesforce events later in the year. Nothing beats meeting people in person!
Outside of work, I'm training for the World Ultimate Championships where I'll be representing Great Britain in Gold Coast, Australia during September. Lots of matches will be streamed on Youtube so you should check it out!
