Women in Tech: Mentoring Women in the Workplace

Mentoring helps women to boost the economies and supports increase diversity in the tech industry. Above all, mentorship helps women succeed.

GillianBailey

08th March 2021

by Gillian Bailey, Operations Director at Maintel

Women in Tech: Mentoring Women During COVID-19McKinsey’s May 2020 report ‘Diversity wins: How inclusion matters – https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/diversity-wins-how-inclusion-matters found that diverse companies perform better, hire better talent, have more engaged employees and retain workers better than companies that do not focus on diversity and inclusion. 

Despite this, women and ethnic minorities continue to remain widely underrepresented in IT roles and the tech industry. 

At Maintel we believe that truly transformative work is born from diversity. Connecting the power of all the characteristics that make us who we are is vital to our ongoing success, but we also know there is still a lot of work to do.

A recent Harvard Business Review article https://hbr.org/2021/02/stop-telling-women-they-have-imposter-syndrome really hit home and made me realise the importance of supporting diversity in the industry.

To address this and provide women in the industry with a voice and the confidence and belief that they can have a successful career in technology, Maintel are partnering with Reed Technology and their Women in Technology Mentoring Programme, https://careers.reedglobal.com/women-in-tech-mentoring/.  This programme is designed to connect women at all stages of their careers with an external mentor who can offer them tailored guidance and support, in order to help them realise their potential and achieve their personal and professional goals.

Now more than ever amidst the Covid-19 pandemic mentors can support and maintain emotional awareness and balance and a mentee can use their mentor to check-in on how they are feeling.

A trusted mentor can help individuals

Gain valuable advice – Mentors can offer valuable insight into what it takes to get ahead. They can be your guide and “sounding board” for ideas, helping you decide on the best course of action in difficult situations. You can learn shortcuts that help you work more effectively and avoid “reinventing the wheel.”

Develop your knowledge and skills – They can help you identify the skills and expertise you need to succeed. They can teach you what you need to know or advise you on where to go for the information you need.

Improve your communication skills – Just like your mentor, you may also learn to communicate more effectively, which can further help you at work.

Learn new perspectives – Again, you can learn new ways of thinking from your mentor, just as your mentor can learn from you.

Build your network – Your mentor can also offer an opportunity to expand your existing network of personal and professional contacts.

Advance your career – A mentor can help you stay focused and on track in your career through advice, skills development, networking, and so on.

Having people around who want to see you succeed is important for maintaining your confidence and resilience. Mentorships set within strong networks can provide access to knowledge, skills, contacts, and financial resources to support long, rewarding careers in tech.

That’s why we are proud to be supporting the scheme.

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