If you had met me in High School, you would have seen me in shorts and sneakers on the basketball court. Today, despite my tall stature, and like a lot of women out there, I enjoy a simple dress and a nice pair of heels. What can I say, I love shoes!
A few years ago, I was approached by a prominent builder with over 30 years of experience, he was impressed with my resume and we decided to meet. About an hour into our conversation he confessed he had considered my resume to be phony and his assumption was solely built on his first impression of me. He continued to tell me his judgment, concluding that a person who looks like me would not know ‘Construction’ and he would have never considered hiring a female for a Construction Management role before our meeting. We ended the evening amicably and I did end up receiving a couple of job offers from him. Even though I chose a different path, I still ended up with a win. This experience brought to light his bias and he realized he had been discriminating against the female population in this industry.
I can only speculate, when I walked through the door in a red pencil skirt and high heels, I did not look ‘Construction ‘enough for him, it’s not like he was not wearing steel-toed boots and a hard hat himself.
I would like to say this was a ‘One-Off ‘, but I cannot. Over the years, and equally coming from all genders, ages, and races; I am chronically informed I do not look like ‘Construction’.
Recently, I began opposing “What does ‘Construction’ look like?”
I really would appreciate comments from outside my network, share with me your thought on the topic. On the other hand, do you have a story like mine? I would love to hear about it too.
- Dani
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