In March 1911, women across Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and Denmark rallied together to celebrate the first official International Women’s Day, focusing on suffrage, education, worker’s rights, and women’s representation. Over the following years, more and more countries celebrated International Women’s Day, marking it officially as the 8th March each year.
Since then, we’ve come a long way, with IWD securing Russian women the right to vote in 1917, 8th March becoming an officially recognised holiday in many countries, and the UN adopting the day in 1975. But we’ve still got a long way to go: only 38% of women hold managerial positions in the workplace, are far more likely to experience sexual harassment and discrimination, and are twice (!) more likely to be mistaken for employees much more their junior. The worst part? Even today, none of this is surprising.
At dmt, we are fiercely proud of the women who work with us. Looking at our managerial team, we have women heading our account management, copywriting, PPC and sales departments. We also have a growing number of women staff members across the board and are nurturing a team of junior staff to take on the next generation of digital marketing talent.
And so, on International Women’s Day 2022, we wanted to celebrate by asking the wonderful women of dmt to give us some advice for those who want to start a career in their respective industries. From paid social to graphic design, email marketing to copywriting, here are the words of wisdom they would like to impart:
Charlotte, Head of Account Management
Be confident in your knowledge. Often in this job, people will question you on the advice you give, so you need to be confident that you’ve made decisions for good reasons and are able to evidence this clearly with the data.
India, Graphic Designer
Apply for jobs like you’re a man. On average, women only apply for jobs if they meet 100% of the requirements, whereas men will apply if they meet just 60%. As women, we are socialised to follow the fuels from such a young age. It’s important to remember to have confidence in your abilities and step out of your comfort zone.
Aimee, Head of Copy
My best piece of advice goes out to all my fellow baby-faced females: never be afraid to command a room. If given a chance, people will love to try and walk all over you. I spent so many years being judged by how I looked, and I lost my voice because of it. So, walk a little bit taller, shout a little bit louder and demand your voice be heard. Your input is as valuable as anybody else’s.
Ellie, Email Marketing Executive
Be your own cheerleader. You might not always have someone else fighting your corner, and it’s okay to be proud of yourself when you achieve something, no matter how big or small that achievement is.
Paige, Paid Social Executive
Take the time to upskill yourself. Digital marketing is an ever-changing industry, so you need to stay ahead of all the latest updates and changes to be successful. There are so many free online courses you can take, in addition to following industry-related professionals on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Alice, Copywriter
If you don’t have sufficient professional experience or background, make your own! Start a blog or a website and begin writing for yourself. It’ll speak volumes to future employers that you’ve taken the initiative, and it shows a passion for the industry.
Cara, Junior PPC Executive
Never feel that you can’t achieve something just because you’re a woman - even if men dominate the industry you’re interested in. Be confident in the fact that you have the skills and potential to be just as successful as your male counterparts.
The Importance of International Women’s Day
Not only is it important to listen to and amplify the voice of women in our industry, but it’s essential to live by the words above, too. As a woman in a man’s word, it’s of vital importance to move yourself with the confidence of a man within the workplace. It is also crucial that men and allies to do their bit to help. Stop viewing women and men as inequal, and acknowledge that things need to change with regards to wage disparity, positions of power, sexism and harassment - both conscious and subconscious.
Thank you so much to the dmt women who took time out of their day to give us this advice. If you’re interested in working with these incredible execs, marketers and creatives, why not get in touch and see how we could help grow and scale your business?
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