Gauging the Company’s Practices
A company can demonstrate its commitment to workplace equality in many ways that are important to watch for when you begin looking for an internship or job. Check to see if a company has:
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Women in executive and leadership teams as well as other positions in the company
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Education initiatives supportive of women in the workplace
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A team committed to ensuring the workplace fosters a workspace welcoming to women
Questions to Ask in an Interview or Career Conversation
Interviews and career conversations (also known as informational interviews) serve as an opportunity for you to ask about what a company/organization values. The following questions can provide you with some insight into what the company does to foster the success of women and a climate conducive to your success.
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What are the core values in this organization?
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How many women are in leadership roles in your organization?
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How does the promotion and evaluation process work? Who is in charge of these decisions?
Reflect
As you are exploring different opportunities with a company/organization, consider reflecting on what is most important to you from your next employer. We all have different values in what we want in our workplaces, here are some example reflection questions that can help you with navigating this process:
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Do I want to work for a company that I know upholds the values this company has?
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How does the staff treat me during the interview? Do they question my professional skillset?
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How does this company demonstrate its values?
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Does the company have a history of fostering equality in the workplace?
During the Interview
During your interview, the employer is not allowed to ask you about personal gender related questions, and some interviewers may be unaware of this law. Questions that employers should not ask during an interview include:
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Do you have any children? If so, how many and what are their ages?
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What kind of childcare arrangements do you have in place?
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Are you single, married, divorced or engaged?
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Are you currently taking any form of birth control or fertility treatment?
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What are your plans if you get pregnant?
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Does your spouse work? If so, what does your spouse do for a living?
While it is illegal to ask questions about personal gender-related matters, an interviewer can still paraphrase the questions listed above by changing the way they are asked, such as:
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Do you have any restrictions that would prevent you from traveling?
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Do you have any commitments that will conflict with your work schedule?
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Do you anticipate any absences from work on a regular basis?
As you respond to these types of interview questions, ensure that you focus on the skills and abilities you can bring to their team and why you would be successful in the role.
UT Austin Resources
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Women in STEM (WiSTEM) - WiSTEM leads undergraduate student STEM programs with career connection opportunities for mentoring, cross-discipline collaboration and connecting with role models.
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Inspire: UT College of Liberal Arts - INSPIRE is a three-year program (sophomore to senior) with three cohorts simultaneously developing leadership, personal and career building skills. INSPIRE was created in response to the continuing inequalities in educational attainment and career advancement for women and is open to all majors.
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Women's Resource Agency (WRA) — University of Texas Student Government - The Women’s Resource Agency works to connect women with campus resources while providing them opportunities to improve the experience of women at The University of Texas at Austin.
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New Leadership Texas UT College of Liberal Arts- NEW Leadership Texas is a six-day residential summer institute sponsored by UT’s Center for Women’s & Gender Studies that educates college women about the important role that politics plays in their lives and encourages them to become effective leaders in the political arena.
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UT HornsLink - Refer to HornsLink for more information about women-focused student organizations
Questions?
For specific information regarding your individual professional goals, please make an appointment with CNS Career Services.