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As part of the #BuildingEquality Campaign, Richelle, Account Manager with Hilti shares her story.
One of my very first jobs after leaving secondary school was in a geology lab as a lab technician. It was my job to test soil, water and rock prior to building works being constructed. Little did I know then that I would end up in a career in the construction industry all these years later. I went on to complete a degree in History and Politics at university with the intention of becoming a teacher but in the meantime had found a passion for sales. I worked in sales across various industries, from cosmetics to e-commerce to digital advertising and more recently corporate sales.
I first stumbled upon Hilti on the ‘Great places to work’ list, searched their website and found they were hiring Account Managers in my area. What stood out was the fact that they were appealing to people of all shapes and sizes, from all backgrounds. The sales side of things I was confident with, my knowledge of the construction industry, not so much. Hilti had put a strong focus in their advertisement that full training would be provided for the right fit so I thought, why not! Go for it! I did have my reservations about being a woman in this industry but I was more worried about it being a new area of study for me. Luckily, Hilti have a fantastic training system in place and 24/7 support throughout the learning process. As it turns out it is never too late to learn something new and any fears I had of being respected as a woman in the industry were misplaced. I don’t know what exactly I was expecting but I am treated with the upmost respect from both my colleagues and my customers.
I think the construction industry is commonly associated with being a man’s world which is not the case. We are seeing women in construction now more and more and not just in support or administration roles. We need to change what seems to be a deep rooted misconception. Hilti for one are doing a great job at changing this. I think we need to make an impact with young women at school going age and let them know that there are opportunities out there in this sector. It is exciting times for the construction industry and it would be great to have more of a female representation.
To learn more about the #BuildingEquality campaign and to share your own story, please visit our dedicated page here