by rossanahead | Apr 4, 2017 | career, gender equality, woman
Women have worked their way up the corporate ladder in many industries. Gone are the days when women stay home and just do household works, today women are excelling in many fields and have been viewed as important contributors in the workforce. So the challenge sometimes isn’t so much to find job openings but to find the best careers that will help you achieve your #LifeGoals. We’ve listed up five careers that suit our modern day super Filipina.
IT Services
IT services made its way to the top of Jobstreet’s list of highest-paying jobs in the Philippines in 2016. Although the industry has been traditionally dominated by men, women are seen to be slightly dominating the science and technology industry in the Philippines according to an infographic released by Rappler in 2014. This means that women are not having such a tough time entering a male dominated industry that pays such high wages. Even those with minimal experience can sign contracts with their salaries reaching 38,000 pesos. Not bad, right?
Law/Legal
As we see in television and movies, learning legal matters may be a pain in the neck. This may sound like a cliché, but hard work does pay off! Law/Legal profession also made its way to the list of highest-paying jobs in the Philippines. It also shows that we have an equal amount of men and women in this industry. So to all women law students reading this, hang in there! Your sleepless nights and bottles of coffee will pay off when you enter the workforce.
Human Resource
Society has traditionally aligned women’s choice of career to social sciences or anything in the liberal arts and women have constantly tried to break away from this stereotype. But if your heart is happier in the management of workforce, no judgments! Human resource is a career not only dominated by women, by 72% but also one of the jobs that will surely offer big compensation package. In the Philippines, it is recorded that a Human Resource manager earns up to about an average of 65,000 pesos.
Financial Services
While people expect women to be good at management related jobs, very few expect them to be good at math. Don’t let that judgment hinder you from getting the huge compensation that finance industry offers. If you’re really bad at math, though, no worries! Services in the financial industry also encompass strategists and the like, which a lot of our smart women are good at. This is clearly evident because in 2014 about 69% of the workforce in this industry is women.
Public Relations, Marketing, Advertising
Women have always been creative, what a better way to use this creativity than to turn your passion into your career! Public relations placed 6th in the recent Jobstreet Salary Report for 2017 of highest-paying jobs, while advertising and media planning was at 10th and in these jobs, women have dominated by 62%. You’re not only using your creativity as your life career, as a bonus you also get good pay for it! Jobs in this industry has a salary range of 24,000 to 26,000 for those who have minimal experience. Nice deal, right?
Many job openings come and go in the Philippine job market but no matter what career you choose, always remember to love what you do. It’s when you choose the career you love when you get the greatest return. Because a modern-day super Filipina is not only smart but also passionate!
Written by Love Gardose
by rossanahead | Mar 6, 2017 | business, career, Education, gender equality
Written by Susan Agustin, Go Negosyo
To kick of National Women’s Month, Go Negosyo sa Radyo aired a femme-powered episode on March 1 with two phenomenal women entrepreneurs as guests. Hosts Sen. Bam Aquino & DJ Cheska San Diego-Bobadilla were joined by Emma Imperial of Imperial Homes and Rossana Llenado of AHEAD Tutorial and Review Center. Both have been previously awarded by Go Negosyo (Imperial in 2015 and Llenado in 2016) for being women entrepreneurs worth emulating.
On March 30, Go Negosyo will award another batch of women in the Inspiring Filipina Entrepreneur Awards 2017 which will be held in the prestigious Malacañan Palace. Much like Imperial and Llenado, the women who will be given recognition are those who have sparked significant progress and inspired change in the entrepreneurial community.
Sen. Bam and DJ Cheska began the episode by setting the tone for the listeners. At the end of the hour, they hoped to have uplifted the listeners and opened their eyes to the nuances of women entrepreneurs’ experiences.
Imperial Homes Group of Companies
Emma Imperial was the first to share her story. She is a well-decorated and respected CEO in the realty industry wherein her male counterparts mostly dominate. Imperial shared that at the onset of her career, she had to prove herself as someone worth paying attention to. “Big developers are usually male and the engineers that work for me are mostly male as well.” Despite these odds, Imperial has managed to lead her company to becoming well-recognized globally. With recognitions under her name like Biz News Asia 2016 Entrepreneurship Awardee and Filipina Women Network’s 100 Most Influential Filipinas 2015, it is an understatement to say that Imperial is at the top of her game.
Likewise, her company is equally laudable and has even received international attention. Imperial Homes Group of Companies was awarded by the CEO Asia Awards 2015 as the ADEC Innovation Green Company of the Year, certified by IFC-World Bank Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies (EDGE) for Green Building, and recognized by the Financial Times in 2016 as a nominee for the Transformational Business Awards. “You don’t have to be big to be counted in the global community. It’s about innovation and how you believe you’ll help your country; it’s not about the size but the idea,” Imperial shared.
Her big idea manifested when her company decided to construct solar-powered small houses. It was for them, a way to address the backlog of housing in the country as they were low-cost and efficient. In a country where solar power is somehow relegated to more expensive projects, Imperial homes saw the potential for them to be ideal for the provinces where brownouts were frequent. The switch to solar meant that these areas would never have to suffer from power cuts and solar at scale would actually be energy and cost efficient. It was a revolutionary idea: solar power for low-income families. After her company started this project, many took notice. “Ginawa tayong poster child ng World Bank,” Imperial proudly says.
With her story, Imperial wishes to impart to other women entrepreneurs that working in a male-dominated business doesn’t have to be a struggle. Although you have to prove yourself worthy at first, she shares that strict implementation and being consistent with your policies ultimately makes others listen. She’s proud that her organization is now seeing a lot of interest from the youth because the youth she says, are intrigued by innovation (like Imperial Homes solar-powered low-cost houses)
Not to take away from the men in her industry, but Imperial shares that she believes women have more heart than men. “ I had more chances to make my business high-end, but I chose to cater to the low-end group. I can also honestly stop doing business now and I’d be okay but I can’t stop because of my employees.”
She also shares that it’s important for women in business to have camaraderie. She shares that when she was starting in her industry, it was hard to be part of bigger projects because the men would already have a so-called “boys club” and she would be left out. Today, she happily shares that women entrepreneurs have already set-up similar groups to support each other and they often meet about projects related to nation-building.
AHEAD Tutorial and Review Center
Rosanna Llenado was the second guest who shared her story and insights on what it means to be a successful woman entrepreneur. She was named as one of the 100 Most Amazing Filipinas by Summit Media in 2012 and received numerous awards from the Philippine Marketing Association, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Entrepreneur Magazine. Her business, AHEAD is one of the most venerated tutorial and learning centers in the country. As one of the first tutorial centers to offer college entrance exams review programs, Llenado eventually expanded their services to offer a wide range of programs to complement students’ learning.
Recently, they’ve put a center that focuses on teaching Singapore Math— a method that she believes is more functional and practical which eventually makes student’s more proficient at the often dreaded subject. They’re also offering courses on speed reading and mind-mapping which are valuable skills for any student tackling difficult and lengthy reading materials. From a small business started at her home, AHEAD has now risen as the go-to tutorial center in the metro because of its quality and comprehensive programs that position students for excellence.
When Llenado was asked about her opinion on Filipina entrepreneurs, she says that a lot of Filipinas are still scared to enter into business. But what most Filipinas don’t know, she said, is that we’re relatively lucky compared to women from other countries. She discovered this fact when she conducted a research on women entrepreneurs across the world. She found out that the Philippines was ranked #5 on the list of women-friendly countries for business. She further shares that there are some countries wherein women aren’t allowed to have properties or businesses registered to their name and would have to put them under their father’s or husband’s.
She recognizes that there are a lot more women entrepreneurs now compared to when she first started AHEAD. But she says that despite this increase, women will still encounter struggle or discrimination, especially when they’re just starting out. “I also had an experience when I struggled with doing business as a woman; I was invited to do business with these group of guys.
I noticed one of the men was trying to pulling one over us, and I called him out. They eventually met without me and kicked me out. True enough, that man I called out did deceive all of them.”
Despite the welcome positive change of more women entering business, Llenado wishes however, that more women in our country would hold positions in different boards. She noticed that most board of directors and trustees are still predominantly male. “Women can lead. We’ve had two women presidents! And in the senate and company presidents, ang dami rin babae.” So, why should the boards be different, right?
Llenado and Imperial’s stories are just two amongst a plethora of inspiring success stories of FIlipina entrepreneurs. They are a testament to the woman’s ability to lead and succeed. So, if you’re a woman, currently aspiring to turn that business dream into reality, but afraid to start, here are choice words from our two guests yesterday:
“Do things for the greater good of the country. Imperial Homes never really intended to become a social enterprise, but because we had the heart to think of the communities that other competitors weren’t thinking of, we were able to distinguish ourselves from them. We profited of course— but that naturally follows when you do good work” – Emma Imperial
“If you don’t know where to start, ask yourself— whats the right business for me? ano ang kailangan ng kababayan ko? If you can answer these two and somehow the answer is one thing then that’s a good place to start.” – Rosanna Llenado
by rossanahead | Feb 16, 2017 | Uncategorized
I’ve always believed in the power of stories. Countless life stories of different people have inspired me throughout my student life and career. Through story-telling, people get to realize that if he/she was able to do it, I can do it too.
This is why I’ve always dreamt of creating a platform for women to tell the stories of their success in career, business, family and other walks of life. At first, I wanted to showcase them in a blog, which brought me to create this website and iamaworkingwoman.com, but I figured it’s not enough. Then, I thought of a radio show when Inquirer Radio invited me to put up one. But I realized that there is another way that I can inspire more women – books.
I have decided to come up with a book series called SMART SUPERWOMEN. This book series will serve as an avenue for women who are successful in their own fields inspire others to be successful as well.
The first book lined up is called WHAT IS THE RIGHT BUSINESS FOR ME? AND OTHER ENTREPRENEURIAL QUESTIONS ANSWERED. This book targets women who aspire to be entrepreneurs. In this book, the most common questions about starting a business will be answered by successful women entrepreneurs and myself. This book will also provide tips about marketing, human resources, choosing the best location for a business and a many more.
The second book to be published is STRATEGIES OF SMART SUPERWOMEN. This is a collection of real-life stories of entrepreneurs, educators, housewives, corporate workers, Presidents/CEOs, public servants and other women from different industries. This book aims to teach the readers how to be the best in what they do, no matter what their choice of career is.
These are just two of many other books I want to publish for this series. I’m excited to share the amazing tales of Smart Superwomen who deserve recognition for all their courage and hard work.
Cheers to all women out there!
Rossana L. Llenado