By Muslim women still face many challenges in the workforce, including attaining their career dreams. While more Muslim women pursue higher education than men, some don’t pursue a career in their field.
Many schools and universities make legal advice available to combat inequalities, but many Muslim women may feel cultural or community pressure to stay home and take care of their families despite their education. With that in mind, here are ten tips for Muslim women who want to pursue a career.
1. Be who you are: A Muslim woman
Being a Muslim should not prevent you from following your dreams to have a career. It is not contradictory to be a Muslim and have a career. Islam does not limit you to staying at home and performing domestic chores — in fact, men should follow the example of the Prophet PBUH and help around the house too! As a Muslim, you need faith in whatever you do, and this includes your career. Is the job you want compatible with your faith? For example, working in a restaurant — would you be okay with serving alcohol? Thinking about things like this can be helpful when choosing a work environment.
2. Have confidence in your abilities
Have faith in Allah and confidence in your own abilities. If you lose faith in yourself, you will stop pursuing your goals. Don’t listen to those who try to discourage you or belittle you. Your future is up to you and Allah — you can do anything you put your mind to!
Try to surround yourself with others that believe in your abilities as much as you do. They will offer you encouragement and support to reach your goals rather than trying to persuade you they’re not right for you. Young women of all religions and ethnicities need to support one another and build one another up.
3. be aware of resources to help aid you if you face discrimination
Unfortunately there is still a lot of prejudice and racism in the workplace. It’s important to know your rights, and stand up for them. Organizations such as CAIR can assist if you’re being discriminated against or unfairly persecuted as work due to your religious identity.
4. Have good time management skills
Time management is very important, as it can help you to learn how to prioritize and make the most of every hour. Don’t ever be satisfied with doing “just enough” but strive for excellence in everything you do.
The benefits of good time management skills will carry over to any other tasks you may find yourself with, including managing your life and home, or even when you apply it to leisure activities and hobbies.
5. Don’t be afraid to take risks
If you have goals and want to work towards them, you can’t be afraid to take some risks. If you’re afraid and constantly doubt yourself, what you can achieve will be limited. As long as you don’t choose a career that involves immoral behavior, interest-based transactions, corruption or other forbidden characteristics that go against your faith, you are free to make choices that can further your career.
If you’re struggling to find the right path, you can pray for guidance. Remember that you should feel completely comfortable in your job role if you hope to make a career of it.
6. Plagiarism-free writing is important
One of the factors that could influence your career progression is your writing skills. If you’re pursuing education and studying to try and improve your career prospects, you need to ensure your writing is free of plagiarism. One of the useful tips to make sure is to use the plagiarism checker at https://onlineplagiarismchecker.net/. Plagiarism-free writing not only benefits you while studying but in your future career, too, where you may have to write many forms of original content.
7. don’t give up
Applying for jobs can be a tedious experience that leaves you feeling discouraged, especially if you receive rejection after rejection. Everyone has to face rejection at some point in their lives. Knowing how to deal with it can teach you to be persistent and fight for what you want.
It can make you reassess your applications and find out what you could do differently to achieve more success. Everyone is in the process of learning and you need to be strong and keep going if you want to succeed.
8. consider a company’s values
When you apply for jobs, the first thing you need to do is to ensure that the company offers fair treatment and opportunity for everyone. It should not just give lip service to this, but have these values fully on display in the workplace.
Don’t be afraid to ask relevant — and tough — questions if you’re granted an interview. A diversity statement is not enough. This should be backed up by the company culture and its practices, as well as statistics like hiring data and retention numbers.
9. Be open to conversation
You will rarely achieve success entirely on your own and by staying in your comfort zone. When you start a job, you will probably work with people from many different walks of life.
Respecting each other is important and you should be open to having conversations with those who don’t know much about Islam and ask questions about your religion or way of life. If you can inform and educate others who are genuinely interested, it can go a long way to help prevent a cultural division in your workplace.
10. Don’t feel you have to compromise on your beliefs
Wearing religious clothing, like your hijab, can still be an issue in some workplaces. Don’t let this deter you from accomplishing your goals and make you feel you have to succumb to pressure from an employer.
If you feel pushed to compromise your beliefs, it could be a sign the job is not right for you. It may be better for you to find a job in a company that believes in equality, diversity, and inclusion and fully integrates these values into its company culture.
11. Consider different types of working
During the pandemic, many companies have transitioned to remote working and this may provide a suitable option for you. There are many benefits to working from home, such as being able to manage your own schedule and be more independent. If you’re a mom with kids, working flexible hours from home may be the perfect solution for you as a Muslim woman.
If you’re a Muslim woman who dreams of having a career, these tips may inspire you. Remember that having a career isn’t contradictory to your faith, and you can use your faith to guide you and help you to find the right career that’s compatible with your beliefs. Never give up, believe in your abilities, and develop a group of people around you who will support you and believe in you too.