Her Story
About Kiera
I've been in the construction field for about 3 years now, and it's been quite a journey. I actually went to school and studied business management and marketing, and I was also a student athlete, so I had a lot to balance. I never really figured out what I wanted to do or what industry I wanted to be in. The construction industry is very family-oriented, so I knew someone within a connection of mine who is very much family to me, and they brought me in as an intern and said, see if you want to pursue this. I started off working in their marketing department, kind of just wearing many hats, and then I ended up finding out my love for people and connecting and building relationships with people. I'm just a people person, so I ended up moving into the business development side of construction, which is very much sales and connecting with people, getting to know clients on a deeper level, and making great partnerships all around the industry. My most notable professional achievement is developing my own presence in the construction industry with no experience at all, particularly through my videos as Kiki in Construction. I kind of started that as a fun little thing, and it's become a hit in the construction world on LinkedIn. I'm actually up for an award for RE Journals in the Illinois chapter as a social media influencer of the Year, so it's just cool to get recognized by people in the industry for the work that I do and for the uniqueness I bring to the construction industry as a woman.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Kiera
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
If I could give advice, I would just say, you know, I think it's who you know, and especially in this industry, lots of people want to help out as much as possible and they're always looking out for one another. But I think my advice would just be to put yourself out there. The worst people are gonna say is no, and that's okay. You just keep trying and trying and just be super persistent, and advocate for yourself. I think that's also very important, is to advocate for yourself in this field. And to, like, again, embrace you and being you and unique in this space. And I think that'll get someone pretty far into getting into this industry and being open-minded to all the different roles and opportunities that the construction industry does have to offer.
02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think the challenge is just putting yourself out there, and being not...I mean, it's more empowering now, I feel like, than it maybe has been in the past for women to be established in this industry. So I think getting involved in many associations, with, like, specifically women associations, that I'm a part of, and being just close-knit with those women groups is very important. But I think just embracing being a woman in an industry that is male-dominated is just the best thing you can do, because at the end of the day, we can do just as much as the men can, and in an industry that is male-dominated, it can be very intimidating, but you can't really care too much what others think, and just pursue what the goals and aspirations you have, because in the construction industry, people are super helpful, and want to help, and want to see you succeed. I think making yourself known and giving and putting your foot down, being like, as a woman, I'm going to make my presence known, I'm going to be unique, and just embracing that. I think embracing it is super important.
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