For us, International Women’s Day is not just once a year! We dedicate March to our power women and publish an interview every Friday. Today we welcome Katrin Hunstock (Consulting Engineer at Eurovia Germany).
infraTest: Hello Ms Hunstock, you are a consulting engineer at Eurovia Germany. After leaving school, did you immediately know what profession you wanted to learn?
K. Hunstock: Yes, I approached my career in a very structured way. It was already clear during high school that I wanted to study civil engineering. Insights into practice have always been important to me. That’s why I did several internships while still at school. The impressions from the engineering office, road construction laboratory and traffic planning office helped me to find out which field I wanted to specialise in. In the end, it became road construction because the internship in the laboratory convinced me the most. I think it’s great to see what we can create. My career choice was a very conscious decision and I am still very happy with it! I have found my place at Eurovia Germany.
infraTest: Are there any subjects in the degree programm that you should particularly enjoy and what was the distribution between men and women?
K. Hunstock: I think you should definitely have an affinity for maths. You have to do a lot of calculations during your studies. In terms of the distribution of men and women, there used to be a male preponderance. I would estimate that there were 10% women in my degree programme. That has probably changed by now.
infraTest: What does your field of work involve now?
K. Hunstock: I advise branch offices and mixing plants on technical issues. This also includes support with tenders, planning and subsequent processing. In addition, I am responsible for technical training from the columns up to the branch manager. I particularly enjoy the variety in my job. I always learn something new. Designing interactive and exciting web seminars in this day and age was new to me, but I was happy to take on this task.
infraTest: You are in a managerial position. What qualities do you think a good manager should have?
K. Hunstock: Definitely social competence! Not every technical specialist also has leadership skills. It is important to be honest with yourself and to have the courage to admit your weaknesses. That way you can concentrate on your strengths and find the path that suits you.
In addition, self-reflection and self-confidence are important qualities, as is the ability to appreciate and honour work done. Not only strategic tasks are important for a company. Operational site work deserves just as much recognition.
infraTest: What makes us women? A widespread cliché is that women are sensitive. If that is so, would we be predestined for leadership positions because we would have a better sense for interpersonal issues?
K. Hunstock: I think our main motivation is rarely prestige. You can’t generalise anything and from my experience I would say that women first and foremost have to identify with their work and enjoy it. We decide some things on the basis of our gut instinct. But not without having informed ourselves in detail beforehand. However, this depends on character and not on gender. Self-confident women know where their limits lie and what their strengths are.
infraTest: How clearly do you feel it as a woman to work in a male domain? Do young women have to do more for their success?
K. Hunstock: I started in the construction industry 18 years ago and at that time it was still difficult for a woman to gain a management position. Women are also clearly outnumbered at events in our industry. You can’t deny that our industry is a “men’s club”. But I have gained insights into the most diverse areas through internships and my work experience, so I was able to convince with my know-how.
infraTest: Would you like to see more women in our industry?
K. Hunstock: It certainly wouldn’t hurt. I am convinced that more women would work in our industry if we had more applicants. Maybe it is a matter of education, social image, a marketing issue or a question of training content. The fact is that significantly fewer women apply for our field.
infraTest: Are there any prejudices that men particularly often confirm?
K. Hunstock: It is human to think in pigeonholes. Nevertheless, we notice it more often when a man serves a cliché. The fact that many men previously reacted differently quickly recedes into the background. We should not generalise. The upcoming generation in particular stands for openness and proves that it is time to break down rigid ways of thinking.
infraTest: Many educated young women strive for a successful career and still want a family with children. The urge for self-realisation is becoming stronger among the upcoming generation. How can both wishes be fulfilled?
K. Hunstock: It’s not easy, but it can be done. My job involves a lot of travelling. So I am rarely at home under normal circumstances. Without a strong and understanding partner, it will be a challenge to reconcile children and job. Every woman has to be clear in advance about her goals and coordinate them with her partner.
infraTest: How much private time does an executive have at all?
K. Hunstock: That depends on the situation. There are phases when you also work on weekends or holidays. Not only because you have to, but also because you are intrinsically motivated, interested in a topic or want to complete a task. On the other hand, a management position has more freedom and, of course, holidays belong to private life. It is not always necessary to do extra work, but it is part of it.
infraTest: What experiences would you not want to miss and what are you particularly proud of?
K. Hunstock: I would do everything the same way again and wanted to experience both my glory days and defeats. We learn from difficult situations and know how to do things better the next time. Maybe we women are a bit more self-critical or tend to be perfectionists.
infraTest: What do you wish young women who are now entering our industry and what advice would you give them?
K. Hunstock: You don’t have to be able to do everything right away. We grow with our challenges and that’s how self-confidence can grow. Don’t make yourself small, but still be self-reflective. Don’t give up and believe in yourself!