After Applying To Over 167 Jobs, This Woman Got Hired By Mashable Through Twitter
In 2017, we're seeing the power of social media at its finest. We use it to speak on social and political issues that we didn't always have a voice in, news and entertainment stories are turned into viral pieces that would otherwise go unnoticed, and it's also a place where we gather together to give real time commentary on our favorite primetime TV shows (#ScandalThursdays and wine anyone?)
Amongst all of the great things that social media does, it also allows us to network in ways that we never have before.
When I first started using Twitter as a journalist, I knew that I wanted to connect with like-minded people in my field, but I had trouble finding them. I later discovered that the key to getting more followers on Twitter is through Twitter chats! Twitter chats are virtual discussions that allow you to connect with others and engage in conversations about things that you know. I have a few Twitter chats that Siri reminds me of each week, and #BizChats is one of them. Mashable's business sector has bi-weekly #BizChats program that highlights various topics of business from intern to executive.
As the curious person that I am, I researched who ran #BizChats and discovered the gem Tracey Edouard, who is a Social Media Assistant at Mashable. Mashable is a global media site that caters to a digital generation of movers and shakers, providing news about everything from: business, tech, politics, social media, entertainment, lifestyle and more.
I did a little research on Tracey and became extremely impressed with her, and her evolution as a woman and job seeker. The Penn State graduate worked tirelessly as an intern at Mashable, where she focused building and facilitating Mashable's social media presence for the business vertical – that is basically controlling the channels for Mashable Business on Facebook, Mashable's LinkedIn account, and the @MashBusiness handle on Twitter. She did so well at her internship, that a position was created for her–but the road to success didn't come without its struggles.
Finding a job can be extremely difficult, and being laid off doesn't instill the highest level of confidence in us. Tracey is someone that went through a rough unemployment period, but eventually with her faith and persistence, she was able to land her dream job. In a recent interview with Tracey, she took me to church and back and humbly shared her story of literally starting from the bottom and persevering.
Here are a few things that I learned and that inspired me about Tracey's story.
She was unemployed for nine months, and during that time applied to more than 167 jobs!
I went to Penn State University from 2009 to 2013, majored in Advertising and Public Relations with a minor in Sociology. After I graduated in 2013, I came across a job that was in social media marketing that I truly loved. After six months of working there, there was an unexpected series of layoffs, and I was let go. I found myself unemployed for nine months. This was a really, really hard struggle for me because I'm the type of person that is a true overachiever. When this happened to me, I had nothing else to lean on, but my faith.
As a Christian, I know how important it is trust God when things around you aren't working out. While unemployed, I felt like I turned into a full-time ministry student; I attended numerous bible studies and stayed prayerful, all the while applying to jobs consistently. Nine months after being unemployed, I realized I had applied to over 167 jobs!
Turning to her faith helped her overcome depression
When I couldn't land a job, I dove into a deep depression – every day was a struggle, even to just get out of bed – I wasn't eating properly or taking care of myself. The only thing that carried me through was building up my faith and learning how to trust God in the good times and the bad.
After nine months of being unemployed, I interviewed with Mashable for a social media internship for their business sector. As an intern, I was determined to show them what I was about, and to prove why I deserved to be on the team indefinitely. After nine months of interning, I was offered a full-time position when there wasn't a guaranteed full-time position available at the beginning of the internship – they created a position for me!
During this time, I learned the importance of staying steadfast amidst the storm. There were times when I wanted to give up, and quit all of my trying. Especially during the sixth and seventh month of being unemployed, submitting job application after application, I was tired of reaching out to people and not hearing back. I realized that it's important to stay true to yourself and keep your faith. Just because your time isn't right now doesn't mean that it's never going to happen. Getting the internship at Mashable showed me why all of the other jobs that I applied to never worked out. This is where I'm supposed to be. This is where God is opening doors for me. I'm learning a lot, and I'm in an amazing environment.
[Tweet "Just because your time isn't right now doesn't mean that it's never going to happen."]
She created #Bizchats to stand out as an intern
#BizChats is the closest thing I have to a child. Starting it up from scratch was scary and exhilarating all at the same time. The responsibility of keeping #BizChats going rests on my shoulders. In addition to my daily duties as a Social Media Assistant, I brainstorm the questions, reach out to influencers, schedule Twitter promotions, run the chat, write the articles. I'm super proud to see how far it has come.
She started #BizChats without a background in business
Starting #BizChats for Mashable was definitely a challenge. Please note, I didn't go to Penn State for business, so when this internship was presented to me, I was kind of apprehensive to take it because I wasn't sure if I could truly deliver. As an intern, I knew that Mashable was looking to bring the conversation of business to our audience, compiled of millennials and young adults. We wanted to find new ways to talk about business and make it fun, fresh and engaging. Stepping in as an intern, I personally had a big misconstrued view of business. When I was creating the idea of #BizChats, I sat down and asked myself, 'As a consumer (and a millennial), what is it that I wanted to know about business?' After launching the first #BizChats Twitter chat, I noticed that it didn't matter what field you were in professionally, everyone is just looking for ways to better themselves – and this is how #BizChats found its footing. I believe what differentiates our Twitter chat from any of the others is that we are really about providing information to our audience to make them a better version of themselves. You don't have to be the cream of the crop to get this information. It is for people at any level of their career, and we provide tools and information necessary for them to be the best professionals that they can be.
#BizChats caters to everyone navigating the business world, not just big wigs
Some of the topics that we have discussed in #BizChats include: freelancing, job hunting, how to pay for college, cleaning up your credit score, how to excel as an entrepreneur, company qualtrics, how to turn ideas into a business, LinkedIn, networking dos and don'ts, work-life balance, the basics of business planning, budgeting, personal branding, and much more.
She's breaking barriers as a young Black woman in digital media.
One of the things that I struggled with when I was unemployed was the feeling of rejection I felt after putting in so much time and effort into job applications and not hearing back. I'm the type of person that is an over-achiever – I have a personal portfolio, a personal website, I'm the one that's always super analytical over my resume as well as my LinkedIn, so I couldn't understand why I wasn't hearing back from anyone. It's a catch-22 for not only young millennials that graduated from college and are looking to get their foot in any door, but it's even harder for women of color. There is a saying that I take with me wherever I go, and that saying is: 'you are always being watched.' When you take that saying and apply it to a woman of color, it's multiplied and magnified so much more. Not only are the barriers to entry even higher, but I also feel that sometimes people are watching to see what women of color are really about.
I do have to say that Mashable is more diverse than people would think. Mashable is embracing the fact that and understanding the benefits of bringing together a diverse staff, both professionally and culturally.
She stood out by stepping up
As a young Black woman, for me it is about always going above and beyond. When I say this I mean not always staring at the clock, waiting on 6 o'clock to come, and then just leave right away. If there is something that needs to be done, I'm volunteering, or if there are extra assignments to complete, I'm up for it. Also, not just being the status quo and typical employee - if you are just doing what you are told, that's not enough anymore. Thinking outside of the box, and trying to bring something new to the table shows that you care and that's really what #BizChats was for me. That was my challenge, my risk, my opportunity to go above and beyond, and it paid off greatly.
[Tweet "I believe in going beyond the status quo in life."]
Staying ahead of the curve helped her get her first job
In my first year of college, I knew that LinkedIn was going to be something that employers would pay attention to. For me, having a LinkedIn early on was super important because I was able to easily keep track of all of my accolades from freshman to senior year. It wasn't like I had to sit down senior year, and scramble and dig together everything that I had done in college.
She owns her name, literally.
Another thing that I did early on was I bought my own name. When I say this, I mean I bought my own domain name. Doing so was very important for me. Everyone has their own unique name and it is very important while in school to build your online presence because that's where employers are going to be looking. When you buy your domain name, you can then use hosting sites like wix.com, or squarespace.com, to build yourself a personal website. When creating your domain, don't forget to be consistent. Make it something along the lines of: [first and last name] [dot] com. Include your unique website on your business cards and resume, too. Having that consistency will make it easier for recruiters to find you not have to become Nancy Drew to find anything out about you.
At this point in your life, you are in charge of showing your best qualities, so why not take advantage of that early on? By the time you reach your junior in college, you'll already be ahead of the game.
She suggests having a bomb (professional) headshot to attract recruiters
Find a friend that can take really nice photos with a good camera and get some headshots taken. Once this is done, really take the time to build a website that you are proud of so that you can also show off your talents, accomplishments, and what you are passionate about in a unique way. At the end of the day when you are applying to jobs, and your resume pops up in a recruiter's inbox, rest-assured you will be researched. People are going to Google you, and they are going to look up your social media because they want to see what you are about. It is good to already have that online presence there and in a positive manner.
She sends thank you videos instead of thank you cards
In college, having my own website and a LinkedIn account helped me stand apart from others. Another thing, when it comes to interviewing and job fairs, I personally feel that thank you cards have become the new vanilla. I'm saying that because very rapidly we are turning into a video-centric society. There are so many unique ways to show appreciation after an interview or meeting. After every interview that I went to, I made the interviewer a personalized thank you video. They weren't long, maybe like 30-40 seconds long -- tops. Please note, it wasn't hard to do, and if I can do it, anyone can. I'm not a video editing guru. I just used my iPhone and couple books for propping purposes. In my videos, I bring up several key points I shared with the interviewer from our conversation and thank them for their time. I upload the videos onto YouTube on a private account, and get the link and send them the video.
[Tweet "Sending thank you videos is the new 'it' thing after interviews."]
When I sent my thank you video to my first boss, I was offered the job the same day! She told me she had never seen such a creative response to send a thank you message. I personally think that creating thank you videos shows your commitment, your talent, and your passion. Yes it takes more work, but at the end of the day, if you want the job, it will be worth it. It shows that you don't mind taking a step up. Recruiters expect thank you cards all the time. You want to be the one to present the unexpected – you want to show recruiters that there is more to you than just the status quo.
Her spirituality keeps her motivated
A verse that I hold near and dear to me is from Proverbs 3: 5-6. It reads, “Trust in the lord with all of your heart, and lean not on your understanding. In all your ways, submit to Him and He will make your path straight." This for me was my mantra when I was unemployed and it still is now.
When I got laid off, I was devastated and I didn't know what the future would hold. This scripture spoke to me and it taught me that no matter what's going on, the Lord has my best interests in mind. Even when the path you're traveling isn't leading where you expected, you have to trust Him.
I encourage other young women who are in college to stay prayerful and stand in the truth that the Lord knows where they are at in all situations. Please know that if you seek God first He will make your path straight in all situations and fulfill the desires of your heart.
She's inspiring other women not to give up on their dreams
I hope to inspire other women to not give up. As painful as your journey may be, emotionally, professionally, spiritually, you have to know that there's beauty in the pain and it's all a part of growing character. The Lord doesn't waste painful situations -- I truly believe that. Every situation that you go through, whether it is good or bad, is for a divine purpose.
Brittani Hunter is a proud PVAMU alumni and the founder of The Mogul Millennial, a business and career platform for Black Millennials. Meet Brittani on Twitter and on the Gram at @BrittaniLHunter and @mogulmillennial.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Age-Gap Dating Is HUGE Right Now. Still...Read This Before Doing It.
If you’re someone who’s been reading my content for a while, you know that I’m pretty big on accountability (with both men and women), and that means sometimes I will call out blatant hypocrisy and double standards. Today? It’s the fact that I find it to be mighty interesting that when an older woman is dating a younger man, she’s usually considered to be a “cougar” yet when an older man dates a younger woman, suddenly he’s a “perv” (short for pervert).
It's important to bring up that super unfair comparison because, when it comes to a particular dating trend that’s on the list of being a really big dating trend right now, it’s both men and women who are looking to get in on it — and if it’s good for one gender (within reason), in all fairness, it should be seen the same way for the other (again, within reason).
So, with that said, whatever it is that I’m about to share on the topic of age-gap dating, just know that I have no bias; I simply think it’s important for men and women, younger and older, to take a very realistic approach to this kind of dating…because as with pretty much everything in life, it has its pros and some, well, cons too.
Popular Doesn’t Automatically Mean Best
GiphySomething that has kind of always fascinated me about our culture is how so many people will abandon all common sense and logic, just to do something that is considered popular. Well, at the end of the day, that’s pretty much what a trend is: something that is currently done by a lot of people for…whatever the reason. When it comes to dating trends, specifically, oftentimes, they are “birthed” out of surveys from dating sites or apps. When the people who conduct them notice that something is overwhelmingly preferred, encouraged, or supported, then it becomes a trend — and that’s just where age-gap dating came from.
Long story short, Bumble kinda-sorta-recently did a survey and discovered things like 63 percent of folks don’t factor in age when it comes to dating, and 59 percent of women said that they would date a younger man; those are pretty large numbers, and so, there ya have it: a trend.
I will say that although the study wasn’t super-duper specific about when an age gap is considered to be too much of one,Glamour published an article a few years back that said, 10-plus years between two people is enough to start causing some issues if one is not careful (more on that in a sec). And so, before you decide to get out here lookin’ for a youngin’ or a more — eh hem — mature man, just because it currently seems like everyone else is open to it, consider if 10 years — backward or forwards — is something that you would want to deal with; especially long-term.
If you’re not sure, keep reading. Hopefully, I will provide some things for you to ponder.
Difference in Age Means Differences Everywhere
GiphyI’ve got people in my world who have big age gaps in their relationships. I’m talking about more than just 10 years. One example that immediately comes to mind is a married couple who has 15 years between them; the wife is older. On some levels, everything seems cool and copasetic. Oh, but there are nuances. Like she can be very condescending when it comes to what he finds to be fun and entertaining. Plus, their sex drives are not even close to being compatible now that she is well past menopause. It’s interesting because, rather than acknowledging that a lot of all of this has to do with their vast age differences, she prefers to see him as being immature. He’s not immature, sis. He’s just a lot younger than you are.
So, when it comes to age-gap relationships, that’s the first thing that you should think about: are you willing to deal with the differences that will probably come about, simply because you are at different stages in your lives due to your different ages?
Example: Because people say that I don’t look my age (‘preciate it), it’s not uncommon for folks to try and set me up with someone who is in their early 30s. For the most part, I’ll pass. For one thing, I intentionally decided that I didn’t want to have kids a long time ago, and I don’t want to have that discussion/debate with someone who may feel otherwise (quite possibly because they don’t have kids or want more of them). Also, I’ve worked with people, in the lane of relationships, for quite some time now.
Men before 35? For the most part, I encourage their focus to be on themselves and building their life (because a lot of guys don’t hit their professional and financial peak until their late 40s or early 50s). As for myself, I’m pretty settled, so I don’t want to be a hindrance when it comes to them up and moving a few times or switching career paths. Do that babe. You should.
I could go on and on when it comes to this particular point. The bottom line is dating someone who has a semi-significant age difference from you and then having a problem with the differences that come along with it is like really enjoying the summertime and then expecting winter to act like it…just because you do. Feel me?
Age-Gap Dating Requires Being a (Patient) Student. And Teacher.
GiphyWhenever people talk to me about the hours that they spend (or is it waste?) arguing with folks on social media, something that I will oftentimes say (for instance) is, “Some of those folks weren’t even born when Freaknik happened. Let them come to the wisdom and insight that you have, due to your age, on their own.” Same thing goes for age-gap dating.
When it comes to these celebrity relationships, so many of them switch up like they change their underwear, so I won’t even give specific examples. If you surf or scroll on a daily basis, though, you know that there are some older women dating younger men and older men who are dating younger women who show all the signs in the world of heading for a real roller coaster ride because…they are simply at two totally different points in their life.
For instance, when you’re in your 20s, it’s not automatically a red flag that you want to go to the club often. Oh, but when you’re in your 40s, you can be tempted to tell them that it is — even though you did the same thing when you were their age. You know, just because you’ve “been there and done that” before, that doesn’t mean you should look down on them because they haven’t (yet).
Yeah, that’s another challenge about age-gap dating and age-gap relationships: you tend to think that you should be someone’s parent instead of their partner.
So, do I think that age-gap dating can never work? No, that’s not the case. What I will say is if you’re not a very flexible person, you are about to be pissed, often. Because when you’re with someone who has a different view of things that you do, and a part of it is because they are a different age than you are, you’ve got to be willing to teach some things that could help them to grow and also learn some things that could help you to become a better person — whether they are the older one or not.
Take two of my clients where, again, the husband is younger (by nine years) and the wife is older. He says all of the time that if he had not come into her life, she would’ve aged faster because she owns the fact that she’s not naturally a very adventurous person. At the same time, because of her influence in his life, he’s better with time management, which has helped him professionally, because she’s a huge planner (something that she learned to become due to “fumbling some balls” back when she was younger). See what I mean: the student as well as the teacher.
Does this apply to all relationships? It should. I’m just saying that when age-gap dating comes into play, lessons tend to pop up often and sometimes, very unexpectedly, simply due to folks being at various places and stages due to their age alone. If you can’t fathom dealing with that, age-gap dating is probably not something that you should get involved with.
Casually Doing It Can Tend to Backfire
GiphyOkay, so what if you’re someone who wants to do some age-gap dating on a casual level? What could possibly go wrong there? Well, from reading some of my other articles (check out “We Should Really Rethink The Term 'Casual Sex'”), you’ll already know that I’m not big on the meaning of casual: apathetic, careless, off-hand, without serious intention. Me? Especially at this age, I have zero energy or interest to be dealt with on a casual basis (whew, chile). And what if you’re the one who wants to take this approach? I mean, you’re grown, right? Do you.
I will just give the heads up when it comes to, say, wanting to have a casual sexual situationship with a younger man, while there is more content out here that says while 20-somethings may be having more sex, it’s the people in their 40s who are actually enjoying it the most (which means that it shouldn’t be assumed that the young guys do it better), science is science — and science says that testosterone levels are at their highest when a man is in his 20s. Meanwhile, for us, we are reportedly able to have the most consistent orgasms while we’re in our 30s. Where am I going with all of this?
I actually didn’t become sexually active until college. My first love was younger than I, and goodness, when didn’t he want to hump my leg? The college period was like a sea of raging hormone vessels with free rooms in the form of dorms. Chaotic and damn near diabolical in hindsight. LOL. And a big part of that is because guys have testosterone surging, and we as women are hella fertile. Getting off stays at the forefront on some level (at least for most of us).
The challenge with that is a lot of people who are hormone-driven may not necessarily be relationship-minded. And once you hit your late 30s-40s, after a couple of months of mind-blowing sex (perhaps), that could get old, especially if the sweet young thang doesn’t have much more to offer than that. And so…where do things have to go? That’s the thing about casual…usually nowhere. Again, by definition.
I will say that if you just read all of that and was like, “Okay…and still, what’s the problem?” — hey, do you, sis. I just think it needs to go on record that once you reach a certain point and place in life, casual experiences with younger men can damn near seem brutal — and you can’t really blame them if you got turned out, yet they barely respond to any texts that don’t have sex on the menu. #justsaying
Make Sure to Be Extremely Honest About Your Needs. And Expectations.
GiphyLet’s swing to the other side of this: you dating an older man. I know someone who is currently doing that as well. She’s in her late 30s, and he’s in his early 50s. He’s stable. He’s smart. She said the sex is bomb. Dating him is fun, spontaneous, and full of surprises. So, what’s the problem? He’s super set in his ways. His values are hella traditional (hers are not).
More than anything, though, she wants to get married, and he’s divorced, so he has more of a “been there, done that” take on it. Does he have a problem with being exclusive? Absolutely not. However, having another wife or more children? His kids are grown. He’s mentally and emotionally past that time, too. And so, at a bit of a crossroads, they are — both are invested, and yet, because they are in different seasons of life, they don’t want the same things.
That’s another thing to consider when it comes to age-gap dating — if you are looking for something serious or substantial, you don’t really have time to waste when it comes to getting your needs and expectations out on the table. That’s why, past the first date to see if there is potential for a real connection beyond just chemistry, when it comes to age-gap dating, you really need to get your needs and expectations out there (on both sides) as soon as possible because — and pardon the pun — time is definitely of the essence.
___
A lot to think about? Yeah, perhaps. At the same time, is the age-gap something to be leery of? No. It’s just important to check your motives, be realistic, and not lie to yourself or the person you’re seeing about what you want to get out of it.
Because no matter how hot of a trend age-gap dating may currently be, you need to do what’s right and best for you…not merely what is…popular.
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