Recent LinkedIn findings have confirmed a few telling things about Black job seekers that many of us can probably relate to. Things in the realm of work and career advancement efforts have been shifting for Black professionals, with a majority (90%) considering a job move this year for more money (30%) or a better work-life balance (23%).
In these times of economic uncertainty, Black and Latino professionals are the most likely to consider a job move in 2024, but more than half of Black and Latino professionals “believe that looking for a job is frustrating.”
Despite the challenges, 62% of Black professionals, specifically, are changing their job search strategy to keep up with the changes in the new world of work, and they’re also the “most inclined” to want to find a job that aligns with their values and meets their criteria, the report further indicates.
I caught up with Tyrona Heath (@tyronaheath), director at LinkedIn’s B2B Institute, about strategies to shift your job search approach, what red flags to look out for when it comes to scammy postings, and how LinkedIn’s tools can be helpful in networking and landing your dream gig.
Job Search Tip 1: Don't be shy about marketing yourself and creating a story around whatever it is you offer to the world.
Heath shares that, when approaching your job search, the key is to stand out and be remembered. Candidates have to tap into highlighting what they can uniquely bring to the career opportunity they're pursuing. "Your brand is out front speaking for you when you’re not in the room. An active online presence, especially on LinkedIn, is crucial, as it helps create a natural identity that pulls people in and fosters lasting relationships."
"Use LinkedIn to message connections, have informational interviews, set up alerts, and follow people and companies to stay in the loop," she added. "Just like marketers deliver brand messages, tailor your updates and content to showcase what you know and contribute to the ecosystem. Employers are looking for people with skills to solve problems and identify the next opportunities.
She also noted that 70% of Black professionals "emphasize skills over degrees when job hunting, highlighting the importance of practical abilities increasingly outweighing traditional qualifications."
"Embrace your skills, and don't be afraid to go for those opportunities that might seem a bit out of reach. I always urge people to be really strategic in their search, using filters to narrow down the best roles, but also to make sure candidates aren’t undervaluing their professional experience.
Job Search Tip 2: Take the next step and invest in premium or membership upgrades on job-seeking sites.
"If you are still stuck on what to say to your new connection, LinkedIn’s AI Networking Tool for its premium members helps them craft a personalized message when reaching out to your connection for the first time," Heath said. "After you’ve used some of these tools to make an initial connection, it’s important to continue to tend to your LinkedIn garden. It's not just about planting seeds; it's about nurturing and cultivating relationships over time. Effective networking involves refining your connections and focusing on those that truly matter. By consistently investing in your network, you allow it to flourish and yield fruitful results over time."
Getty Images
Job Search Tip 3: Research prospective employers thoroughly to avoid getting scammed or wasting time applying for a fake job.
"Sadly, more and more job scams appear every day. They are feeding on the increasing innocence of job seekers as the job market continues to fluctuate," Heath said. "To help avoid being a victim to job ghosting, email phishing, and fake remote work opportunities, it is important to research the companies thoroughly and conduct thorough research. With the help of LinkedIn Pages, you can find out the credibility and information about the company, its values, and its commitments.
LinkedIn also has integrated verification directly into job posts, she added, which helps to ensure job seekers are able to get verified information about a company and job poster. "Most importantly, don’t ignore your gut feelings. If you’re getting asked for personal information like your social security number, bank information, or being asked to pay for things yourself, it’s probably a scam," she said. "Receiving an offer after just one interview is also a red flag. Legitimate companies have thorough processes, so if it feels too good to be true, it probably is."
Luis Alvarez/Getty Images
Job Search Tip 4: Still hitting walls? Keep networking with authentic motives, take the focus off the pressure of the process, and find ways to expand your support system.
"I have deep compassion for those who constantly do everything they can do in their power and come up short. You start to feel helpless, and you find yourself stuck in a rut. What you’re feeling is real. We are seeing a tightened job market compared to the past few years," Heath said. "Before, we saw two jobs for every applicant; now it’s the complete opposite. One of the best things to do is expand your circles, relationships, and communities. Not only does this make for a great support system, but it also allows for the potential for opportunities you may not have uncovered otherwise. Your next job could be brought to you by your connection’s connection’s connection."
You can use platforms like LinkedIn to see who's connected to whom and become industry friends of friends (so to speak) with the network of someone you're already connected to.
Job Search Tip 5: Lean into the right timing for responding to applications, and be flexible. Achieving a big goal can start with consistently achieving a few smaller ones.
"While it’s easy to get hung up on finding the 'perfect' dream job, it’s important to remember that most jobs are vehicles and not destinations," Heath said. "Instead of focusing on this, try to think about what skills you’ll gain from each opportunity and how you can apply those skills and experience to your next opportunity."
She also encourages candidates to be quick on the draw when it comes to responding to job openings. "Applying within the first 10 minutes of receiving a relevant job notification can increase your chances of hearing back by up to four times, so don’t underestimate the importance of being the first to apply."
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Featured image by Goodboy Picture Company/Getty Images
RELATED
Skylar sees things differently. At the time, she was shooting content on her iPhone. Temi came into the picture with a new perspective, an understanding of tech, and, eventually, a camera. “He doesn't give himself enough credit,” Skylar says. “He wasn't just my tripod. He wasn't just standing behind the camera and going ‘click.’ He was giving advice. He was giving me insight to how I could look at things from a different perspective. And I was like, 'Oh, he’s an artist.' I think it was maybe a heartbeat of that kind of energy of like, ‘Baby, can you take this picture?’ And it turned so quickly into, we're partners. We can work together in a way where we're advancing each other's creative thinking.”
The pair often says they’re two sides of the same coin. Skylar is an Aquarius. She attended art school, paints, and loves poetry. She’s more than happy to let the couple’s management firm and agency, Kensington Grey, handle their admin work. And, she loves to sleep in. Temi, on the other hand, wakes up early. He’s a Virgo. He loves a to-do list and regularly checks in on the couple’s brand partnerships spreadsheet to make sure everything is on track.
Because his storytelling was steeped in his love of technology, he didn’t always think of himself as a creative person. “Where I [am] the dreamer who wants to pluck things out of the sky and spend all day with my head in the clouds, Temi [is] so good at grounding me and helping me figure out how to make things make sense on paper. We just work together in such a complimentary way,” Skylar says.
It’s been more than six years since Brooklyn-based couple Temi and Skylar started dating, and nearly four since they cemented their working relationship. On TikTok and Instagram, the couple’s travel, fashion, and home content regularly rack up hundreds of thousands of views. They’ve worked with brands such as Coach, Aesop, Away, and Liquid IV, bringing their vibrant perspectives to every campaign they execute. Still, nearly two years since both Temi and Skylar committed to full-time content creation and creative directing, the couple says their romantic connection remains their priority.
“We told each other we would much rather go back to full-time jobs and preserve our relationship than to be full-time freelancers, barely getting a night's rest [and] barely kissing each other because we're so busy shooting,” Skylar says.
Working from home can make it hard to separate work from personal life for any entrepreneur. It can be even more challenging when your business partner is also your lover. Temi and Skylar had already used couples therapy as a tool to help them effectively communicate with one another. When they ran into challenges while working together, their therapist helped them set physical boundaries to help combat the issues.
"We told each other we would much rather go back to full-time jobs and preserve our relationship than to be full-time freelancers, barely getting a night's rest [and] barely kissing each other because we're so busy shooting."
“It actually took us doing very specific physical things to create boundaries between work and play in our relationship,” Skylar says. “So, for instance, we will only have conversations about work when we're out of bed or we're at the table or in the office. Initially, when we started, we had to light a candle to say that, 'Okay, this is a space where we're connecting, we’re not talking about work.' We needed really hard boundaries at the top. And then it became a little bit more organic.”
The boundaries have been crucial to implement, especially because the couple began working together so naturally. When the pair first met, Skylar was NY-based a social strategist for BuzzFeed and was using content creation to drive business to her lingerie company. She was shooting her own content. Temi was working for Microsoft in D.C. He’d recently traded in his DJing equipment for a camera. “I've always loved taking pictures,” he says. “Even when I was a kid, my African mother would wake me up at 3:00 a.m. [during a] party, and be like, 'Come take the family picture.'”
Growing up, Temi says he watched his parents support each other and be the true definition of partners. He knew he wanted the same for his own relationship. But, the couple also wanted to make sure they were being financially responsible. The pair didn’t quit their traditional jobs until they’d saved up two years' worth of their cost of living. And, Temi received his Master of Business Administration from New York University with the knowledge that it could either help him advance in his corporate career or be applicable to his business with Skylar.
Temi and SkylarCj Hart @hartbreakToday, they say their working relationship is more of a “quiet dance.” They still implement some of the boundaries they learned in therapy, but they also lean into their natural strengths and deep love for one another. When we speak, Temi has planned a date for the couple to see Princess Mononoke in 4K IMAX and added it to their Notion so they can factor it into their busy schedules. “I fully plan to date for the rest of my life,” he says.
Skylar says the couple doesn’t just wait for date nights to check in with one another, though. This often happens in the mornings, after Temi has made her peppermint tea and poured himself a cup of coffee. When they ask each other how they slept, she says, it’s not just a “nicety.” It’s a genuine question meant to foster connection.
“A lot of it happens during the day in the midst of work. We'll stop and we'll hug. Or we’ll slow dance in the kitchen,” she says. “Sometimes it's hard to set a whole date night when you have 7,000 things going on. So, we must grasp these moments and check in when we can. And I think it's become so organic to us that I actually didn't even realize how often we do it. But all day long, we're like, 'Are you good? I felt like your energy shifted,' because we're best friends, we just know. We just feel it happen.”
What’s better than being in love? Building wealth while doing it. Watch Making Cents here for real stories of couples who make money moves together.
Featured image by Cj Hart @hartbreak