Who Teaches Black Millennials How to Network Effectively?

I was not prepared to be mentally manipulated by the job searching process.

I graduated from my Master’s program during a global pandemic with record high unemployment rates. As a Black millennial, I immediately understood that the job searching process would be difficult, but I did not expect it to be brutal. When the process began for me, I cried heavily as I realized that my education failed to teach me how to search for a job properly.

As time went on, I came to realize three things about the job searching process as a Black millennial…

• Job searching physically and emotionally destroys your sense of self

During my journey, I found myself in a constant state of anxiety. I found my heart rate increasing each time as I read through a job description. As a young millennial with limited experience, it’s always shocking to read an entry-level position that requires 6+ years of experience. And critics will say, “Well, they don’t expect you to reach all those requirements…”

Those critics are wrong.

A close friend made it to the third round of interviews and was soon rejected because the company saw her lack of experience as a red flag. The frustrating part about this explanation is that the company saw the lack of experience during the initial interview.

Her time was wasted and the company wasted their time entertaining her candidacy for the position.

Personally, this process has left me with lingering thoughts like “Am I even good enough?”

After being in countless interviews, I know that I am good enough. In the early days, I was not sure of this at all. The rejections made me question my qualifications. And that’s the brutal part!

I misjudged my lack of skills for lack of qualification.

• Networking for Black millennials differs significantly from White millennials

My first attempt to climb this networking ladder was setting up informational interviews with people in positions I hoped to be in through Linkedin. I can tell you right now; I don’t think it worked.

Sure, I started to build relationships with professionals in my field, but I was not taught how to continue to build on these relationships.

Black millennials are not effectively taught how to network. Whether we are talking about in our education or in our careers, the tools that other races use for networking are missing in our community.

My older siblings work in the upper networks of various hospitals. They talk to me about the different doctors, social workers, and administrators that they interact with on a daily basis. When I reach out to them to ask them to network and find out if their networks know any open positions, they are always confused.

Why? Because they do not have the skillset to network effectively.

• Every interview needs to be paid.

Finding a job should be included in your resume as a 9-5 unpaid internship. Why?

Because during the entire process, from interview to performance task, you gain both soft and hard skills that you can talk about in an interview. From research to public speaking skills, job searching utilizes all these traits that need to be spoken about.

I’ve spent at least 4 ½ hours preparing for an interview.

With all this work put into interviews, why shouldn’t they be paid as well?

A company’s time is being spent as well as your own valuable time.

Shout out to my friend, Miriam, for this idea.

So, want some tips on how to decrease your anxiety during the job-searching process?

1. Remember job searching is a two-way street. As much as you need the job, they need you!
2. You have a choice in this process. Choose your mental health.
3. Red flags in employers are always noticeable during the interview process. Look at them!
4. If you get rejected from a position, do not blame yourself. Your time is coming.
5. Never disqualify yourself. Leave that to the hiring manager. You are more than enough.
6. Preparation is key. Better to be over-prepared than under-prepared.

In the past year, I’ve made my rounds through several interviews.

Some I have gotten ghosted on, denied, told I was overqualified for, and so forth.

With each interview, I went in with the mindset that that company would be lucky to have me. 

Want more advice from Yaa? She dropped some gems here and here.