Securing an internship or job opportunity can be competitive and quite rigorous in today’s job market. For Black Students, factors including racial discrimination, underrepresentation in leadership roles, biases in recruitment processes, and more, signify additional barriers. When uncertainty in the job application process arises, it’s important to know what things to look out for when making your career decisions.
What are they?
Company red flags are general warning signs that indicate if an opportunity is not exactly the right fit. For general applicants, they assist in the ability to evaluate the prospects of a job offer. For applicants within the Black Community, they further assist in the ability to evaluate how companies leverage essential inclusion practices within the workplace.
How do you find them?
Research! At the Center for Career Readiness and Life Skills we have a guide to assist in preparing all students during their opportunity search for maximizing career readiness. You can learn what things to look for, access online resources that contain an abundance of information on various corporations, and get a grasp on how to get started!
Check out our resource here: Researching the Opportunity, Company, or Program – UConn Center for Career Readiness and Life Skills
Even when conducting your own online search, company red flags can be hard to spot. Here are our top five company red flags that can help you during your opportunity search.
Red Flag #1: Lack of Actionable Inclusion
Actionable inclusion is a term that refers to the intentional and measurable steps implemented within a corporation to promote authentic diversity, equity, and inclusion of efforts within its company culture. These steps display significant weight in strategic planning and decision making during daily business operations. When companies refute the notion with vague statements and broad descriptions, it can indicate a lackluster connection to values related to inclusion. During the job search, noting specific and descriptive tools used by a corporation to drive DEI initiatives can provide insight on a company’s future business performance, positive or negative retention factors, and commitment to company culture. Individuals can observe a company’s commitment to actionable inclusion by viewing their “About Us” page on the company’s website. Sometimes, subcategories may also be included that focus on “Culture” or “Inclusion and Belonging.”
Our blog post on Professional Organizations Promoting Visibility and Equity within the Black Community – UConn Center for Career Readiness and Life Skills is a great resource to find examples of companies that display actionable inclusion in the workplace as well.
Red Flag #2: Diversity is Highlighted…Just Not in Leadership
The appearance of being racially and socially aware benefits a company’s profile. For Black students, it’s important to consider surface-level inclusion. Today, many organizations and corporations tend to tokenize underrepresented communities within marketing and promotional material but lack that same diversity in executive board rooms where company policies are cultivated. As part of being career-ready, Black students who are potential applicants and/or employees are encouraged to extensively research their corporation’s leadership team and framework to learn who is representing them in the workplace.
Red Flag #3: You’re an Automatic Representative
While discussing the importance of forming teams with individuals who have different experiences and backgrounds, it’s equally essential to recognize where genuine inclusion ends. In some cases, many professionals with diverse backgrounds report being put into situations that delegate them as an automatic spokesperson for their general community. This entails automatically being placed into conversations about diversity of policies and inclusion practices that do not pertain to their role of responsibilities. Companies should be inclusive of individuals of various backgrounds but not pin their value on just their identity. Professional expertise and job function should be the focus in workplace spaces.
Red Flag #4: Poor Reporting Mechanisms/HR Department is Scarce
Similar to other work functions, the less opportunity there is for professionally reporting incidents; the less confidence applicants should have in the integrity within a corporation. The Human Resources (HR) Department is responsible for ensuring compliance with labor laws and the relationship between employees and management. Not only that, but the HR Department ensures that Equal Employment Opportunity policies are being implemented. For Black students, this is important as the Equal Employment Opportunity is a term used to describe laws, regulations, and processes related to fair treatment of employees without discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetic information. A lack of structure when disputes arise is a clear indication that a company is not the right fit. Applicants must make sure to investigate organizational processes and protective procedures.
Red Flag #5: Microaggressions
Microaggressions are subtle comments or actions that convey derogatory messages toward marginalized communities. This is an action that can be either accidental or purposeful. Despite the level of intention, the negative impact remains the same in any situation. Within the workplace or application process, these messages reveal aspects of a company’s culture and how that can affect an individual’s safety on the job. Many Black professionals who report facing microaggressions in the workplace also show an increased risk for burnout, feelings of isolation, and an overall change in workplace performance. The presence of these statements can also attest to how seriously a company implements inclusive workplace culture practices as well as diversity training.
Whether you’re searching for a summer job or exploring internship opportunities, finding an employer that feels like a good fit is integral in creating a foundation for success within your role. At the Center for Career Readiness and Life Skills we offer various resources that students can utilize to steer their search for opportunities. These resources include 1-on-1 appointments with our Career Coaches on topics related to the internship/job search and the application process. At the Center, we are also dedicated to fostering inclusivity through our 14 Affinity Communities including the Black Affinity Community, by cultivating identity-focused career-readiness programming for students. Students can access both career appointments and Affinity focused events by navigating the 12Twenty platform.
