Keys to a Successful Career
Even as we examined the influences on the rise of two black executives the EEOC was preparing to hold hearings about whether unemployed job applicants are being discriminated against.
With some employers only considering currently employed applicants, there are those who say denying jobs to the already-unemployed can also have a disproportionate effect on certain racial and ethnic minority community members. Algernon Austin, Director of the Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy of the Economic Policy Institute, says that unemployment rates for African-Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans are higher than those of whites. Restricting applications to the currently employed could place a heavier burden on people of color, he concluded.
Still there is some evidence that once people of color are employed, they face a steeper climb up the corporate ladder. For an explanation about why we turned to Jason Wingard Vice Dean of Executive Education at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.
Dr. Wingard made these observations…
“In large, U.S.-based, multi-national companies, executive profiles typically represent both an undergraduate degree and an expansive professional network linked to relationships largely formed during their formal post-secondary experience.”
“Historically, college graduation rates for African American students have been much lower than the graduation rates for white students. This disparate trend shows no sign of abating which is an alarming signal for realizing diversity efforts in the management ranks.”
“Only 40% of African-Americans that matriculate into a bachelor’s degree program graduate within six years compared to 60% of whites, according to a report published last year by the Education Trust a Washington, D.C. advocacy group.
“Having a college degree is a minimum requirement for entry into the business world, and a lack of obtaining this basic credential poses a serious career disadvantage. ”
“Also, for many executives, many of the most valuable professional connections are developed during their undergraduate or graduate school experience. If you’re not able to attend college or if you have to drop out before graduating, you’re cutting yourself off from a potentially very important professional network that can be leveraged for advice, mentoring and support during the climb up the corporate ladder.”
Next we’ll examine some intriguing findings from the Center for Responsible Lending.
Tags: completing college, executive education, long term unemployed, networking, Wharton
