For 46% of black people in Brazil, entering the job market is the first of the top 5 urgencies for this population
To answer these and other questions, Google, in partnership with Cia de Talentos, carried out the Next Steps survey. Conceived and developed by two interns from the first internship class exclusively for black students at Google Brazil, the unprecedented study listened to more than two thousand young people to find out how organizations and people can encourage the growth of black careers, especially for young talents. And the answers indicated 4 main desires:
How big is the problem? Although racial diversity has gained visibility in the Brazilian professional environment with discussions, policies and hiring programs in the last two years, unemployment continues to grow, especially among young black people. In 2020, for example, blacks and browns represented 78% of the unemployed in Brazil. In this context, like their white colleagues, young blacks dream big and want to achieve great positions within organizations.
But, for them, entrepreneurship becomes a slightly more interesting option – albeit out of necessity –, especially among unemployed black students, who see the chance to have an income by owning their own business. And one of the facts that seems to distance these young talents from more challenging positions or responsibilities in companies is their scope of work. More than 37% of respondents say they spend their time with exclusively operational tasks 3 . Do you know how to shorten the path towards the professional development of these students?
Understand where to start
Going beyond dreams of occupying high positions, unemployed black students want opportunities to learn and develop. Therefore, getting an internship is the first step towards achieving these professional goals.
But for them, walking this path can be challenging. From the selection process to the daily routine of the internship, young people face some barriers, such as requests for experience in the area and the requirement for a second language. According to the survey, these prerequisites give “the feeling of not being prepared for the job”.
Not surprisingly, the study provides the following data:
How can companies act in this process?
It is necessary to advance in the inclusion, retention and growth of young black talents, from application to interview. The selection process, in addition to being the gateway to the corporate world, is also the chance for companies to remodel their procedures, such as having racial diversity among the recruiters themselves:
The importance of collectivity
For 63% of black interns, their experience would have been better if they had joined a class in an internship program, because cooperation between young people is a determining factor for development4. The great gateway for black talent is through single vacancies, directed to one area (57%).
But the interns show that their experience would have been better if they had joined a group in a more robust internship program, because cooperation between young people is a determining factor for development.
Have HR support for leadership
Having a group makes a difference, but not having the close help of HR and leadership is necessary. We know that there may be affinity groups to support the development of these young people, but, at the end of the day, having support from the manager to talk about their own performance is essential — without it, the intern does not evolve as fast as they could, using all their resources. its potential.
Have you ever had a black boss?
When we talk about leadership and look at the numbers, we see that there is a gap between the expectations of these young people and the reality in the job market: 75% of students did not have a black leader/boss6. The intern dreams of pursuing a career within the company, but needs to deal with personal and structural blocks:
How can we contribute to changing this scenario?
Mapping and listening to the different realities and experiences of new black professionals in the market is essential to discover how organizations, people and society can break barriers and paradigms that hinder the growth of black careers. With a quality retention of young people hired, it is possible to identify and help each one of them to reduce frustration with the work environment. The more attention and voice employed talents have, the more they develop with responsibility and personal safety. For this, having more proximity to culturally representative internship supervisors and HR is essential to feel supported when they have some difficulty – this generates belonging.
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