Event alert! Navigating Race & Identity In Your Career: Professionals share their experiences

Posted on by Laura Pätäri

From constant rejections for roles you are overqualified for to feeling out of place in the office, navigating through your career as black, Asian or ethnic minority can be quite a task. How do we overcome these barriers? King’s Careers & Employability invites students to attend our upcoming employer panel event to reflect and learn about navigating race, identity and careers.

Written by Asmaa Digale

black woman and indigenous heritage woman speaking at an event

As a King’s student and hopeful graduate, the world of work should be exciting and full of opportunity. Then, you are hit with the reality. That applicants with white-sounding names are significantly more likely to be invited for interviews than applicants with names that represent diverse backgrounds, ethnicities and nationalities. That research by the Resolution Foundation in 2018 shows a differential of up to 17% in salary for black male graduates compared to white male graduates. And so it goes. Trying to remain hopeful in the face of these statistics can be draining.

Besides the direct discrimination you may face, there is also a level of psychological discomfort that comes with navigating a predominantly white sector or industry. A YouGov poll found that more than half of black Britons felt that their career had been obstructed in terms of hiring, promotions and training opportunities. Whilst the current political climate and the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd has played a hand in pressuring companies to think about the racial make-up of their employees, only time will tell if this will lead to tangible changes. The lack of representation at senior levels further highlights the degree to which your race and identity can shape your career. With many students from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds steering clear of PhDs due lacking a sense of belonging, we need to do more to build their confidence and equip them in navigating their race and identity in their careers.

 

Navigating Race & Identity in your career – employer panel

This panel event will give you an insight into the experiences faced by four professionals from black, Asian and global majority backgrounds with regards to race and identity throughout their career.

Our panellists include Cyrilia Davies, a Solicitor at Saunders Law, Edwin ‘The Water Guy’ Broni-Mensah, the founder of GiveMeTap, Nusrat Faizullah, co-founder of Future Foundations UK and Samir Afhim, Director of Fundraising & Communications at Freedom From Torture. These four professionals come from various different sectors yet they have all experienced the effect of their individual races and identities on their careers. They will share the strategies that worked for them and the ways in which they navigated their respective sectors.

As well as the panel discussion, there will be a question and answer section, chaired by Ladan Mirzadeh Hong and Jalal Afhim. You can submit your questions anonymously during the session (we will explain how on the day) or ask these during the session, which will be done via the chatbox or verbally. You don’t need to have your camera or sound on during the session.

 

Date: Monday 26th October

Time: 4pm – 5.30pm UK time

Location: Virtual on Teams (link will be on the booking form)

To book your place on King’s CareerConnect and view panellists please click here .