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Q I'm a minority MBA student who will graduate this spring. I've interviewed with a dozen companies and have job offers from two that I'm considering.
The first offer is from a large Fortune 500 company and the second is from a small African-American-owned company. I know that I'll be more comfortable working with a minority-owned company that has a majority of minority employees. However, the Fortune 500 company has offered me a lot more money and has promised rapid promotions if I do well.
My concern is I did not see many minority employees at the big firm, and I'm afraid that I might be a little uncomfortable working for a company that does not have many minorities. What should I do?
A First and foremost, make a decision based on facts, not emotions. You might be making assumptions about the large company that are not true. Please take time to do some research before you make a very important career decision that could affect you the rest of your working life.
Even if you did not see many minority employees at the Fortune 500 company, that does not mean that you will be uncomfortable working there. It is very easy to tell if a company is committed to ensuring that minority employees are valued. Here are some signs to look for:
• Does the company have a director or vice president of diversity?
• Is there a minority internship program?
• How diverse is the board of directors? The majority of Fortune 500 companies have directors who are mostly white and male. There are some companies, however, that have women and minority directors who can and do shape the company's business direction and culture.
• Is there a diversity statement on the company website? If the company has a diversity statement endorsed by the CEO, then chances are good that there is a strong commitment to diversity.
These are some of the signs that a company will value you as a minority executive. If you take the job offer with the small African-American-owned company where you think you might be more "comfortable," please make sure you ask challenging questions to make sure that you do not hurt your career.
I've always made career choices that were guided by how will it increase my knowledge and enhance my advancement as an executive. I never thought about being "comfortable." Over my 25-year career in the corporate world, I've seen many young minority executives make poor career choices that were not well-thought-out.
Do your homework, challenge yourself and think hard about your future, and I'm sure you'll make the right decision.
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