Andrew McCaskill

Money. Every single one of us is working for it, it’s why we’re logging into these computers everyday, but for some reason, it’s also something we’re scared to talk about. In a recent LinkedIn survey, 40% of Black professionals felt like they were underpaid, but get this; only 30% had plans to ask for a raise, and 34% of us feel the hardest part of job searching is salary and benefits negotiations. If we agree that we’re all working for money–Lord knows I work HARD for mine–then why are we so scared to talk about compensation? By traditional measures, the U.S. labor market looks pretty good on paper. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, the U.S. economy added more jobs than economists expected in February 2024, however, on LinkedIn we’re still seeing just one job opening for every two applicants. My goal is to help people, who plan to stay in their roles, better understand how not to leave money on the table and to help folks negotiating for new opportunities arm...

Back in 2020, many Black professionals felt like they didn’t have much say in their careers. We were reacting to the uncertainty of the world — understandably so — awaiting guidance from companies, accepting less than stellar pay and putting our professional passions on hold to prioritize stability. It’s been a grind, it’s okay to feel it and you’re not alone. Fast forward to 2024, Black professionals are ready to take back their power over their careers. LinkedIn research found that just over 40% of us feel that we’re underpaid, and despite the most competitive job market in recent years, Black professionals are thinking about changing jobs. In fact, in 2024, Black professionals are THE MOST LIKELY group to consider a job move (90%). Conventional wisdom has always told us to work twice as hard if you want to survive — particularly in tough economic times. We’ve been conditioned to attempt to out-sweat everyone else — just to survive, and it has led to Black professionals assuming...