Welcome to Break the blueprint – a blog series exploring the unique business challenges and opportunities of underrepresented business owners and entrepreneurs. Learn how they grew or scaled their businesses, explored entrepreneurial ventures within their companies, or created side hustles, and how their stories can inspire and influence your own success.
Jade Walters is easily the queen of Gen Z LinkedIn. And if you want to know why, take a look at the wealth of content on their career entry resource platform: The ninth semester (also accessible via Instagram, TikTok, Apple PodcastsAnd LinkedIn), will confirm this claim.
Jade has spent the last year independently building her LinkedIn following to make career opportunities more visible to young professionals, particularly first-generation students of color.
I had the honor and privilege of chatting (and really chatting) with her about pretty much everything LinkedIn-related, from the evolution of the ninth semester to how Gen Z students of color simply use LinkedIn can be used as a secret weapon to secure jobs and connections.
In this article, I share my insights from Jade’s Playbook and suggestions for how aspiring professionals can overcome the daunting landscape of internships, networking, and rejection.
Let’s get into it.
Table of contents:
How Jade Walters is helping Generation Z get hired
“I wanted a seat at the table… and no one would give me a seat, so I created my own table.”
When Jade and I hopped on Zoom for our conversation, one of the first things she said was that “helping Gen Z get hired” has always been at the core of her mission, vision, and brand as an entry-level and recruiting specialist .
This authentic and unwavering commitment stems, of course, from the adversity she faced – and overcame – all alone.
Like much of Generation Z, Jade embarked on an unconventional, non-linear career path. She received her Bachelor of Arts at Howard University of Maternal and Child Healthbut after completing her studies she experienced a career turning point.
Ultimately, this period of limbo led to an unexpected connection between personal reflections she had already shared (via her personal blog) and her affinity for recruiting early in her career.
Although Jade graduated a few years ago, Generation Z’s attitude toward jobs, life after college, and navigating the competitive job market hasn’t changed. If anything, fears have increased, making Generation Z’s race to the finish line even more frantic.
According to the Class of 2025: Big Dreams, Bigger Challenges, Report by Handshake63% of soon-to-be college graduates said competition for jobs leads to pessimism.
Additionally, 54% of students who are pessimistic about entering the workforce express concerns about job security and 45% express concerns about inadequate benefits and compensation.
Source: Handshake
The Big Dreams, Bigger Challenges Report also showed that a degree is (shockingly) not enough to stand out in today’s job market; Students have to do their best to get noticed by the right employer.
62% of students work part-time in their final year and 61% also complete an internship during this time.
Source: Handshake
Still, Walters has seen the impact of all this data firsthand, particularly through her LinkedIn audience, which has a (very quiet) 90,000 followers. “I realized there weren’t a lot of resources for young professionals,” she told me.
When Jade first started, she applied for recruiting-related positions, but did not hear back from most of these positions due to her educational and professional background.
Eventually, she found her own path in this field and has now paved the way for other early-career content creators (e.g. Taylor Falls, Morgan Young) to do the same.
“I wanted to be the solution to a problem I had. I wanted to help others who were in my situation not have to struggle like I did,” she said.
Jade now devotes the majority of her LinkedIn presence to sharing ways Generation Z, particularly young professionals of color, can secure internships, expand their skills, and ultimately find full-time employment.
How to find opportunities to start your career through LinkedIn
When I asked Jade about the best ways for Generation Z to discover and acquire internships, externships, jobs, and networking opportunities, she made her answer clear:
“I was the person who simply logged on to LinkedIn to update my professional experiences and talk about new achievements. But over the last year, I’ve noticed that the (additional) content that people share has a lot of value (beyond those things).”
If you want to get the most out of LinkedIn these days, Jade’s advice says you need to do more than just post a new job update and keep your work experience up to date.
Here are some of Jade’s recommendations for building a strong community on LinkedIn:
1. Post as much as you scroll.
Jade says that you should post on LinkedIn as often as you scroll through your feed.
“You can’t just show up and post about your new job anymore. You need to spend at least 15 minutes scrolling through, seeing what people are talking about and getting the facts and feelings of the industry,” she reiterated.
And she’s right. When Jade mentioned this, I was quickly reminded of my own progress on LinkedIn. When I started taking the platform more seriously, I simply shared things that I thought should live on LinkedIn.
What if I get a new internship? I would post about it. If I were to complete a major project for my university organization? I wrote an announcement as if it were a press release. It all made sense…until I saw another side of LinkedIn (aka “cool LinkedIn”).
You see, on the cool LinkedIn, young people like me talked about viral trends and shared their unique perspectives on their internship experiences and all things Generation Z.
When I found out, I was not only amazed but also motivated to do the same. Even more, seeing Jade’s content inspired me to platform my own gospel.
Now I’m gradually working on building a following based on creating content that speaks to all of me: my passions, my humor, and even what I’ve learned so far in my (very early) career.
So if you’re looking for ways to keep your timeline fresh and connections on LinkedIn strong, be sure to interact and engage with the app in meaningful ways. What you put in is what you get out.
Pro tip: Translating your experiences and/or advice into different types of content creation – be it short-form video content or social media design – will definitely get noticed on LinkedIn. You just need to find your personal branding “sweet spot” and make it happen. Since the beginning of my own journey, it seemed like I was giving “#jeanius” advice to my followers.
2. Use resources for self-directed education.
When it comes to bridging experience gaps or getting free learning, Jade suggests putting it where it fits.
“When I wanted to learn more about career entry and university recruitment, LinkedIn Learning was one of the first places I visited. I was like, ‘Let me learn some realistic things that have been verified by professionals.'”
Additionally, LinkedIn Learning is just a starting point. I can’t emphasize enough how resourceful companies are External And Parker Dewey These courses are particularly aimed at young professionals in the black/brown industry and students of color who want to gain in-depth, practical work experience.
Both External And Parker Dewey provide free access to paid short-term programs and micro-internships for college students across the country, for those enrolled in four-year institutions, community colleges, and even historically black colleges/universities (HBCUs).
All you need to do is make sure you meet a program’s criteria and apply.
Pro tip: HubSpot has partnered with Parker Dewey for its own business AI bootcamp program And LinkedIn Ambassador Program. As a first-generation Caribbean-American college graduate, this program (and everything Parker Dewey offers) was extremely helpful in securing me multiple internships and ultimately my first full-time job.
3. Don’t be afraid to niche down, people.
“I have mixed feelings and feelings about the various software programs that are coming out that allow you to send around 200 applications with one click. There’s always the question of whether it’s a numbers game or not, and I agree, it’s a numbers game when it comes to applications, but… it also has to be strategic,” says Jade.
When applying for a job, internship, or early-career position, Jade recommends people figure out two things: exactly what opportunities they’re looking for and what opportunities fit their current background.
She told me: “Sometimes people just apply for things (that have ‘marketing’ in the title), for example. They apply for campus marketing positions, email marketing positions, influencer marketing positions… but their resumes don’t reflect that.”
Jade says that finding the right job/internship is just like going to a restaurant: “You don’t just say ‘I want a burger.'” You choose something from the menu. You have to have intention. Let’s say you want to work in marketing. OK. But what kind of marketing? Influencer marketing? Copywriting? Social strategy? Once you narrow it down, you have a dream wish list.”
How to Use LinkedIn for Networking and Internship/Job Search
At the end of our conversation, Jade and I had an in-depth discussion about how young people like me can use LinkedIn solely for networking and internship/job searching.
As the job market becomes increasingly heated and applicant tracking systems (ATS) become increasingly difficult to beat, Generation Z cannot simply apply for their dream jobs and hope for the best. Instead, Generation Z must now rely on alternative techniques to be successful, both in job searches and interviews.
Luckily, Jade knows exactly what to do, and here’s what she suggests (along with a little sprinkling of my own guidance):
1. LinkedIn offers tons of free games for Generation Z.
If you’re wondering whether it’s okay for you to randomly connect with people on LinkedIn, the answer is yes. Yes. Yes. In fact, this casual approach to LinkedIn can be incredibly fruitful.
“One of the biggest benefits of LinkedIn is that you can easily connect with people you don’t know or want to work with. And it’s okay. “It’s normal,” Jade urged.
“Nine times out of 10, someone is likely to accept your invitation to connect and you could follow their journey. And if you have time, you can chat over coffee. LinkedIn is a place where you can connect with, for example, the VP of Marketing at your dream company. And it’s not like you met her in an exclusive place… you met her on LinkedIn.”
In my own experience (as a former student of color and young Black professional), Jade’s advice worked pretty well.
In the last three months alone, I’ve organized several coffee chats – some with people who work at companies I’ve always wanted to know more about, others with young people of color who found me and just wanted to join in and learn more about my journey – and these conversations were some of the most meaningful discussions I have ever had the pleasure of having.
But they never would have done that if I hadn’t been willing to use LinkedIn for its sole purpose: building a community.
Ultimately, LinkedIn is a social networking platform, so don’t hesitate to use it for what it was designed for.
2. Rely on your tribe for as long as you need it.
If you have doubts about your future career prospects, Jade emphasized that one of the best ways to get early access to internships or full-time positions is to definitely talk to your people (especially your LinkedIn friends and followers).
“Befriend your professors, network with them. Talk to your community about what you’re looking for. This is one of the best ways (to learn about opportunities before they go online),” she said.
You may not know it yet, but people you already know – professors, former managers, even faculty/administrators at your university – could have those coveted, close connections to companies or executives you may have always wanted to connect with a while.
It’s about maintaining the relationship with that person and of course how you approach the conversation you have.
3. Follow recruiters and entry-level content creators.
After all, what better way to find out what’s special about job opportunities than by contacting the very people who have a say in hiring?
Jade and I agree that reaching out to recruiters on LinkedIn, especially those who specialize in early-career talent acquisition, is the easiest way to go when it comes to finding your next professional venture.
By reaching out to recruiters, you are essentially tapping into a hidden job market.
They can provide you with really valuable information about companies, industries and specific roles that may be a good fit for you.
When you reach out, be sure to introduce yourself, ask about the specific department you’re considering, and ask for personalized advice on your job search, from writing your resume to interview preparation to networking strategies.
The future of Generation Z success starts with LinkedIn
LinkedIn has clearly become a powerful tool for Gen Z professionals, particularly young professionals of color.
By embracing and strategically leveraging the daunting unknown of the LinkedIn world, Generation Z professionals, particularly students of color seeking entry into their next career opportunity, can unlock a world of opportunity and uniquely position themselves for success.
And just as Jade has so eloquently demonstrated with determination, creativity and adaptability, even the most unconventional career paths can lead to extraordinary results.
