Barclays is hiring on POCIT. Deborah Barnwell is the inclusion and opportunity partner for UK corporate at Barclays. In this role, she focuses on fostering inclusion and ensuring that all colleagues, regardless of background, feel valued, empowered, and supported in their careers. She also collaborates closely with senior leaders to embed inclusive practices and drive meaningful change by championing initiatives that expand equitable opportunities across the organization. A Journey Shaped By Inclusion “My career journey has been one of continuous growth,” Deborah says. “It’s been shaped by a commitment to inclusion and
Barclays is hiring on POCIT. Oyindamola (Dammy) Lawal, Partnerships Execution Lead for Barclaycard Payments, plays a key role in shaping the strategic collaborations that power Barclays’ expanding payment technology. Working at the intersection of innovation and relationship-building, Lawal’s ultimate goal is to grow the bank’s payments partnerships across the UK and Europe. He spoke with POCIT about building a thriving career at Barclays that leaves the door open for others. Tenacity Meets Opportunity “My journey has been a mix of tenacity and good fortune,” Lawal tells POCIT. “My career with
Join our Patreon for extra-long episodes and ad-free content: https://www.patreon.com/techish Techish is back! In this week’s episode, hosts Michael and Abadesi break down Gen Z’s job market struggles, from AI shaking up entry-level roles to companies cutting costs and outsourcing instead of hiring fresh talent. They dig into why degrees aren’t translating into jobs, how AI panic is reshaping the workplace, and why some businesses are still dragging their feet on automation. And for our Patreon listeners: we dive into UK Black History Month losing steam, and Michael and Abadesi
Most of us have a LinkedIn profile. We use it to connect with our industry peers, find new jobs, and update our portfolios. But how can we utilize LinkedIn to its full potential? With 57% of the web’s job traffic coming from LinkedIn, it can be a game-changer for your career — if you know how to navigate it. Unsure where to start? Keep reading. Create the right profile It sounds simple, but building a LinkedIn profile takes time. “Start with a great photo, remember that LinkedIn is a social
Her Fake LinkedIn Profile Exposed Hiring Bias, Now She’s Turning Her Viral Series Into A Documentary
Aliyah Jones went viral after going undercover on LinkedIn as a white woman named Emily to expose racial bias in corporate hiring. The digital storyteller documented the eight-month experiment in her Corporate Catfish docuseries, which resonated with hundreds of thousands online. Now, she’s expanding that work into a full-length documentary exploring what it truly means to be Black in corporate America. A One-Time Experiment That Sparked a Movement “I made that fake white LinkedIn profile out of frustration but also out of grief,” Jones wrote on Kickstarter. “Because no matter
Black and Latine professionals navigating corporate America are often told to “find a mentor.” While mentorship can be helpful, it’s only one piece of the puzzle. What we really need is a personal board of advisors: a career dream team tailored to our unique goals, experiences, and ambitions. Sometimes referred to as a “Personal Board of Directors” or a “Personal Board of Advisors”, the concept is the same: a diverse inner circle that supports, challenges, and advocates for you at every stage of your journey. In her TEDx talk, Lisa Skeete Tatum,
Wells Fargo has agreed to settle a federal class-action lawsuit over allegations that it misrepresented its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts, The Charlotte Observer reports. The lawsuit followed reports that the bank held fake job interviews with women and people of color to satisfy internal DEI requirements, without a genuine intent to hire them. Sham Interviews to meet diversity targets The class-action suit stems from New York Times reports in 2022, which claimed that Wells Fargo managers were instructed to conduct “sham” interviews for roles that were already filled.
The current job market for Black women in the US is bleak. More than 300,000 Black women have exited the workforce in just a matter of months. 518,00 Black women have not returned to the labor force since the pandemic started, meaning their real unemployment rate is over 10%, according to gender economist Katica Roy’s analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data, published in MSNBC. These figures paint an alarming reality: Black women are being pushed out of the workforce at alarming rates. But why is this happening? And crucially, what
Introducing BUILT DIFFERENT: a panel and mixer for product and cybersecurity professionals happening in London on October 2, 2025. Hosted by us at POCIT in partnership with GitLab, this event brings together industry leaders to tackle one of the most pressing issues of our time: building at speed without sacrificing trust. A panel and mixer For today’s product and cybersecurity leaders, the stakes couldn’t be higher. On one hand, teams are under pressure to ship faster, experiment more, and stay ahead of competitors. On the other hand, threats to data
Layoffs are stressful for everyone, but they can hit Black and Latine workers especially hard. In June, the jobless rate for Black Americans rose to 6.8%, up from 6% in May, according to the Labor Department, as reported by CNN. Job hunting is already a full-time job, and the pressure intensifies when hundreds of people are competing for the same role. Feeling uncertain about your job? Have you just been laid off and struggling to find your next job? Here are a few tips that may help alleviate your work anxiety. Stay
