You Don’t Realize It, but You Need to Diversify your LinkedIn Network

Look, I’m part of the problem. My network is part of the problem. The way we network is part of the problem. 

If 2020 has taught me nothing else, it’s that it’s time for me to take a good, hard look at the ways I contribute to systemic racism—even as I’m working in a mission-oriented, progressive-minded organization—and start thinking about what I’m going to do, personally, to help improve the culture and opportunities for Black, Latinx, and Indigenous people.

And networking is part of it.

How many times have I heard an employer say, “Well, I’d like to hire more diverse candidates but I don’t know where to find them”? Or, “Yes, the panelists at our clean energy event are all white, but there just aren’t a lot of Black professionals in our industry”? And, to be honest, rarely have I been able to help—because the vast majority of my own network has been white.

LinkedIn perpetuates this problem. Like many of you, I do a lot of connecting over LinkedIn. It’s my go-to place for maintaining relationships with students, prospective students, alumni, industry thought leaders, speakers for campus events, and employers for our students. I started my LinkedIn connections with people I knew and worked with—not all, but mostly white. And then, LinkedIn started recommending connections for me—the recommendations coming from the mostly-white networks of my mostly-white connections. Over ten years, I had collected more than 3,000 connections on LinkedIn and (surprise!) they were mostly white. 

It’s easy to see how this cycle perpetuates itself. My LinkedIn news feed started featuring news, announcements, events, and articles featuring mostly white executives doing amazing and inspirational things in energy and sustainability industries. But almost no African Americans or Latinx professionals showed up in my feed. In the most literal sense, I could not see exemplary executives of color doing equally amazing and inspirational things in these industries. 

There is a solution, but it requires intention. LinkedIn works by recommending news and new connections based on who’s in your current network and who’s in their networks. To have any hope of widening my view of the industry, I needed to diversify my connections, my groups, and those I was "following" on LinkedIn. Starting with my current Black, Latinx, and Indigenous connections, I researched: who is in their LinkedIn circles? which groups are they members of? which thought leaders do they follow? I looked for LinkedIn groups—like the American Association of Blacks in Energy—and looked for members who might share my professional interests. I’ve asked colleagues for recommendations. I’ve reached out on Twitter for connections.

I have been stunned by how dramatically different my news feed is today, after adding hundreds of new, more racially diverse connections in the past two months.  LinkedIn’s algorithm has started recommending more diverse new connections for me. Organizations and companies that were not on my radar before started showing up. Now, I can see a wealth of accomplishments that are being led by entrepreneurs of color. I can see more diverse speakers for our classes and events at Duke. I can see young professionals of all backgrounds that I can help connect with employers. There’s so much I was missing before!

I know this will not solve all the problems. This is only one small action among many that are needed. But it has been an eye-opening revelation for me. And, I hope one that will help me be a better supporter, collaborator, and mentor to professionals of all backgrounds. My network, my news feed, my view of business and the industries I follow are so much richer than before. 

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