In the early stages of your career, you’re understandably eager to find an employer that will let you start off with a bang. You want to find a company that won’t have you doing the grunt work—but will empower you to own projects, try new things, and really grab your future by the horns. Think those sorts of companies only exist in your dreams? Think again. (The Muse)

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People announced on Wednesday that it has teamed up with Airbnb, the home-sharing company beleaguered by discrimination complaints, to expand the service to more minority communities.The century-old civil rights organization touted the move as a "landmark partnership" that it hopes will spread the economic benefits of tourism. (The Washington Post)

After the financial crisis of 2008, the Federal Reserve went on a massive bond-buying spree. Now it's time to start selling.That means life has gotten more complicated for Fed watchers trying to second guess what the central bank will do next. Investors reading the tea leaves of Federal Reserve official pronouncements have long looked for clues about the policy makers' plans to raise or lower interest rates. (CNBC)

Since bad bosses are ubiquitous, it is hard to avoid them. The best way to deal with one would of course be to leave them, but the next one may be equally bad, or even worse. Sometimes the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t know. And while self-employment is tempting — it is much harder to complain about the boss when the boss is you — people who work for themselves tend to work longer hours only to earn less, and make a smaller contribution to the wider economy than when they’re employed by an organization. (Harvard Business Review)

Have you ever felt incredibly stressed during a job interview? If so, you’re not alone. Most people say that interviewing for a job is an overwhelmingly stressful experience. Fortunately, you can come to terms with job interview stress by understanding that a certain amount of stress can actually help you ace the interview; that practicing for your interview can help you maintain a manageable stress level; and that there are some effective responses you can use if your level of stress starts to feel overwhelming. (Harvard Business Review)

You’re happy to have a job, of course. But are you really happy in your job? If you want the best of all worlds—i.e. to live to work rather than work to live, then maybe it’s time to ask yourself whether you are actually happy where you are—or whether you could be happier somewhere else, doing something else. Have no idea how to figure this one out? Try asking yourself the following questions. (USA TODAY)

Still, a term like "Women in Tech" suggests that it is awkward to have women in the tech industry. Yet this is not the case; the first set of digital computers were programmed by women. Regardless, what is the point in trying to fight the gender inequality in tech only to create another form of segregation? Apparently, some women in the tech industry are not a fan of the special attention they get. (Techpoint)

As if there aren't enough reasons for an organization to make diversity a priority, here's another one: Diversity, or a lack thereof, can impact the retention of your top talent. In fact, about 75 percent of senior managers who responded to a recent study by accounting firm Deloitte said they would consider leaving jobs for more diverse and inclusive organizations. (CNBC)

The Belt and Road, China's $1 trillion global plan for infrastructure projects and trade deals connecting Africa, Asia and Europe, focuses on infrastructure because Chinese construction companies need business. From 2000 to 2015, China Eximbank contributed $63 billion in loans to Africa, largely aimed at road, railroad, airport and harbor construction. In 2000, the gross annual revenue of Chinese construction contractors in Africa was $1 billion; by 2015, this figure was $55 billion. (The Washington Post)

Venezuela is running out of food. Hospitals are overcrowded with sick children while doctors don't have enough medicine or X-ray machines. Electricity isn't guaranteed. About the only thing Venezuela has in abundance is chaos. The economy has spiraled toward collapse, and a humanitarian crisis has plunged hordes into needless sickness and starvation. (CNN Money)

Britain's economy grew by just 0.3% in the second quarter, confirming fears of a marked slowdown as the country prepares to exit the European Union. The rate of growth over the previous quarter represents a slight improvement on the 0.2% expansion posted in the first three months of 2017. The official data matched the expectations of economists, but gave little cause for optimism. (CNN Money)

Graduate student enrollment is declining at for-profit institutions, but the sector continues to resonate with one particular demographic -- black women. Overall, African-American men and women are overrepresented at for-profit master’s degree programs. While accounting for 9 percent of the nation's mix of college students, in 2007 they comprised a roughly a quarter of the for-profit sector’s graduate enrollment, according to Baum, who cited a report she co-authored. (Inside Higher Ed)

The 2017 Annual Conference and Exposition, presented by NBMBAA and Prospanica is coming up quickly. Now is the time to register to secure your sessions and housing. Visit our Conference page to learn about this year’s events, speakers and exhibitors. Register Now.

Any good business owner will do their best to stay on top of customer trends. Knowing how to reach your customer is integral to selling them your product or service. If you are looking to take your business to the next level, consider developing a mobile app. With the capacity to do nearly everything through a mobile device – and an entire generation with smartphones glued to their palms – apps are essential tools in running a business. Through a mobile app, a company can continue to build up its brand and to attract attention. Ultimately, an app can help your company gain recognition and a wider customer base by increasing visibility, loyalty and accessibility. (Business.com)

Since Fortune published a one-year anniversary update for the White House Tech Inclusion pledge, UnifyID posted their diversity report and 3 additional companies signed the commitment. UnifyID was one of the original companies who signed the pledge in June 2016. Their team is 70% people of color and 24% women, representing 17 nationalities, according to the report. (Fortune)

The producer Will Packer is best known for his work in movies, including the "Ride Along" films and "The Wedding Ringer." Now he wants to take aim at consumers using just about every other form of contemporary media. Mr. Packer is starting a new company, Will Packer Media, with backing from Discovery Communications and Universal Pictures. The new entity aims to develop a wide range of programming, from television shows and documentaries to short-form digital videos and advertising campaigns. (The New York Times)

For owners of struggling businesses, bankruptcy can seem frightening. However, there are several options, including avoiding bankruptcy altogether, if you're dealing with mounting debt. If your business is failing, don't be too hard on yourself. After all, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 50 percent of businesses make it past their fifth year. While filing for bankruptcy can seem scary, you have several options, including possibly avoiding bankruptcy altogether. (Business.com)

Unable to find a platform where women in the tech industry can easily connect with each other to identify new projects and opportunities, Jumoke Dada was compelled to fill the gap. A technologist and social entrepreneur, Dada did so by launching the Tech Women Network. The online platform is a community that allows women to perform many functions including share resources, find events, posts jobs and team up on projects. (Black Enterprise)

Across the country, mom-and-pop markets are among the most endangered of small-town businesses, with competition from corporations and the hurdles of timeworn infrastructure pricing owners out. In Minnesota, 14 percent of nonmetropolitan groceries have closed since 2000. In Kansas, more than 20 percent of rural markets have disappeared in the last decade. Iowa lost half of its groceries between 1995 and 2005. (The New York Times)

Want to work at Amazon? Your best chance may come Aug. 2. That's when the e-commerce giant plans to open its doors to job seekers at 10 shipping sites around the country, all part of a company-wide initiative to fill more than 50,000 U.S. positions. (USA TODAY)

Despite a growing economy and the lowest U.S. unemployment rate in 16 years, things aren’t looking up for many Americans — financial fragility is especially an issue for people with low incomes and for minorities, according to the new 2017 Prosperity Now Scorecard. (Next Avenue)

The nation’s home ownership rate has steadied since the 2008 recession that sacked millions of jobs and burst the housing bubble, according to a recently released report by Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies issued this month. But the report noted that while other minority groups saw gains in purchasing homes, African-Americans aren’t sharing in the rebound. In fact, African-American home ownership recently fell to below the 1994 level (42.2 percent), declining swiftly since 2004. The gap between white and African-American home ownership is at its largest since the 1940s (29.7 percentage points). (Tulsa World)

It's an unfortunate fact that Americans seem to have a hard time saving money. Last year, GOBankingRates reported that 69% of U.S. adults have less than $1,000 in the bank, while 34% have no savings to show at all.

On the surface, the partnership between Amazon and Sears appears to be about distribution. The agreement temporarily helps Sears with its goal to get its products into the hands of consumers without the encumbrance of expensive real estate holdings. Amazon gets access to the Kenmore brand’s equity, Sears’ valuable distribution network, and the ailing retailer’s knowledge of and experience with the logistics of handling large items. However, when you probe deeper into the part of the deal that focuses on Amazon’s deployment of Alexa technology in connected home appliances, it appears that the impact for Amazon could be even more profound. (Fortune)

Each group operates a lot like a startup at an accelerator boot camp. Once IBM identifies a need, it picks a corporate dream team of about a half-dozen to a dozen or so employees from across the company troubleshoot solutions remotely over several months. That crew then gathers for three to four weeks—exact timelines vary per program—wherever seems most central to the cause, knocking out and testing their prototyped solution. (Fast Company)

CEO pay may not be quite as high as it once was, but the numbers still dwarf the pay earned by the typical worker. Chief executives of America's 350 largest companies made an average of $15.6 million in 2016, or 271 times more than what the typical worker made last year, according to the Economic Policy Institute's annual report on executive compensation, released Thursday. The report from the left-leaning think tank said that number was slightly lower than 2015, when average pay was $16.3 million and the ratio was 286-to-1. (The Washington Post)

Time Inc. announced this week that it is looking to sell a majority stake in Essence magazine by the end of 2017. Although Time Inc. CEO Rich Battista described Essence as a "core asset" in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, he revealed that the publishing company is looking for a new investor that could enhance the magazine’s growth. (Black Enterprise)

Girls Trip's success (an estimated $30.8 million in its first weekend) comes as debates about diversity in Hollywood continue to gain steam. And the past couple of years have shown that although Hollywood traditionally undervalues movies with black and female leads, it is only to their peril. "Hidden Figures" was a box-office hit and the top-grossing movie among all the 2017 Oscar best-picture nominees. (The Washington Post)