{"id":8726,"date":"2026-04-02T08:20:49","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T07:20:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/?p=8726"},"modified":"2026-04-02T14:57:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T13:57:36","slug":"build-confidence-and-career-skills-as-a-black-asian-or-minority-ethnic-student","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/?p=8726","title":{"rendered":"Build confidence and career skills as a Black, Asian or minority ethnic student"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Hi. I\u2019m Motunrayo, an Employer Engagement Coordinator and a member of the Careers and Employability Services Race and Equality Action Group. We recently delivered an employability session featuring professionals from Black, Asian and minority backgrounds &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/learn1.open.ac.uk\/mod\/connecthosted\/view.php?id=53981\">Walk your own path: inspiring careers discussions for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic OU students<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>You deserve to be in every room you step into. Let your experiences, identity, and ambition drive you forward. Success comes from curiosity, courage, and staying true to who you are. Here are some insights our panellists shared to support your career journey:<\/p>\n<h2>1. Use your heritage and lived experience as strengths<\/h2>\n<p>Your cultural background can shape your values in powerful ways\u2014strength, empathy, authenticity and purpose. These qualities help you face challenges, stay grounded and bring fresh, needed perspectives into your industry.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cYour identity is not a limitation. It\u2019s part of the value you bring into professional spaces.\u201d<br \/>\nDamilola Adesanya-Adeniran &#8211; Black Professionals UK (panellist)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Your name, accent and lived experience are not barriers\u2014they are assets that help you connect meaningfully with others and build long term confidence.<\/p>\n<p>Identify your strengths and values with <a href=\"https:\/\/help.open.ac.uk\/students\/_data\/documents\/careers\/restricted\/career-planning-guide.pdf#page=14\">section 1.1 of Your Career Planning Guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>2. Focus on what you can control<\/h2>\n<p>You can\u2019t control other people\u2019s assumptions, but you can take ownership of your growth. Try to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Build a strong support network of mentors, allies, and peers<\/li>\n<li>Stay connected to your \u201cwhy\u201d\u2014 your purpose and long-term vision<\/li>\n<li>Develop new skills and seize learning opportunities<\/li>\n<li>Explore non linear paths; careers rarely happen in tidy lines<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>See our <a href=\"https:\/\/help.open.ac.uk\/research-labour-market\/future-proofing-your-career\">Future-proofing your career<\/a> page for more tips to create a strong foundation of employability that can weather any change.<\/p>\n<h2>3. Build confidence through connection, networking and self-advocacy<\/h2>\n<p>Setbacks can undermine confidence, but they also offer opportunities to reconnect \u2014 with yourself and others. Give yourself time, talk to someone you trust and seek stories from people with similar experiences. Mentoring can be especially powerful for rebuilding belief in yourself.<\/p>\n<p>Networking also grows confidence. Start small, be curious rather than polished, and follow up simply. Explore LinkedIn or Eventbrite, and don\u2019t overlook the value of your own community networks. See our advice on <a href=\"https:\/\/help.open.ac.uk\/networking\">Networking for your career<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cYou don\u2019t need confidence first. You build confidence by showing up.\u201d<br \/>\nLawrence Hess, OU Alumni<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Advocating for your needs is part of this confidence too. Whether you require prayer space, flexibility or other adjustments, most employers will support reasonable requests. The Equality Act protects you, and more guidance is available on our <a href=\"https:\/\/help.open.ac.uk\/equality-and-diversity-in-the-workplace\/the-equality-act\">Equality and Diversity in the Workplace page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ou-box ou-box--info\">\n<em>Motunrayo Oladeji is an Employment Engagement Coordinator in the OU\u2019s Careers and Employability Services. She supports career-related activity both within the service and across the University, helping students to achieve their ambitions. Explore the rest of our blog for more articles from your careers team.<\/em><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hi. I\u2019m Motunrayo, an Employer Engagement Coordinator and a member of the Careers and Employability Services Race and Equality Action Group. We recently delivered an employability session featuring professionals from Black, Asian and minority backgrounds &#8211; Walk your own path: inspiring careers discussions for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic OU students. You deserve to be [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8726","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bame"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8726","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/43"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8726"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8726\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8730,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8726\/revisions\/8730"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8726"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8726"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}