We have good news for you. You can have a cool career and make a good living. No need to choose between loving your job and paying your mortgage. The following profile, part of the BlackEnterprise.com Cool Jobs series, offers a peek into the nuts and bolts, perks and salaries behind enjoyable careers.
The Gig: Pauline Malcolm builds monetization strategies for StyleHaul Inc., a popular YouTube network that offers more than
25 million viewers (and 14 million subscribers) style, fashion, beauty and shopping-related video content. As senior vice president of global sales, Malcolm brings more than 10 years of sales management, strategy and entrepreneurial startup experience and has worked for companies including publishing powerhouse Conde Nast.The Perks: Global travel and multitiered compensation (salary, commission and equity in the company) are just a few of the benefits of Malcolm’s job. She is often invited to speak at diverse conferences and events— including the 41st
Congressional Black Caucus—to share her insights on the digital and technological landscape. With Malcom’s current role intersecting with fashion and digital media, she also has an active presence at Fashion Week events.The Challenges: According to reports, less than 1% of African Americans work or own a digital media company, so quite often she is the only person of color in a company. Malcolm has been successful in spite of the lack of diversity by building a strong, diverse network within her industry.
She also uses her position to expose the technology field to young people of color by speaking at churches and conferences about her career path, and she makes a conscious effort to hire a diverse and qualified staff.Building a Successful Team: Malcolm says she attended an executive leadership program at Harvard Business School that greatly changed her life. “This program helped me to polish my leadership style and build winning teams,” she says. “I have found success in hiring really smart people who are entrepreneurial and feel a sense of ownership in the business. Digital media, which consists of online, mobile and social media, is still very new and in many cases you are making up new rules as you go along. Consequently, I have built teams that are comfortable blazing new trails and want to win every day because they have that sense of ownership in the business.”