For The 6.6 Percent Of Unemployed African Americans, Hope To Landing A Job Is A Polished Résumé Away

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of job openings increased to 7.6 million as of April 2026. But the national unemployment rate has remained in a narrow range of 4.35% to 4.5% since July 2025, with the number of unemployed people at 7.3 million. For African Americans, this unemployment rate is a high 6.6%, just higher than Hispanics, who come in at 5%. Mark Anthony Dyson started by writing resumes for people looking for work until he realized he could turn it into a business. And he’s been writing ever since, including his newsletter “The Job Scam Report” and his e-book “421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021.” Dyson, the founder of The Voice of Job Seekers,” sat down for an XCEL Summit for Men Spotlight Series with Black Enterprise Senior Multiplatform Content Producer Ashlei Stevens three years ago, and his insight into job searching and careers hasn’t changed. One of his suggestions, he told Stevens, was always to interview… Even people with a job, he said, should interview once a year just to keep up your “interviewing skills.” As we gear up for the 10th anniversary of the XCEL Summit for Men, Black Enterprise revisits Dyson’s interview with a brief excerpt to help any of the 1.5 million African Americans looking for work.

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