So you've made it to the final round of those job interviews, and now they're talking money. You get excited at this point, especially because it's your dream job working for your dream company. You've beaten out the competition, and you're now meeting senior managers who make the final decision.
This can seem a bit intimidating since you really want the job, and these are key people you have to impress. Well, just remember, they need you, too. You're talented, skilled, and trained to do the job, so they aren't doing you a favor. It's business. And in that vein, you have to put on your business cap and start asking a few important money questions before even considering accepting a job offer.
I was once gaslit by a company to simply accept less money for more work, and I learned this lesson the hard way: Don't ever just accept a job simply because it's a power move. The money needs to be right, too, and you deserve it. Here are a few questions you should ask during your next job interview process to be sure you and your potential employer are on the same page:
1. "What final compensation range are you all offering for this position?"
First, please don't jump to answer this question if an interviewer asks this at the start of the interview. Kindly state that you'd like to know more about what the position entails and their expectations of you in order to give a sound and fair answer about compensation. When you do ask, be sure to use the words "range of compensation" when talking about salary versus saying, "What's the pay for this position?" There's tact needed and you want to be careful of the tone.
Get them to reiterate the salary range throughout the process so that you can be sure what they're offering is the same as the first round or other conversations you might have had with recruiters or managers along the way. And when reading the offer letter, make sure what was agreed upon (down to specifics about the hours and work that compensation covers) is clearly indicated and aligned.
If you're a newbie to the industry, just graduated college, or you're transitioning into a new career, this is still important because, again, you're still the prize. You'll need to be realistic and reasonable when it comes to your starting pay, but speak up and advocate for yourself in order to be more strategic about what you accept. This could affect your salary potential, quality of life, and work-life balance down the line. Sometimes, when you accept too low of a salary at the onset, it can be hard to get more from that same company later, even when promoted.
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2. "How are raises calculated, and when are they typically given?"
This is a very important question because you don't want to be stuck at a company that doesn't actually compensate their employees for growth and good work. Again, it's business. If the company is thriving and you've had a hand in that, you should be compensated. Find out details on their policies in order to make sure they align with your long-term goals as the ambitious, talented leader that you are.
Companies have various ways of rewarding their employees, so if that particular company's way is okay with you, move forward. If not, ask about incorporating accommodations for you in your hiring contract if your work experience and resume reflect a need for that.
3. "What are the guidelines related to bonuses and how are those given?"
This question can be very industry-specific (i.e., sales, retail, manufacturing, finance, IT), so if it doesn't apply to the industry you're in, you can skip this one. If it does, you definitely need to get the details on when, how, and how much. What factors affect quarterly, bi-annual, or annual bonuses?
The difference between a bonus and a raise is that bonuses, in some cases, are offered based on overall company performance, not an employee's.
There are performance-based bonuses as well, which work a bit differently from raises. A raise would be a long-term increase in your salary, while a bonus is a one-time incentive or addition to those funds. So, someone might, for example, get a 10% raise and a yearly bonus on top of that.
Just be sure you know what's what when it comes to this and consider how this factor might make or break meeting your financial goals, the type of work you do (and how), or the nature of the work you do (and how you're compensated for it.)
4. "What retirement fund options are available and does the company match any contributions?
If you're in your late 20s or early 30s, you might be thinking, "I'm too young to be worried about retirement savings," but take it from a so-called "geriatric millennial," you're not. Saving up for retirement is a must, and trust me, my 401K saved me in a clutch 10 years after I'd been mindlessly putting money away in it and had forgotten my company still had it. (And yes, there was a penalty for withdrawing from it early, but that's not the point. It truly was an emergency at the time.)
Some companies stopped matching contributions to 401Ks when recessions hit, but today, many have gone back to normal, offering matches on the funds that you put away via your paycheck.
Sometimes, companies won't match because they can't financially afford to, especially when it's a startup or a company that just isn't doing well financially. Keep this in mind when you're listening to their answer to this question.
Don't wait until the offer is signed to ask about this. Get the information you need now and be empowered to save up for your future. Even if the salary and other benefits are great and you want to take the job simply for those factors, at least you'll know what you need to do if the company doesn't offer retirement savings options.
5. "What is the process for compensation for overtime or work done outside the contracted work hours?"
Y'all, this one is key. Some company leaders will try to hit you with the okey-doke on this one, so stay vigilant and aware. I don't care what industry you're in or what position you're applying for. Get a clear understanding of their overtime policy before accepting the job. There's a lot written and talked about when it comes to burnout, and while we love being superwomen who can do multiple things well, we need to have a balanced approach to boundaries in the workplace.
You might not want to ask for money for every little extra task you do to get your job done. But you certainly don't want to be in the awkward position of coming back to your manager, after the fact, asking to be paid overtime for 20 hours of extra work you've done, only to find out the company does not offer it.
You also don't want to be taken advantage of simply because you don't know that your manager has you working extra hours, illegally or against company policy, without compensation (or even without the correct amount of compensation.)
And there's little to no guilt, at least for me, to say "No, respectfully, I cannot," when I know extra hours are being requested (or when a project requires a substantial number of additional hours) but I'm not going to be paid for it. It's against my contract or against policy. So, no, thank you.
I've made this mistake myself, many times, especially as a self-employed professional who did not initially set boundaries on this at the onset. I now have a sense of mental sanity and peace---as well as financial freedom not laced with resentment, burnout, and check-to-check drama--knowing I'm a stickler on asking this question at the onset before signing any contracts.
6. "What are the details of your standard benefits package?"
This is tied to money because it impacts your out-of-pocket expenses after you've been paid. So, it's vital to ask this one. The benefits that the company offers save you money, time, and stress in the long run, so be sure to consider all factors before saying yes to an offer. Do you need childcare? Do you need to work remote to do your best work or have time flexibility? Do you need more prescription drug coverage for a long-term illness you're managing? Are you caring for an elderly parent?
Are the insurance providers accessible and applicable to your healthcare providers? Is there a technology stipend to cover the technology or wifi you're using to do your work from home? Do they offer coverage, programs, partnerships, or discounts for wellness, counseling, or reproductive health?
Don't explicitly ask the potential employer the above questions, but keep them in mind for yourself when taking in all the information they're giving you about benefits. These are all things to consider when it comes to benefits, your money, and the quality of life you'd like to have when taking on a new professional role. Be sure you're advocating for yourself by asking the money questions that will provide answers for protecting your well-being and your future.
And if an interviewer seems a bit rude, off, vague, uninformed, or dismissive in answering the above, very standard, inquiries, consider interviewing elsewhere or accepting offers at companies that value the above and are equipped to handle a qualified, innovative, magnificent creature such as yourself.
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So, we handpicked one hundred It Girls who embody that palpable It Factor moving through us as young Black women, the kind of motion lighting up the world both IRL and across the internet.
It Girl 100 became xoNecole’s most successful program, with the hashtag organically reaching more than forty million impressions on Instagram in just twenty-four hours. Yes, it caught on like wildfire because we celebrated some of the most brilliant and influential GenZennial women of color setting trends and shaping culture. But more than that, it resonated because the women we celebrated felt seen.
Many were already known in their industries for keeping this generation fly and lit, but rarely received recognition or flowers. It Girl 100 became a safe space to be uplifted, and for us as Black women to bask in what felt like an era of our brilliance, beauty, and boundless influence on full display.
And then, almost overnight, it was as if the rug was pulled from under us as Black women, as the It Girls of the world.
Our much-needed, much-deserved season of ease and soft living quickly metamorphosed into a time of self-preservation and survival. Our motion and economic progression seemed strategically slowed, our light under siege.
The air feels heavier now. The headlines colder. Our Black girl magic is being picked apart and politicized for simply existing.
With that climate shift, as we prepare to launch our second annual It Girl 100 honoree list, our team has had to dig deep on the purpose and intention behind this year’s list. Knowing the spirit of It Girl 100 is about motion, sauce, strides, and progression, how do we celebrate amid uncertainty and collective grief when the juice feels like it is being squeezed out of us?
As we wrestled with that question, we were reminded that this tension isn’t new. Black women have always had to find joy in the midst of struggle, to create light even in the darkest corners. We have carried the weight of scrutiny for generations, expected to be strong, to serve, to smile through the sting. But this moment feels different. It feels deeply personal.
We are living at the intersection of liberation and backlash. We are learning to take off our capes, to say no when we are tired, to embrace softness without apology.
And somehow, the world has found new ways to punish us for it.
In lifestyle, women like Kayla Nicole and Ayesha Curry have been ridiculed for daring to choose themselves. Tracee Ellis Ross was labeled bitter for speaking her truth about love. Meghan Markle, still, cannot breathe without critique.
In politics, Kamala Harris, Letitia James, and Jasmine Crockett are dragged through the mud for standing tall in rooms not built for them.
In sports, Angel Reese, Coco Gauff, and Taylor Townsend have been reminded that even excellence will not shield you from racism or judgment.
In business, visionaries like Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye and Melissa Butler are fighting to keep their dreams alive in an economy that too often forgets us first.
Even our icons, Beyoncé, Serena, and SZA, have faced criticism simply for evolving beyond the boxes society tried to keep them in.
From everyday women to cultural phenoms, the pattern is the same. Our light is being tested.
And yet, somehow, through it all, we are still showing up as that girl, and that deserves to be celebrated.
Because while the world debates our worth, we keep raising our value. And that proof is all around us.
This year alone, Naomi Osaka returned from motherhood and mental health challenges to reach the semifinals of the US Open. A’ja Wilson claimed another MVP, reminding us that beauty and dominance can coexist. Brandy and Monica are snatching our edges on tour. Kahlana Barfield Brown sold out her new line in the face of a retailer that had been canceled. And Melissa Butler’s company, The Lip Bar, is projecting a forty percent surge in sales.
We are no longer defining strength by how much pain we can endure. We are defining it by the unbreakable light we continue to radiate.
We are the women walking our daily steps and also continuing to run solid businesses. We are growing in love, taking solo trips, laughing until it hurts, raising babies and ideas, drinking our green juice, and praying our peace back into existence.
We are rediscovering the joy of rest and realizing that softness is not weakness, it is strategy.
And through it all, we continue to lift one another. Emma Grede is creating seats at the table. Valeisha Butterfield has started a fund for jobless Black women. Arian Simone is leading in media with fearless conviction. We are pouring into each other in ways the world rarely sees but always feels.
So yes, we are in the midst of societal warfare. Yes, we are being tested. Yes, we are facing economic strain, political targeting, and public scrutiny. But even war cannot dim a light that is divinely ours.
And we are still shining.
And we are still softening.
And we are still creating.
And we are still It.
That is the quiet magic of Black womanhood, our ability to hold both truth and triumph in the same breath, to say yes, and to life’s contradictions.
It is no coincidence that this year, as SheaMoisture embraces the message “Yes, And,” they stand beside us as partners in celebrating this class of It Girls. Because that phrase, those two simple words, capture the very essence of this moment.
Yes, we are tired. And we are still rising.
Yes, we are questioned. And we are the answer.
Yes, we are bruised. And we are still beautiful.
This year’s It Girl 100 is more than a list. It is a love letter to every Black woman who dares to live out loud in a world that would rather she whisper. This year’s class is living proof of “Yes, And,” women who are finding ways to thrive and to heal, to build and to rest, to lead and to love, all at once.
It is proof that our joy is not naive, our success not accidental. It is the reminder that our light has never needed permission.
So without further ado, we celebrate the It Girl 100 Class of 2025–2026.
We celebrate the millions of us who keep doing it with grace, grit, and glory.
Because despite it all, we still shine.
Because we are still her.
Because we are still IT, girl.
Meet all 100 women shaping culture in the It Girl 100 Class of 2025. View the complete list of honorees here.
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It’s not like it has to be a bad thing. In fact, studies say that somewhere around 15 percent of engaged couples actually met through a friend. All I’m saying is, before you entertain someone’s “I’ve got someone I want you to meet” invitation, it would benefit you to interview them first — for the sake of all parties involved.
The questions that I recommend asking? The following six are what I think can get everyone on the same page, so that there is more pleasure than regret from the hook-up attempt.
1. Why Are They So Invested?
GiphyTwo things that I recently watched over again are the series Survivor’s Remorse (the writing is so damn good) and a movie called Trapped in Temptation (both are currently on Tubi). Something that both of them made me think about is the fact that motive reveals a lot when it comes to why people say and do the things that they do.
When it comes to the movie, specifically, without giving the film away — let me just say that, if you are in a relationship, be really careful about listening to individuals who try to talk you out of maintaining it. More times than not, the motive is shady as hell. And honestly, sometimes people who are close to obsessed with you being in one deserve a bit of side-eye too.
Now, if it’s someone who loves all things love, they are in love and they want you to experience something similar — that’s sweet. Just make sure that they are approaching the set up from a healthy space. What I mean by that is they don’t see singleness as some sort of relational handicap or they aren’t trying to override what you want for your life as if they somehow know better (there are so many ways to be a control freak, y’all).
Hmph. Now that I think about it — make sure that the set-up crew isn’t trying to use you to “save” some male friend or relative of theirs. I say that because I once knew a mother whose son had — count ‘em — 10 kids and she was FOREVER trying to get me to date him. Girl, that wasn’t for me. She was looking for a Holy Ghost Jr. for that child of hers. I’ll pass. HARD PASS.
Bottom line with this one — if someone wants to set you up with someone else, the first thing to ask is why? Make sure to really listen to what their answer is. Then pay attention to if your mind, body and spirit are at peace with their answer(s).
2. Do They Know What You Want?
GiphyI don’t know about y’all, but the people (and let’s be honest, by far, it’s usually women) who have tried to set me up with someone? They didn’t even know what my preferences or type was. Hell, they didn’t even know my thoughts or timeline as it relates to being in a serious relationship were either. And what that boils down to is they were trying to hook me up based on their agenda, not mine — and that usually meant that the guys who they came up with? Yeah…I was good on them. LOL.
Yeah, if someone wants to hook you up, you definitely should ask them if they know what you are looking for in a guy when it comes to his looks, personality, passions, spirituality, relational desires and goals, location, etc. Because, indeed, what is the point in going out with someone who is fine as hell and yet, you want kids and he doesn’t (or vice versa) or who has a great personality yet he isn’t even in the same ballpark of your spiritual beliefs?
If your friend really wants to help you out, valuing your time should come with that — and that means bringing someone into your life who complements your lifestyle. No wiggle room here.
3. Are They Aware of Your Deal-Breakers?
GiphyLast year, I wrote an article for the platform entitled, “Should Bad Sex Actually Be A Relationship Deal-Breaker?” The thing that I think needs to go on record about deal-breakers is they aren’t exactly standards that you have. No, a deal-breaker is something that can’t be worked out even after trying to negotiate or compromise. When it comes to relationships, a deal-breaker might be how long two people should date before becoming exclusive or getting engaged. Another deal-breaker might be if being religious is more important than being spiritual and how that manifests itself (church or no church, etc.). And yes, another deal-breaker may be what each other’s sexual needs and expectations are.
When someone is setting you up, it is imperative that they know about your standards. For instance, for me, I am not interested in dating a divorced person, pretty much ever (I Corinthians 7:10-11). I’ve had friends who have tried to hook me up with that demographic before and it has always been a moot effort. The fact that some of them have gotten frustrated with my convictions has absolutely nothing to do with me. Some have tried to get me to compromise my deal-breakers too — like a long-distance relationship. Is it a firm “naw”? No. However, it’s not really something that I am interested in, so why not just…recommend someone local?
Yeah, if someone thinks that they know you well enough to hook you up, they absolutely should be well-versed in what your deal-breakers are before they do. And if they’ve never asked, all they are doing is assuming — and we know what that typically means. LOL.
4. What Is Their Track Record?
GiphyIt’s kind of wild that we now live in a time when more couples meet online than they do through “old-fashioned ways” like via their friends (although some reports say that Gen Z is getting back to that) — and yet, here we are. Still, if you are willing to let someone play pseudo matchmaker in your life, you are well within your rights to inquire about their track record in that department. Have they hooked others up, successfully, before? Has any of their “Cupid work” caused both people to get exactly what they wanted out of the situation? If/when things went awry, why was that?
I know someone who is constantly trying to hook people up. Thing is, maybe 10-15 percent (no joke) of their efforts have proven to be positive and fruitful — and we’re talking about close to close to two decades of them doing it. Listen, time is too precious to be out here doing stuff ONLY to please other people. That said, if someone wants you to devote some time to one of their grand ideas, you are well within your rights to ask about their past and current success score when it comes to it.
5. Can They Keep Their Own Feelings Out of It?
GiphyWanna know if someone who is offering to do something for you is actually doing it more for themselves? If they try to make it be about them when things don’t go the way they would like, that is a dead ringer. An example? They post a message about you on social media and then question you about why you didn’t do the same thing in return. Another example? They do something for you and then throw it in your face during an argument. Still another example? They set you up with someone, it doesn’t work out, and suddenly you’ve put them in a weird spot. No dear — you put your own self in that position by trying to hook two people up in the first place.
I promise you, it will spare everyone unnecessary energy spent (or even drama experienced) if, before you agree to be hooked up, you get the matchmaker on record stating that they will keep their emotions out of it as much as possible. MEANING — they will do the introductions and then let the chips fall where they may. If they can’t do this, my two cents (save it or spend it) would be to decline the offer. Because all you need is someone texting you about why you haven’t called their cousin back or having an attitude with you when you break up with some guy at their church who they thought was the perfect catch (P.S. These aren’t hypothetical examples — LOL).
6. Will They Respect Your Boundaries? Start to Finish?
GiphyYeah, this final one is a biggie. Just because someone sets you up with another person, that doesn’t automatically or necessarily mean that they should have the right to the details of the dynamic. I don’t care if it’s the first date or the 10th date. I don’t care if you decide to just be sex buddies or to have a full-blown relationship. I don’t care if you stay together or break-up — it’s your relationship which makes it your business. Whatever you share is privileged data.
Yeah, I would say that probably the most challenging thing about being hooked up by someone you know is they have a tendency to think that they are a part of the relationship too — and that is a lie. If things go well beyond a couple of dates, you and the guy should discuss what you will both share with the person who introduced you and then agree to stick to that boundary, no matter what. It’s a great way to protect the dynamic, to keep “outside voices” from influencing the growth and to navigate how you want to move, moving forward.
Someone who hooked you up for the right reasons and knows how to honor limits? They will understand. Will they ask questions? Absolutely. Will they pry? Nah.
___
Should you sit and let someone hook you up? I mean, you never know how your blessing will come. Just make sure that they are prepared for you to do some digging into their mindset before they start sweetly meddling into your love life.
It’s only fair. Hell, and right. LOL.
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