Frequently Asked Questions to Ellen from job seekers

 

How can I get corporate social responsibility work without corporate experience?

I find that not enough private sector experience is the #1 disqualifier of applicants for CSR positions.  Experiencing the challenges of moving a CSR agenda forward from within the corporation is crucial to a job candidates success. The best ways to get your foot in the door are networking, internships, practicums, and short term consulting.  Persistence and self confidence are the two qualities that I see in candidates who successfully make the switch.

 

I am currently getting my MBA and have long term social responsibility aspirations, what do I focus on for my first job/summer internship?  

Think about where you want to be 10 years from now.  What 3 jobs over 10 years will get you there?   From your MBA school, you can choose a traditional or nontraditional path.  A non-traditional path takes a lot of initiative and persistence.  A traditional path can give you building blocks that can solidify the skills you learned in business school.

 

I am overwhelmed with the options, how do I decide?

Choose 3 paths and explore each of them simultaneously.  Exploration entails informational interviews and reading.   Then revisit the paths.  Are there job opportunities that fit your skills and experience?  If there are hundreds of job opportunities along that path then you need to narrow the path.  If the opportunities are few and far between, then you need to broaden your path or switch directions.

 

How do I know that a certain position is a good fit?

A good fit is defined by the right give- and- take balance.  What do you offer the position?  What do you gain by taking the position?

 

Do you have any general application tips?

• Resumes are best sent as Word documents rather than PDFs.

• The title of your resume Word document should be your name i.e.: Ellen Weinreb Resume.doc 

• Your name should be at the top of your resume and not in the Header.

• For applications are emailed, your cover letter should be in the body of the email while the resume is an attached document.

What books do you recommend for social responsibility jobseekers?

The best-seller career advice books are very applicable to the socially responsible jobseeker because they encourage values alignment with career selection. Specific recommendations are What Color is Your Parachute by Richard Nelson Bolles, In Transition by Mary Burton, The Pathfinder by Nicholas Lore, What Should I Do With My Life by Po Bronson.  This latter one is more inspirational and a good read while the first three have several practical exercises in them.