A guide to careers that make a difference

By Sylvia Kinnicutt, Research Associate, Boston College Center

I think it’s fair to say that most people in the corporate citizenship field have chosen their career because they want to make a difference. And more and more young professionals, as well as more experienced job changers, are pursuing this objective. That’s why Net Impact, the growing global network of socially minded professionals, has just released a joint publication with the Center that provides detailed guidance for those seeking to make a difference between nine and five.

“Corporate Careers that Make a Difference” is a guide for professionals and students interested in the field of corporate citizenship. In addition to providing information on the increasing opportunities in formal corporate citizenship roles in companies, the guide also highlights professional functions not often considered part of the “field” of corporate citizenship. With bright-eyed optimism, Net Impact assures career-seekers that “with such a diversity of job functions in which these values might be applied, and so many fields clamoring to address these issues, the opportunities are endless.”

What does this mean to the current cadre of corporate citizenship professionals? While you might feel isolated in your role with your unique focus on social and environmental issues, it is very likely there are others in your company who are already supporting corporate citizenship aims, or want to start. This guide suggests that corporate citizenship really is being integrated into today’s companies. With opportunities to make a difference in areas such as supply chain management, operations, marketing, and even finance identified in the guide, corporate citizenship leaders will have more partners with whom to drive an integrated corporate citizenship strategy forward. The message conveyed is that “corporate citizenship work is not simply the job title — it’s a shared recognition that this work is most effectively done by passionate individuals willing to explore new and innovative ideas, wherever they operate in a given organization.”

Net Impact’s optimism is rubbing off, and I will bet that if there isn’t already a growing network of passionate individuals deep within your company ready to support you, there will be soon. All you need to do is find them and engage them in your meaningful work. I recommend you check out the guide to see some profiles of your peers, and the peers you didn’t know you had.

The full guide is available only to members of the Center or Net Impact. Center members can view the guide here.

If you’re not a member of either organization, you can download a sneak peak here.