Corporate impact careers – Developing your skills and getting credentialed
Elevating your career of impact
I didn’t study CSR (corporate social responsibility) or ESG (environmental, social, and governance) as an undergraduate student, and I have to say I’m a little jealous of the increasing educational opportunities in these fields today.
However, I have been lucky to find skill-building opportunities in my professional career (like a CSR Strategy Certificate at Loyola University Chicago and Net Impact’s Climate Ambassador Program) that have helped me transition to a career of impact.
Today, I have the opportunity to continue to sharpen and share my skills at the Baumhart Center for Social Enterprise and Responsibility as Senior Program Manager for the Baumhart Scholars MBA (100% focused on impact).
Developing your skills
If you have or haven’t had the opportunity to study CSR & ESG, a little continued professional development can’t hurt. It can help add credentials to a resume or build new skills to show commitment to a new or existing passion.
Developing your skills can range from a side project at work that establishes a new interest, to a volunteer commitment outside of work aligned to your passion, to an online course or leadership workshop to hone your expertise. (And yes, these should all go on your resume.)
Getting credentialed
A certificate can be one way to earn a stamp on your resume that shows you are passionate about and/or an expert in a certain topic. These opportunities can range from a free online course for a couple of hours to multiple tuition-based courses and university credits at the graduate level.
Suggested resources
There are numerous opportunities to continue developing your skills, the hard part is finding the right opportunities for you (informational interviews always help me find my path). Here are a few resources to explore as a start:
- Net Impact Blog Post: Bolster Your Sustainability Credentials in 2022
- Loyola University Chicago Certificate: Baumhart Certificate in ESG
- Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals Blog Post: CERTIFICATIONS, DEGREES, AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS FOR CSR LEADERS
- Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship Course Catalog: Courses in ESG and Corporate Citizenship
- GreenBiz Article: Which of these 40 sustainability certifications is right for you
What’s next?
This series of articles about corporate impact careers will explore the path to a career where doing well is doing good, getting there by networking, professional development, graduate school, and volunteer opportunities. Stay tuned for the next article on exploring graduate school.
About the author
Madeline Stanton is a responsible business leader on a mission to transform business by addressing risks and seizing opportunities in environmental, social, and governance. She currently manages the Baumhart Scholars MBA at Loyola University Chicago, preparing impact leaders to build a more just, humane, and sustainable world. Connect with her on LinkedIn here.
Explore Impact Careers
Visit Net Impact’s Career Resources page for tips and tricks for your impact jobs search. View the Jobs Board to use your career for good.
