Written by Steve Dryburgh, Director, Human Resources, Unilever Canada
Starting your career is a daunting process, in large part due to the challenge of finding a great employer that you are passionate about. Outside of immediate family, this will likely be the defining relationship in your life, so treat your search for what it is – the search for a new partner with similar goals and values.
So how do you start?
Find Relevant Sources of Information
First, find relevant sources of information. Every company has a CSR platform on their website. But not all CSR platforms are created equal. You should be looking for clearly published goals, well documented and tracked metrics and engaged employees. Are there established third party agencies embracing the plan? Are they listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, or covered by credible third party auditors?
Look For an Embedded Social Platform
Second, you want to ensure the social and ethical platform is embedded in the business strategy and not just a “nice to do” under their CSR umbrella. Search for employees from the company leading in this space – they should be actively engaged, and championing causes under the platform. You want to be part of something engrained in the DNA of the business not wondering what all that rhetoric on the website meant.
Trial and Error
Finally, don’t be afraid of some trial and error. Canadian industry typically runs a voluntary turnover rate of 6%-10% on average each year, which means almost 1 in 10 of us continue to try and find a better relationship each year. The key is to learn from the trial and error process and hopefully by learning, to speed it up.