Career Paths

Insights from our interviews could changes how you think about your impact career. Opportunities for having a social impact career are on the rise, but as the number of jobs increase and the sector grows, so does the level of competition. The difference between those who succeed and those who don’t lies in their actions. …

Rose Lipton had always wanted to be a teacher, but when she started teaching she found herself frustrated by the systemic challenges of the public school system and made the difficult decision to switch career paths. Taking a more active role on a community level, Rose started volunteering. Rose’s story …

Back to the Future. Not only is it a classic movie, it is a helpful maxim to consider when thinking about your career. Back to the future means thinking about goals for your future self and then working backwards to figure out how to achieve those goals. In other words, planning for the future is …

There’s a relatively new way of thinking about how to create long term social change. One that builds upon the traditional models of philanthropy and charity to a new paradigm where the private sector is directly involved in addressing social issues. It’s a place where the public, social and private sectors work together to co-create shared …

If you’ve ever wondered how CSR Managers got their jobs, we can tell you there’s not always a straight path. We’ve said it before- and we’ll say it again- career paths in the impact economy are not linear which means there’s no single path to success. Rather than look at the jobs they’ve …

Top 11 Tips for a Career in Social Impact Career paths in the social economy are not linear anymore so there’s no pre-defined path for success. Zig zagging paths create opportunities for some and challenges for others to find and get a job with social impact. Since social innovators are always thinking about doing things not …

5 questions with a young sustainability professional. Lulu Li’s transformation from an oil and gas worker to a sustainability champion is inspiring. Lulu started off her young career working on site in Fort McMurray, Alberta. Witnessing oil spills and waste first hand inspired her to leave her job and pursue a …

Have you ever had that conversation where you’re telling someone how you want to do good in the world and leave a lasting impression with your career and they reply “don’t quit your day job”. Well, sometimes they might be right. That’s the beautiful thing about being an intrapraneur; you get to be a …

With boundless energy, Krista Pawley is leading an interesting career in the impact space. She has held leadership roles in government, non-profit and the private sector. Her breadth of experience gives her a unique perspective on the opportunities and challenges in the space and has led her to create Imperative Impact- a …

Getting involved in your company’s CSR efforts can take different forms and it doesn’t always mean you’ll have ‘CSR’ in your job title. A positive trend we’re seeing in business is the integration of CSR efforts across all aspects of the company, with all employees having a hand (or at …

Earlier this year, Kim Scott, an ex Google & Apple exec and currently an advisor at companies like Dropbox, Qualtrics, & Twitter, gave a talk at Strata + Hadoop World on how to be a better boss through the use of what she calls Radical Candor, the goal of which is to …

Are you thinking that a career in CSR is for you? The positive impact you can have in a CSR job is a huge draw for the field, but like with any job, success isn’t easy or guaranteed. There’s always hurdles that must be overcome to make a CSR campaign …

Standing out as a job applicant in the impact sector gets harder and harder as the sector grows in popularity. Today, standing out means going above and beyond the obvious requirements of having a carefully crafted cover letter, well-written emails and prompt replies. You’re competing with hundreds of other top quality …

Do you have a passion for social good but feel that you need to be in a higher position to be a change maker? Have you been in the same job for a while and are feeling frustrated that you can’t seem to move up? Or maybe you’ve been day dreaming …

How do you get to become a Manager of Corporate Responsibility with a leading sustainability company? Persistence. That’s the career path and advice of Jeremiah Brenner, Manager of Corporate Responsibility with LoyaltyOne. Building his skills through different work experiences and a Master’s degree in the environment and sustainability, Jeremiah eventually found his …

Building brands that stand out from the crowd is tricky business. It requires creating a unique voice that sets the brand apart. According to Hope Paterson, Co-Founder and Chief Culture Officer at Kidevolve and Super Nanny for Entrepreneurs, the recipe for brand success is adding a dash of personality into …

Career paths in social impact are non-linear and non-traditional. The diversity of skills needed to work in the space naturally make purpose driven professional more versatile and that allows for a range of possible career paths. More traditional career progression (junior analyst to analyst to senior analyst etc.) is less common in social impact, and …

Many professionals want to work in the nonprofit sector and while it can be an incredibly rewarding experience, there are some important realities you should know about before taking your first nonprofit job. Whether you are just graduating, in the middle or twilight of your corporate career or somewhere in between, …

Corey’s job reminds us that companies don’t have to separate their business objectives from their community efforts. Authentic campaigns that ‘plan for the effect, not the results’ are supremely powerful- case in point WestJet’s Christmas Miracle. Corey’s focus on content marketing provides a unique perspective, but it’s his insight on leadership and hard work that …

Earlier this summer we launched Toronto’s Most Meaningful Summer Internships – an initiative to highlight careers in the impact sector. In its first year we showcased internships at organizations making important contributions to the impact sector and took you inside their organizations for a sneak peek at what it’s like to work there. …