Places to Look For Jobs With Impact
If you’re anything like me, you’ve spent the last 18+ months facing a whole new world and with it, a whole new career (or some altered version of it). As we’ve settled into the pandemic, recovered from layoffs, and figured out how to look our best on a Zoom call, one of the greatest questions remains: how do we reconcile our work with our life right now? The side effect of this has been what news outlets and HR professionals are referring to as “The Great Resignation” — a period of great discontent in the labor force where people have realized their crappy, unfulfilling jobs are not worth the risk of catching COVID or turning their lives upside down as they try to balance work, family, health, etc. So where does this leave us?
If you’re on the brink of leaving a job and not sure where to find a new one, below are a few suggestions of where to start pointing yourself in the right direction. These are job boards that are focused on impact, some in different areas like the environment, balancing people & profits, and more. While I can’t personally endorse every single board and/or the companies posted on them, I can say that typically companies making a name for themselves in this space are often subjecting themselves to more public scrutiny if they’re setting those kinds of standards for themselves to be measured against. But nonetheless, I’d encourage you to do your due diligence in asking plenty of questions during your interview process.
Important, Not Important
Important, Not Important has not only grown to be one of my favorite newsletters, but they also have a great job board “for people and companies who give a shit.” Their job board focuses primarily on businesses that are aiming to have a positive impact in the environmental sphere. You can “work on the frontlines of the future in clean energy or biotech, maternal health research or sustainable agriculture, carbon capture or carbon finance, artificial intelligence or infectious disease modeling.” An extra bonus: they donate 25% of all of the fees paid for the job postings to a select group of high-impact organizations!
B Work
This one’s a little bit closer to my heart, as I used to work for a formerly certified B Corp organization. If you’re not familiar with the B Corp certification, you’ve still likely interacted with B Corp brands, such as Patagonia, Athleta, and Ben & Jerry’s. These businesses go through a rigorous application and screening process to ultimately prove that they’re worthy of the designation, which endorses them as businesses that use their business as a force for good. From the B Corp site:
From the B Corp website:
“Society’s most challenging problems cannot be solved by government and nonprofits alone. The B Corp community works toward reduced inequality, lower levels of poverty, a healthier environment, stronger communities, and the creation of more high-quality jobs with dignity and purpose. By harnessing the power of business, B Corps use profits and growth as a means to a greater end: positive impact for their employees, communities, and the environment.”
Per their website, Net Impact’s mission is “to inspire and equip emerging leaders to build a more just and sustainable world.” Their focus is on engaging students and young leaders to build a network of individuals who want to make a positive impact in the world. Their job board features positions at both Net Impact and other organizations that are focused on social impact, several of which are remote.
Climatebase
ClimateBase is a job board that hosts job postings from “thousands of exciting climate tech companies and nonprofits around the world.” Their website allows you to search by a specific sector (Food & Agriculture, Energy, Transportation, etc.), and also has information about their Climatebase fellowship that they offer, which focuses on getting plugged into their network as well as hands-on project experience.
Idealist
Idealist is a New York based non-profit that’s focused on volunteer work, internships, and impact-based careers. Overall, their website and mission appear to focus on DEI, and most specifically on helping to build a world in which everyone can live a free and dignified life. Their website states:
“Idealist and the people who work here live in a society that continues to suffer from racism and other forms of discrimination. Building a better community and a better world by recognizing and dismantling these inherited systems and attitudes is the labor of generations, requiring commitment, iteration, and an openness to productive conflict—and Idealist is in it for the long haul.”
Their website includes a job board, as well as lists of Grad School Fairs and volunteer opportunities, many of which are based in Dallas.
Other Opportunities
Not quite ready for a job change but still looking to grow your skills and have an impact? With sites such as Catchafire and Voly.org, you can still offer up your professional skills in a volunteer capacity to positively affect your local, national, or global community. Many nonprofits don’t have the budget or skills on their teams for smaller projects like website work, marketing, copywriting, and more, and share their asks with these sites to solicit volunteers. If you’re a junior in your career just starting out, this is also a great way to network in your industry and build a portfolio! Take a look at the opportunities on their sites, or perhaps even reach out to an organization personal to your interests and ask if they might be interested in any of the skills you might have to offer. It might just turn into a paid gig or get you connected to one!
Am I missing any great job boards or resources here? Drop me a line in the comments section to share places where you’ve found great jobs. And as always, if you found this article helpful, consider buying me a coffee to support my site and help keep the lights on!